The heat in my new BX23S is worse than dismal. Spent 2 1/2 hours today freezing in the cab, and had the lower vents blocked so as to direct all the heat to the windshield. It barely had enough heat to keep the windshield clear with the wiper going. I felt the heater hoses and they are both hot, but I get very little heat out of the vents. I even called Curtis Cab a few weeks ago and told them about it, and they had no suggestions other than taking it back to the dealer that installed the cab. The problem with that is that I need the tractor for snow removal, and I doubt that they would fix it immediately. The fans are both blowing, but I am not getting very much heat. Could there be air in the system? I had to drain the engine block to install the block heater. That was about 35 hours ago so I would have thought with that amount of running, if there was air trapped in the heater core, it would have been purged by now.
BX23S Cab NO HEAT!!
- Thread starter DustyRusty
- Start date
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
yes... add an upside down ' T' fitting into the top hose. Add coolant,run engine. When all the bubbles(air) leaves, screw on a pipe cap. You should then have heat.
If not, ship me the cab, I could sure use it here .... -30*C
If not, ship me the cab, I could sure use it here .... -30*C
When I worked. On hot water heating coils, there was an air bleed needle valve. Maybe there is one on that heater
kubotasam
Well-known member
Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
I have never seen a BX23s with cab and heater so I may be way off base. Is it possible to unbolt the heater and get it to a lower position with the hoses still attached? If yes then you can get the trapped air out of the heater core.
Depending on location of the heater core, there could be a large air bubble in the heater circuit. Saw that happen in the auto industry when rear seat heater cores were located at elevation above radiator. That circuit was difficult to fill other than the factory. May need to tee in a small dia. vent in the heater circuit.
Also, check for kinked heater hoses.
Is your coolant concentration 50/50 glycol/water?
Bottom line is that coolant flow through the core is low.
Also, check for kinked heater hoses.
Is your coolant concentration 50/50 glycol/water?
Bottom line is that coolant flow through the core is low.
I will call Curtis and see if I can get the heater installation instructions. Possibly there is something in there that will be of use to figure this out.
The Curtis Industries web site shows the Kubota cab heaters I looked at mounted lower than the bottom of the edge of the windshield.
Can you describe where in a height relation your heater is positioned. It will make a big difference in the advice you need to get heat.
Dave
The heater is integral to the cab and mounted horizontally across the bottom of the windshield. My old cab had the type of heater you pictured, and it worked very well.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
one slim possible way to 'purge the air' is to remove the heater unit and place it as low as it can 'hang'. Then run engine until war, see it it blows hot ar. If not, then turn off engine, remove top heater hose from engine,add coolant, reconnect, try again. somehow you've got to 'burp the baby'.
The Curtis Industries literature suggests the cab heater is an option.
The heater core has the inlet and outlet out the bottom of the heater case which would make an excellent air trap blocking or impeding circulation.
Greensvillejay' advice is good, trying to rotate the core to put the inlet and outlet on top temporarily is an additional step which might help.
If the heater is not properly connected into the tractor cooling system it will never work.
Dave
After running the tractor for 4 or 5 hours today, I put it back into its canvas garage, and opened the hood to see how hot the upper radiator hose was. It was cold to the touch, and the same with the radiator. The temperature gauge comes up about 1/3 of its travel. I am thinking that I might need to add a piece of cardboard to the radiator to get the engine a bit hotter. Since the engine was hot, I didn't open the radiator cap, but I did observe that the overflow bottle was quite low so I filled it to the top. I let the engine cool down, and checked the bottle a few hours later, and the level didn't change. The lower hose has a T fitting in it, so I can't burp it there. If we get some warmer weather, I will take the heater off and lay it on the floor of the tractor.
leveraddict
Well-known member
Equipment
2017 BX23S 60" LP BoxBlade 54" mower 60" BackBlade EA 12" 1 bottom plow & Forks
Try this
Start the tractor remove rad cap while cold, squeeze/pump all of the hoses multiple times including the heater core hoses to remove any air inside the lines!
