L3800 oily exhaust residue

[Fishman1]

I am new to the forum and have noticed the abundance of information that this site offers and have a question of concern. Any advice would be welcomed.

I purchase a Kubota l3800 last fall and have used it for light front loader work and have accumulated only 20hrs. I have noticed with the cold weather here in the Northeast that there is a residual oil accumulating at the end of the exhaust pipe. It isnt dripping but definitely not just the dry carbon build up I have seen on other diesel equipment. It lives in a heated garage and this time of year sees less than 1 hour of use at a time so I dont believe the engine is getting up to temp. Dealer advises that if it isnt smoking and that it is probably just condensation???? I would think that a bad ring would be highly unlikely with only 20hrs. Engine isnt smoking at startup or during use and oil level appears to be where it should be...Has anyone else observed this on their kubota? Other than this concern I love the machine....please advise if I should be concerned....Thanks for any input.

 

[birddogger]

I know it lives in a heated garage, and it probably starts easily, but I'd still treat the fuel with anti-gel/cetane boost.
for instance:http://www.powerservice.com/dfs/
This will help the fuel burn hotter in cool weather, quicker warm-ups and perhaps cleaner exhaust. Running it in the fuel in summer won't hurt.
Also to avoid future blues from gunk growing in the fuel I'd give a treatment of another supplement: http://www.powerservice.com/bk/

Low hour usage, plus humidity leave you susceptible to algae build up. Refill the fuel tank after each use to minimize headspace and humidity uptake.
Diesel can grow some truly snotty gunk if left to its' own devices too long.
Look at this picture from another thread:

Follow the thread- http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6439&highlight=algae&page=2

Decide if a little measure/pour is worth avoiding a strip/clean.

 

[Stumpy]

Is it oil or is it just water that's picked up a bunch of exhaust particles? The dealers explanation makes sense since it's such a new tractor. If it's truly oil you've got something else going on there and I'd take it back to the dealer.

If it's an oil leak that much oil can only be coming from the rings or the valve guides. I had a valve guide leak that left a good 1/4in of soft gritty deposits all around the inside of the exhaust runner on one cylinder. I could tell it was the guides because when I removed the manifold I could see big drips of oil on the valve stems. Diagnosing the rings as bad can be done with a compression test or leak down test.

 

[Fishman1]

Thanks guys for the advice. If it ends up being an issue with the engine at only 20hrs I will not be a happy camper, it may prompt a trade for JD.. I need to work the machine more getting it up to operating temp for an extended period and rule out the whole "condensation" theory. This started as soon as the outside temps dropped below 20 degrees F so I am hoping that this is whats going. However, it seems like this would be very common for other diesel tractor owners who live in similar climates. I will let you know what happens. Thanks again.

 

[kuboman]

Thanks guys for the advice. If it ends up being an issue with the engine at only 20hrs I will not be a happy camper, it may prompt a trade for JD.. I need to work the machine more getting it up to operating temp for an extended period and rule out the whole "condensation" theory. This started as soon as the outside temps dropped below 20 degrees F so I am hoping that this is whats going. However, it seems like this would be very common for other diesel tractor owners who live in similar climates. I will let you know what happens. Thanks again.

You have classic diesel slobber from not getting up to temp long enough. If you can put it on a nice steady heavy load it will clean right up.

 

[Bluegill]

Thanks guys for the advice. If it ends up being an issue with the engine at only 20hrs I will not be a happy camper, it may prompt a trade for JD.. I need to work the machine more getting it up to operating temp for an extended period and rule out the whole "condensation" theory. This started as soon as the outside temps dropped below 20 degrees F so I am hoping that this is whats going. However, it seems like this would be very common for other diesel tractor owners who live in similar climates. I will let you know what happens. Thanks again.

I looked at JD before I bought my 3800 and they had nothing for me in that price range.

Like Kubotaman said, get the temp up for a while and you'll be good to go.

 

[Fishman1]

Just wanted to update everyone, been busy playing with my l3800.....You guys were correct, as soon as the air temps increased and I would work the machine for more than 30 minutes at a time the slobber cleared up. Extremely happy with the l3800, amazing what you can do with it.

 

[Bluegill]

Sounds good. Thanks for the update.

I do really like my L3800 !!!