Bought this l275 a year and a half ago and first time I changed the oil I put in regular not the diesel specific and ran it for an hour before I realized I had to put in diesel motor oil. Then over the winter the block heater wasn't working so I put in a new one, but I just noticed its now half kinked and probably reducing flow (though I saw earlier this year it was pushing coolant around by looking in the radiator. I didn't notice any blue smoke until it was really hot a few weeks ago doing work on an incline. Then it did a few bursts and I stopped a couple of times to let it cool to get it to the garage thinking it needed an oil change or something. Changed the oil, which was black after about 5 hours and more liquidy than usual. After the blue smoke seemed to go away but then it came back recently, and I bought it into the shop which is when I noticed the half kinked lower radiator hose from me improperly installing the block heater (leaving the hose not long enough). It looked like it was ok at the time but over the summer it has warped a little. After I just changed the oil and drove it over to park it, it did one puff of blue smoke for a second. Am I looking at new piston/rings? I have a radiator hose on the way but worried the pistons or rings are not ok. Its definitely blue smoke like 2 stroke. thanks in advance. Forgot to mention it has about 1500 hours and seemed to be running good and well taken care of at least before I got it.
l275 blowing blue smoke, rebuild?
- Thread starter destey
- Start date
It may need an overhaul at 1500 hours but I strongly suggest a compression check at the very least before undertaking the project. There are other possible causes of your smoke and most are less invasive than an overhaul.
North Idaho Wolfman
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Is it using oil excessively?
If not and it starts good I wouldn't worry about it.
If not and it starts good I wouldn't worry about it.
Changed the oil to see what color it looked like, its only been 4 hours of use since, I didn't measure it but it was probably down at least a quart maybe 2. Smoke is getting worse. The compression gauge I have only goes up to 200 psi.
It wouldn't shock me if it was rings. I bought it from my dad who changed the oil once in the 5 years he owned it. Does the engine need to be warmed up for a minute or two in the winter? He would start it up then go right to full power pushing snow, not even 5 seconds of warmup.
It wouldn't shock me if it was rings. I bought it from my dad who changed the oil once in the 5 years he owned it. Does the engine need to be warmed up for a minute or two in the winter? He would start it up then go right to full power pushing snow, not even 5 seconds of warmup.
Sometimes what diesel engines need is some hard work to get the rings seating well again. Many tractors are used lightly and over time the cylinder walls develop a glaze and the rings don't seat properly.
Read this article by Caterpillar about the results of gen sets being under loaded.
Genset
Owners have posted on this form about lending their machine to a neighbor who was needing to plow some fields. The tractor was returned many hours later and the owner reported it never ran so well.
NIW's advice is well worth heeding. His years of experience provide you with an valuabke opinion!
Dave
It has seen a lot of light use and idling over the last year. That info about cylinder walls glazing makes sense. I was unaware long idling or low load wasn't good for diesels. Sounds like the most likely culprit. Is there anything I can do to help it, like maybe add some ZDDP (zinc)? This guy has what sounds like the same issue and he put something in the oil https://www.orangetractortalks.com/...n-at-normal-operating-temp.56073/#post-543473
When its starting to blow blue smoke, should I change throttle up or down or just let it do its thing? Thanks guys