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Cooling System Flush

Chevelle_Nut

Chevelle_Nut

Shop Foreman
Not for a Chevelle but for a tractor...

Under load after mowing for a while my diesel tractor over heats meaning TEMP light comes on, when it happens I either stop and idle down and cool it off or I take it to the hose and spray the radiator, either way not ideal.

When I go the tractor the antifreeze was dirty and some mud came out. At that time I did a drain and fill. Last year I had to replace the water pump so another drain and fill. I am thinking there is sludge in the block and it needs a good flush.

What are thoughts on cleaners in the system and then do a good fresh water flush? I have also thought about a small pusher fan on the front of the radiator.

I won't mess with this for a few weeks but I wanted to wrap my head around this.
 
Derek69SS said:
good for killing Mold too
Click to expand...

We just went through that with our leather theater seating..... cleaned it with a vinegar solution, but it didn't kill all the mold and it made the leather kinda stiff. Second cleaning was with Lysol wipes immediately followed by leather conditioner, and then it was good.
 
I am getting closer to figuring out the tractor, I think. Temp light has been coming on under load, aggravating. It never boils over, no leaks.

I installed a 10" electric pusher fan, no help.
Flushed and cleaned cooling system, was not really dirty, radiator looks clean.
Replaced sender with gauge, Under heavy use temp hits about 231 degrees and according to the repair manual that is the range the light would come on.

When I had the top hose off flushing I did not see a thermostat, I am wondering if in the tractors past it was removed?
According to what I can find is it did have a thermostat BUT some Mitubishi diesels did not, this is a K3A.

It is a pain but I might take the hood off and run it to see if it is an airflow problem, that thing is pretty compact.

Thoughts?
 
If there isn't a thermostat it'd take forever to get hot and under a load it wouldn't overheat, but I'm betting on air flow and potentially the radiator having a film inside preventing it for fully dissipating the heat. Another thought is the water pump. It may be flowing, but maybe not enough.

I had an International 4900 26' box truck with liftgate that had a backplate behind the water pump that if the backplate got worn from a failing water pump, then the water pump couldn't pump enough and the engine got too hot. The truck was for one of my businesses and I'd purchased it used, so the problem didn't come to light until after I put it under a heavy load. That was a $5k bill I wasn't happy about.
 
kmakar said:
If there isn't a thermostat it'd take forever to get hot and under a load it wouldn't overheat, but I'm betting on air flow and potentially the radiator having a film inside preventing it for fully dissipating the heat. Another thought is the water pump. It may be flowing, but maybe not enough.

I had an International 4900 26' box truck with liftgate that had a backplate behind the water pump that if the backplate got worn from a failing water pump, then the water pump couldn't pump enough and the engine got too hot. The truck was for one of my businesses and I'd purchased it used, so the problem didn't come to light until after I put it under a heavy load. That was a $5k bill I wasn't happy about.
Click to expand...
I replaced the water pump last year, shaft was worn out. IIRC everything looked good. The radiator is still suspect but it seems to flow good and from what I can see, no buildup. No aftermarkets for this unit so I need to find a shop that can flush, rod and recore it if needed.

Also, if I spray the radiator with a hose it cools down in no time.
 
Chevelle_Nut said:
I replaced the water pump last year, shaft was worn out. IIRC everything looked good. The radiator is still suspect but it seems to flow good and from what I can see, no buildup. No aftermarkets for this unit so I need to find a shop that can flush, rod and recore it if needed.

Also, if I spray the radiator with a hose it cools down in no time.
Click to expand...

Did you pull the radiator and let vinegar soak in it overnight? If not, that's what I'd do next.
 
Is this the Allis? Does yours have a pressure cap? Mine doesn't have a pressure cap so when it was getting hot it would boil over right away.
 
77cruiser said:
Is this the Allis? Does yours have a pressure cap? Mine doesn't have a pressure cap so when it was getting hot it would boil over right away.
Click to expand...
No, the Satoh.

(Over a couple of weeks) I ran a commercial grade HVAC cleaner through it for about an hour. Drained and refilled. I tested for a while then bought a commercial cleaner, ran it full strength with water, mowed the field for 3 hours then flushed. No debris came out. Refilled and mowed again, still over heats. I bought a gauge and installed it today, put it under a load and got her hot.
 
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