Engine running hot?

[Roll]

Warm humid day. Mowing for roughly 90 minutes. I can feel heat rising off the hood and from around the engine compartment. No indication of over heating on the dash but then I don't see an idiot light or temp gauge on the dash.

I could put my hand on the hood and hold it there but if it was any hotter I wouldn't be able to continue to do so.

This is a 1997 B7300. I bought it in November 2016 and have just started to use it this season.

Does this sound normal? How do I check operating temp of the engine? And what should it be? 180 degrees or thereabouts?

Thanks for any help,

Gary

 

[85Hokie]

Warm humid day. Mowing for roughly 90 minutes. I can feel heat rising off the hood and from around the engine compartment. No indication of over heating on the dash but then I don't see an idiot light or temp gauge on the dash.

I could put my hand on the hood and hold it there but if it was any hotter I wouldn't be able to continue to do so.

This is a 1997 B7300. I bought it in November 2016 and have just started to use it this season.

Does this sound normal? How do I check operating temp of the engine? And what should it be? 180 degrees or thereabouts?

Thanks for any help,

Gary

Normal for a machine that is overheating!

CLean the radiator GOOD ! Air / water - and repeat - you'll be surprised what comes out!!!!

Check water pump belt if equipped - check tension

Change water/antifreeze ration - go 70/30 more water than AF

Go to nearest big box store - pick up laser pointed infrared thermometer - about 20 bucks. Take readings at top of block near water jacket, top of radiator and MOST importantly - the bottom of the radiator,

report back your findings!

 

[Roll]

Normal for a machine that is overheating!

CLean the radiator GOOD ! Air / water - and repeat - you'll be surprised what comes out!!!!

Check water pump belt if equipped - check tension

Change water/antifreeze ration - go 70/30 more water than AF

Go to nearest big box store - pick up laser pointed infrared thermometer - about 20 bucks. Take readings at top of block near water jacket, top of radiator and MOST importantly - the bottom of the radiator,

report back your findings!

Okay, got my instructions. One other thing, I added 12 inches of exhaust pipe to direct the exhaust out from the FEL supports and hydraulics. The pipe is the same ID as the original pipe. Would 12 inches of additional tail pipe cause overheating?

 

[Cglaza]

Okay, got my instructions. One other thing, I added 12 inches of exhaust pipe to direct the exhaust out from the FEL supports and hydraulics. The pipe is the same ID as the original pipe. Would 12 inches of additional tail pipe cause overheating?

No

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[jvanvleet]

The one time my B7300 overheated it was because I had not been paying attention and a layer of cottonwood fluff covered the screen in front of the radiator. In case you don't know that screen slides out from the top - make sure that is clean.

 

[Roll]

Without making any changes I checked temps after mowing. (My digital IR thermostat arrived).

Block is 180 more or less depending on how close you get to the muffler and exhaust header.

Thermostat housing is 179, Radiator is about the same at the top and cooler at the bottom. Same with radiator hoses. Block is a little cooler on the fuel side.

This sounds about right to me, (at least for a gas engine) of course my B7300 has a 3 cylinder diesel. I'm not familiar with diesels in general.

Thoughts? All the suggestions are worth doing. That said do you think I have an overheating problem? The engine seems to run well although I note that over 3000 RPM it has a tendency to vibrate a little. I run at at 3000 just under vibration speed when I more or use the FEL.

Gary

 

[Racer X]

Without making any changes I checked temps after mowing. (My digital IR thermostat arrived).

Block is 180 more or less depending on how close you get to the muffler and exhaust header.

Thermostat housing is 179, Radiator is about the same at the top and cooler at the bottom. Same with radiator hoses. Block is a little cooler on the fuel side.

This sounds about right to me, (at least for a gas engine) of course my B7300 has a 3 cylinder diesel. I'm not familiar with diesels in general.

Thoughts? All the suggestions are worth doing. That said do you think I have an overheating problem? The engine seems to run well although I note that over 3000 RPM it has a tendency to vibrate a little. I run at at 3000 just under vibration speed when I more or use the FEL.

Gary

Are these temps at idle? While working? You need to know what temps are present when the machine is working, as that is when it makes the most waste heat.

Getting temps of around 180° with a non contact pyrometer indicate the system is not up to operating temp, which should be around 210° to 220°.

