BX1800 Radiator issues

[lysjones]

Wow, what a fantastic forum! Just found you guys after buying a used BX1800 a couple years back.

So, now I have a radiator problem. I noticed a few times after mowing for a couple hours that when i turned the tractor off, i could hear the radiator boiling (gurgling). I would let it sit for a bit and things would cool down and it might not do it again for a couple months. I cleaned the removable grate in front of the radiator and made sure there was nothing blocking the vents as best i could.

Well, this last week, I was using it, ran for about 20 min (just long enough to get good and hot) and suddenly I blew steam out the top of the radiator like a geyser. There is a small hole on the right side of the radiator plastic 'top' that looks almost too perfect to be a crack or blown hole (see pic)...makes me wonder if it's not a pressure release hole that 'blew' or something. At any rate, after it cooled down overnight, i added water back to the radiator, ran for about 5 min and i had steam coming out from all sides of the hood.

So, any ideas why i'm not cooling? fan is turning normal, just not sure why the overheating.

can't seem to embed the pic due to being new
, so here's a link to it on my onedrive: (Put and https:// in front of the following) : 1drv.ms/u/s!AgIcQt2YdmTUgvMqMOFLD3yHyFKXIw

 

[Jpatrick]

The reason it's boiling over is that it can't hold pressure. A hole in the radiator, even a small one, will do this. Might need to remove radiator and either get it fixed or replace it. Also might want to make sure that the cooling jacket is free of rust and scale, etc.

Here's hoping you didn't run too hot for too long and develop other problems.

Now, with regard to cleaning out the removable front grate. When mowing, I find I have to clean that out about every hour of mowing when the weather is hot. It's also necessary to clean out the radiator itself. I do this by directing a leaf blower back through the radiator fins. Some people use compressed air.

 

[mickeyd]

Welcome to the OTT forum. Yes, this is a great place to get answers.

Beside cleaning the front screen, I found out that it will not stop the smaller stuff from clogging the radiator. I always clean it from the back by blowing air through the fins. I am surprised how much dust comes out.