Tractor Experts....... need advice here......

[chickenzoo]

OK, our friend still has not had the time to work on our tractor( 1994 L3250 Kubota ) for the over heating problem

, so hubby looked into it himself ( not very mechanical)

. But when he went to check the thermostat..... low and behold it was missing!!! So, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that isn't right....

So what could the people who sold it to us be trying to hide? If we use it w/o the box blade for light use it doesn't get hot. After an 1/2 hour of using the boxblade it does. But our friend said that is an old trick to make it seem like it doesn't overheat...to remove the thermostat... so what should we look for once we replace the thermostat if it continues?

m Help!

 

[Mahonri]

Radiator/cooling system/ check to see what the oil looks like ... is it clean is it dirty? Does it need to have new rings? etc....

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

So basically, it overheats when the PTO is engaged but not when it is not in use??


Hydraulics leak?

 

[joebryant]

chickenzoo, I too have a Kubota farm tractor, and I too am not "mechanically inclined". Whatever you do, do not let your husband drive the tractor near a pond, allowing it to slide into and under water. While it's true that a diesel will run under water, with the explanation that he needed to mow the water weeds, it will only continue to run until the engine sucks enough water into it to stop the diesel motor from running. It costs at least $1,500 to have it drained, reoiled, etc. Take your tractor to Kubota dealer for whatever needs to be done; they're not expensive in the long run, but, whatever, don't go near a farm pond like I've done several times for $1,500 per occurance.

 

[spammy]

Put in the correct thermostat. The thermostat not only allows the engine to heat up quicker, it also slows the coolant flow through the radiator to allow enough time for proper heat exchange. If the tractor still overheats, a CO (carbon monoxide) sniff test is in order. Many auto repair facilities will have the equipment to do this. To do this test a sample
of the heated coolant is removed from the radiator placed in a jar and a chemical is added. If the color turns (blue with my tester from Napa) it indicates the presents of CO. This presents indicates some of the combustion gases are present in the coolant, an indication of a leaking head gasket or cracked head..

 

[harryg6167]

When the thermostat isn't working properly an engine will overheat. Removing the thermostat
generally keeps it from overheating.
Box blade does not use PTO so that should be no factor in why it overheats.
Should start by first replacing the thermostat. Then go ahead and flush the radiator to make sure it is cleaned
out good and add water and coolant. Clean the screen covers of the radiator and also the radiator fins.
After doing all of this and if it still overheats you could have a water pump issue or even a cracked head or bad
head gasket causing your problems.
Keep your fingers crossed that it just needs a good cleaning.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Does it steam out the exost pipe? If you open the radiator cap(COLD) an start it do you see bubbles? Ether means it has a blown head gasket.

Does it have a clutch fan? If it does then the fan should turn free cold an not wiggle but not turn if you let the tractor get good an hot an shut it off an try to turn it. If it turns you need a fan.

If the water pump is bad it may leek an if you look in the radiator cap(COLD) you should see the water moving if the pump is working.

The radiator may need flushed.

It is not unusual to remove the thermostat. there main job is to help the heater heat up faster. It does help the tractor run a little better but 99% of tractors do not need them an they are not replaced if they go bad. Every now an then one will run hot without one but its rare.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Well, after carefully reading your post I have deduced the problem to an exact root cause.

The problem here seems to be that your tractor is not a John Deere.

Ok, just kidding... I don't know how to solve your problem, but I do hope you get it fixed. Having a downed machine is never a good thing

Hope you can get someone who knows their stuff to repair it soon...

 

[clayhill]

I have a small tractor (Massey Ferguson Diesel) and have had overheating issues also. Everytime it was the screen and radiator plugged with dust and pollen from weeds. The thermostat will indeed let the tractor warm up and perform better, but rarely will a tractor overheat from not having one. If it does something else is probably wrong, such as low fluids, cracked heads, bad gaskets, etc. Small tractors are prone to overheat when the radiator is dirty or clogged. I would start by making sure the radiator is CLEAN. I blow mine out with air compressor regularly. Good luck.

 

[clayhill]

One other thing I had happen. My fan belt became word and loose, you might also check yours.