Coolant issues

[Mike keliher]

I have a 2015, Zd326. 77 hours and it uses about 1 Oz of coolant an hour. I've checked for leaks. No staining or dust collection on on areas near hoses or over flow tank. Radiator holds 11-13 psi. No sign of moisture on oil fill cap or oil dips stick. Radiator cap holds good. Radiator is full and remain full as the overflow tank drops in level. Any thoughts or like type problems occurred to anybody else?

Thanks for any help. Mike

 

[CountryBumkin]

I don't know what the coolant flow is in your engine/head - by generally speaking, you may have a cracked head. When the engine gets hot, the crack expands and allows coolant to leak internally. Then the coolant is drawn into combustion chamber (think "intake side") and it goes out in the exhaust. A small coolant leak into combustion chamber while running wouldn't be that noticeable in the exhaust.

If your pressure testing with engine/coolant cold you may not see the leak at all, or crack could be small enough that you won't see the tester gage drop on a cold engine until after a bit of time.

 

[Mike keliher]

Thank you, my dealer is small, I'm no sure about their ability. How to approach them is my next step. I need to address this.
Should I continue to run or take out of service?
Should I test the oil for moisture first?
I ran a bx trouble free for years, what a disappointment.

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[Daren Todd]

Draining the oil after it sits over night should show whether there is coolant in the oil or not. Should see a fair amount of steam out of the crank case vent as well, and have an antifreeze smell.

Could be something as simple as loose clamps on the coolant lines. I've found on new equipment that they sometimes start leaking slightly when they get up to operating temperature due to the clamps expanding. Usually when I get a new piece at the shop, I'll run them up to operating temperature, then tighten the clamps again. You can usually get another half a turn or so when they are hot.

Also, and this is just a question. How are you gauging fluid loss? Are you filling the radiator slap full to the top. Then checking after an hour of running? If so, it's normal to lose a little fluid out the over flow tube due to the coolant expanding.

 

[Mike keliher]

I've tighten the claps with a cold engine, will try when hot. I added a clamp at the bottom of the overflow tank too. I also check the radiator after looking at the tank level. The radiator is always full to the top. Your question gives me a idea, i will run it and bag the overflow to see if that is the source of the loss. I mow hilly ground and have checked the overflow when doing so but not up to tempiture. My plan is to drain the oil and send a sample. Will do later today. Where do I find a sample kit, at a parts store?

Thanks for the feedback back, Mike k.

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[Tooljunkie]

Being a diesel, even the smallest leak will pressurize the cooling system imagine compression vs the cooling system pressure.so its a leak or evaporation.hot coolant exposed to ambient air temp will evaporate.look in the water pump pulley, for dust collection.maybe water pump is seeping.

 

[Diydave]

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes, the overflow tank, or its hose can have a small crack or leak in it. As it is not pressurized, it usually is not a big leak. Sometimes its a crack, from vibration, that just seeps out...

 

[Mike keliher]

I've looked at all aspects for leaks. No dust collection or drips. I've drained my oil, amsoil ouch, no sign of smell or discolor. The Small bottle I attached to the coolant overflow has no sign of coolant either. Here in northern Maine temperature never gets hot enough to test the cooling system. I'm heading in town to pick up a oil test kit. Blackstone does not have a good turnaround time. I'll look into others at parts stores. The manual says (don't) use cj-4, class oil because having a none egr system. All the oil brand variety I've seen is reverse progressive, c-j down. Hard to find oil that isn't, except amsoil. Again thanks for the feedback and help. I'll keep you all posted.
Mike k.

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[Mike keliher]

The oil lab analysis came back clean, all is normal. To the dealer i go. Can anyone tell me what I mite expect from them?
Does hurt the engine if antifreeze is escaping through the exhaust side of the head?
Should I expect Kubota to repair the head or install a new one if needed? I believe a new one!
Thanks again for the help. Mike k.

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[Mike keliher]

HELP? No real help from my dealer as of yet. Do we hav a tech line directly to Kubota to discuss issues?

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[sheepfarmer]

HELP? No real help from my dealer as of yet. Do we hav a tech line directly to Kubota to discuss issues?

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Go onto the Kubota website and look for the "contact us" sections and try email questions. It takes several days for a reply, and if you are asking a technical question, your first reply may be less than helpful, but if you persist and ask for the question to be directed to someone who has expertise in say Z engines you may end up having a discussion with someone who actually knows something, and if there is a problem that has shown up on several similar rigs. It does require persistance and rephrasing the question a couple of times since I have the impression that the first tier question answerers don't read the emails very carefully. But after that it can be helpful.

 

[nickelplated5s]

HELP? No real help from my dealer as of yet. Do we hav a tech line directly to Kubota to discuss issues?

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Make sure your Dealer gives you paperwork so you can back up any potential warranty claim.

 

[Mike keliher]

Thanks to you both, I'll will and give it a try,

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[kuboman]

I have a new ZD1211, same machine as yours only new model. I have the same issue, a small amount of coolant disappears after each use. No evidence what so ever of any leaks. No evidence of it being burnt. A mystery. Keep us informed if you find the cause.

 

[Daren Todd]

Run the unit up to operating temperature then shut it down. Then go through and tighten all hose clamps on the coolant lines. If they have the spring loaded type clamps. Replace them with the screw type clamps. And tighten clamps a second time after engine is at operating temperature. Sometimes, they may have a smaller secondary line running from the water pump to somewhere on the block or turbo if equipped. Those need to be checked as well

If it's small drip in near the exhaust or on top of the engine, it will evaporate in a short amount of time, instead of showing up as a wet spot. Also a small drip directly on the ground will often go unnoticed as well. Especially if it only leaks while hot and running.

I would definitely double check foolish simple before spending money and tearing it apart

 

[chriss]

Did you figure out the problem? I have same issue
thanks,

 

[mattwithcats]

Try replacing your coolant reservoir cap or your radiator cap.

 

[marrtw]

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but I have the same issue on a ZD1211. I realize there's a reservoir cap recall but I've had that done and it's still using fluid. Anyone find the root cause?

 

[skohler]

I have a zd331 that looses a wee bit over time, maybe 2-3 ounces over the course of a month of hard use. Bought it used with 600 hours and now has almost 1000, had it for 6 years. I was worried about it at first, but never had a hint of water in the oil, runs cool as long as I keep the rad clean. I'm not really helping with a solution, but I'm thinking this is not a rare issue.

 

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