Start the tractor remove rad cap while cold, squeeze/pump all of the hoses multiple times including the heater core hoses to remove any air inside the lines!
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
curious, when you installed it, did you top up the coolant ? I run mine about 1/2way in the overflow bottle.
Have maybe 1/3rd of the grain screen covered,,temp gauge read 1/3rd. Gut still says 'air bubble blockage'.
I real local mechanic cursing some make of car, took 2-3 HOURS to 'purge' all the air out of it,said engine would overheat, destroy itself otherwise. He followed MFRs writeup 3 times..finally got it.
You 'might' get lucky if you...remove heater, drop down, remove the top hose from engine,pour coolant into rad until if FLOWS out of heater core through the upper hose,pincn off.,, then reattach upper heater hose to engine. Could get messy !
Have maybe 1/3rd of the grain screen covered,,temp gauge read 1/3rd. Gut still says 'air bubble blockage'.
I real local mechanic cursing some make of car, took 2-3 HOURS to 'purge' all the air out of it,said engine would overheat, destroy itself otherwise. He followed MFRs writeup 3 times..finally got it.
You 'might' get lucky if you...remove heater, drop down, remove the top hose from engine,pour coolant into rad until if FLOWS out of heater core through the upper hose,pincn off.,, then reattach upper heater hose to engine. Could get messy !
I would try vacuum filling it before doing that
May be able to borrow one from Autozone if you have one nearby.
I have my heater mounted behind my seat . It's a homemade heater & home made cab . .In - 30 c I don't need gloves or ear coverings . I do wear winter gear boots , jacket etc: I'am not freezing thats for sure. You need to block off all the air coming into the cab through levers etc: I also completely cover the screen area ( lower dash } with canvas. Behind the screen I remove the plastic covers so that the fan pulls air from underneath the tractor. Under the seat I made a removable piece that seals all air leakage from there to. I also put a piece of cardboard onto the screen in front of the rad with a 4" hole. { cardboard is mounted on the side away from the rad.} Biggest thing is no heater will be able to warm up your cab if you have more cold air coming in then what the heater can put out.
When tractor is running do both of the heater hoses get hot. Mine do ?? you may just have air in your system . I'am not sure on your's which one is your return line but if you loosen it and move it sideways you can sort of bleed it that way while the tractor is running. Just be careful and mindful of any moving parts fan/belts etc.
When tractor is running do both of the heater hoses get hot. Mine do ?? you may just have air in your system . I'am not sure on your's which one is your return line but if you loosen it and move it sideways you can sort of bleed it that way while the tractor is running. Just be careful and mindful of any moving parts fan/belts etc.
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My 2380 with no cab shows a proper temp during summer. Winter was running cold, dealer said that's the way they are. I didn't like running the engine cold, so cut a piece of cardboard with about a 5" diameter circle cut out. Now my temps are same summer/winter. By adding the heater you have effectively increased size of your rad - little motor just doesn't make enough heat and the rad/fan is obviously efficient.
A piece of trivia dealing with getting heat from diesel engines.
Unlike a gas engine where the air intake is limited as a way to control power output and rpm, a diesel is always inhaling an unrestricted volume of air which, if the air is very cold, becomes an effective way to cool the cylinders thus reducing or eliminating the need for a radiator.
Little heat left for a heater on smaller engines.
Dave
Unlike a gas engine where the air intake is limited as a way to control power output and rpm, a diesel is always inhaling an unrestricted volume of air which, if the air is very cold, becomes an effective way to cool the cylinders thus reducing or eliminating the need for a radiator.
Little heat left for a heater on smaller engines.
Dave
Good point. Ford diesel trucks limit airflow by modulating the intake air valve. At the same time, they run the turbo to increase the air intake temperature. I've seen Cummins truck engines do the same thing.