As for the comparison to a gasoline engine, the only real differences are the fuels, and the lubricants and coolant that are specifically designed to use in a diesel engine. The engine still operates the same. Suck, squish, bang, blow, repeat.

Does this machine not have a temp gauge? How do you know it is running too hot? Is the coolant getting pushed out of the radiator when working the tractor?

One more thing. On an older machine it may be a good idea to not run it wide open. You mention running it at 3,000 rpm. Try running it at 2,600 or 2,700 and see if it still "overheats".

 

[Roll]

RacerX....

No temp gauge or warning light thus the post about whether it might be overheating. It felt hot, so i got a reader, reported and off we go.

3000 or just under is the speed required (according to the tachometer) to operate the mid mount PTO. When I mow, which is what I was doing just before the temps were taken, I run the engine at the speed indicated on the tach for that PTO which operates the MMM.

I was lead to understand that running at an idle does not allow for proper heat transfer through the radiator, and doing so is not healthy for the hydraulic system. Or so I understand anyway, I'm no expert.

Back to your question, Yes it had been under load just before the temps were taken and it was operating at 3000 at the time I got the readings. A friend suggested that a diesel is actually not efficient until temps a little higher than what I read in my prior post. Regarding water push, as I said in the post, the temps going into the top of the radiator were hotter than below, I would say the water pump (replaced in 2016) is working fine.

Gary

 

[Repair]

RacerX....

No temp gauge or warning light thus the post about whether it might be overheating. It felt hot, so i got a reader, reported and off we go.

3000 or just under is the speed required (according to the tachometer) to operate the mid mount PTO. When I mow, which is what I was doing just before the temps were taken, I run the engine at the speed indicated on the tach for that PTO which operates the MMM.

I was lead to understand that running at an idle does not allow for proper heat transfer through the radiator, and doing so is not healthy for the hydraulic system. Or so I understand anyway, I'm no expert.

Back to your question, Yes it had been under load just before the temps were taken and it was operating at 3000 at the time I got the readings. A friend suggested that a diesel is actually not efficient until temps a little higher than what I read in my prior post. Regarding water push, as I said in the post, the temps going into the top of the radiator were hotter than below, I would say the water pump (replaced in 2016) is working fine.

Gary

Strange that a water cooled engine does not have a way to tell if it's overheating.......I would add a mechanical gauge from the auto parts store, cheap insurance.

At work I like to say "lets not think we know the answer, lets KNOW we know the answer".

 

[Racer X]

RacerX....

No temp gauge or warning light thus the post about whether it might be overheating. It felt hot, so i got a reader, reported and off we go.

3000 or just under is the speed required (according to the tachometer) to operate the mid mount PTO. When I mow, which is what I was doing just before the temps were taken, I run the engine at the speed indicated on the tach for that PTO which operates the MMM.

I was lead to understand that running at an idle does not allow for proper heat transfer through the radiator, and doing so is not healthy for the hydraulic system. Or so I understand anyway, I'm no expert.

Back to your question, Yes it had been under load just before the temps were taken and it was operating at 3000 at the time I got the readings. A friend suggested that a diesel is actually not efficient until temps a little higher than what I read in my prior post. Regarding water push, as I said in the post, the temps going into the top of the radiator were hotter than below, I would say the water pump (replaced in 2016) is working fine.

Gary

Hey Gary,

The machine should have at least an idiot light for the temperature on the dash. But aside from that, the readings you are getting with the pyrometer show that the engine is getting cooled enough. Also, the drop in temps from top to bottom show system is functioning as it should.

When you checked with you hand, and it didn't leave any skin behind, again, everything is fine.

Getting readings around 180° on the outside shows that the temps are a bit low actually. My L260 runs around 190° or so when running the 6 foot finish mower on a hot day.

Any machine will feel hot on a hot day. About one third of the energy from the combustion of the fuel/air mixture is given off as waste heat, through the cooling system, the exhaust, and the engine oil. Whe running well, the exhaust manifold should actually glow red when the engine is running under load (usually not easily visible in bright sunlight, but easily seen at dusk or in the dark).

 

[jvanvleet]

For what it is worth this machine does not even have a temp light. There is a relief valve that is made to whistle if it is activated.