MX6000 Engine Runaway

[lee192233]

Hey guys and gals,

I'm new to this forum. I am the owner of a MX6000 with only 178 hours. I was using it to bring wood in the house tonight and while driving it back to the shed it ran away on me. I stopped the engine by holding the brake and pushing the hydro pedal all the way down. Since it's -5 F I allowed it to warm up for twenty minutes at 1100 RPM. While I was using it I kept it at 1600 RPM. It had been running about 35 minutes when it happened.

Has anyone else had this trouble on their machine? I will be having the dealer pick it up tomorrow to take a look at it. My guess is the turbo seal failed and it started running on engine oil.

Thanks for any input!

Lee

 

[kubotafreak]

Following,

Got the same engine in my tractor. If not the oil, I wonder if it broke a injector tip.
I am thinking water ingress to fuel system cracking the injector. When It finally broke, thus the uncontrolled diesel ingress.

On a side note, you running any anti gel fuel additive? I run the diesel clean religiously, and no issues knock on wood.

EDIT "correction, there is actually a known issue with the crank vent system drawing in oil. Ice forms in the vent lines/oil separator and causes a restriction. You should have the silver insulation on the hoses, and separator." There is also a optional $$$$ heater kit for the system for extreme temps.
When you say - 5 F do you really mean it was 37 F deg below freezing, or -5 c which is much more likely... It is 8 deg F here at night which equals -13 c

 

[lee192233]

Following,

Got the same engine in my tractor. If not the oil, I wonder if it broke a injector tip.
I am thinking water ingress to fuel system cracking the injector. When It finally broke, thus the uncontrolled diesel ingress.

On a side note, you running any anti gel fuel additive? I run the diesel clean religiously, and no issues knock on wood.

EDIT "correction, there is actually a known issue with the crank vent system drawing in oil. Ice forms in the vent lines/oil separator and causes a restriction. You should have the silver insulation on the hoses, and separator." There is also a optional $$$$ heater kit for the system for extreme temps.
When you say - 5 F do you really mean it was 37 F deg below freezing, or -5 c which is much more likely... It is 8 deg F here at night which equals -13 c

Thanks for the info.

I always run anti gel and howes diesel treat. The water separator has no water in it. I haven't opened the hood since it happened but I don't recall any silver insulation on the breather hoses. I guess we'll see what the dealer says tomorrow. It is -5 farenheit or -20 celcius tonight.

Thanks again

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Yes there is a update/ upgrade that needs to be done.
I'll see if I can get the number for it:

 

[lee192233]

Yes there is a update/ upgrade that needs to be done.
I'll see if I can get the number for it:

Thank you!

 

[SDT]

Yes there is a update/ upgrade that needs to be done.
I'll see if I can get the number for it:

Is the update needed for other equipment using the same engine, e.g., L6060?

 

[jyoutz]

Yes there is a update/ upgrade that needs to be done.
I'll see if I can get the number for it:

Do you know when this upgrade was installed in new machines? I bought mine in December 2021. Wondering although I’ve never encountered that problem.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Do you know when this upgrade was installed in new machines? I bought mine in December 2021. Wondering although I’ve never encountered that problem.

Is the update needed for other equipment using the same engine, e.g., L6060?

I have one of my corporate spy's searching for information on it.

 

[Dave_eng]

Do you know when this upgrade was installed in new machines? I bought mine in December 2021. Wondering although I’ve never encountered that problem.

From memory the basics of this engine run-a-way recall involved first the crankcase vent system freezing up due to moisture accumulating and freezing in the vent tube which on modern engines is directing blow by back into the intake. Once ice has blocked the vent tube, leakage by the piston rings gradually increases the pressure in the engine crankcase.
The result of this pressure increase on engines with turbo's was to force crankcase oil up the turbo drain and then the turbo starts feeding the engine crankcase oil which, when warm, will burn like a fuel. You have no control nor does the engine governor over engine speed hence the run-a-way.

The fix in simple terms involved providing electric heaters inside the vent system. Usually the charging system cannot handle this increased load and a bigger alternator is required. If the belt drive system is not up to the increased load then new crank pulley etc.

My dealer, a few years ago, had boxes of small alternators which had been swapped out on machines having this recall.

Many engines experience this vent system freezing. Small generators, if you do some searching provide silicone pad hears to wrap around the tube between the valve cover and air filter housing.

This issue is a possibility with any internal combustion engine.

Dave

 

[lee192233]

I have an update on the MX6000. The dealer picked it up this morning. I got a call back around 4:30 pm with the news. The tractor hasn't had the update so the diagnosis is the CCV froze which led to the turbo seal popping out and then the subsequent runaway. The dealer is 98% positive Kubota will cover the parts(turbo, CCV heater kit and gaskets/seals) and some labor. The tech pulled the turbo, plugged the lines and ran the engine until it was hot. It sounds good and the oil pressure is good. I think I may have dodged a bullet on this one.

I will keep you guys in the loop.

If you have a tractor with this engine I would highly recommend having the update done if you run it in cold conditions.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Does anyone have a picture on the machine of what to look for / how to confirm the update has been completed? I wonder how to check? If someone has a pic please share…thank you in an advance. (Or serial number range of affected units)

 

[lee192233]

Does anyone have a picture on the machine of what to look for / how to confirm the update has been completed? I wonder how to check? If someone has a pic please share…thank you in an advance. (Or serial number range of affected units)

If nobody supplies a pic I will post one when I get the machine back.

 

[Hunter1157]

What year is your tractor? I have a 2020 and am wondering if this is something I need to check into before my extended warranty runs out in April.

 

[lee192233]

What year is your tractor? I have a 2020 and am wondering if this is something I need to check into before my extended warranty runs out in April.

Mine is a 2019. I would check with your dealer to see if your machine has the CCV heater installed. If you operate in cold temps I would have it upgraded. This is the 3rd winter for mine and I never had trouble until yesterday. I'd have done it already if I'd have known. Better safe than sorry.

 

[kubotafreak]

Does anyone have a picture on the machine of what to look for / how to confirm the update has been completed? I wonder how to check? If someone has a pic please share…thank you in an advance. (Or serial number range of affected units)

Silver insulation over the pcv lines/seperator. Should cover all gl60 models and prob anyone who asks... My dealer sent me a kit for my 2016 gl3560 that was already done from the factory.

Second generic pic is of a inline pcv heater kit. The dealers never ask if you want the option because as stated before, you need the alternator upgrade. About a $1500 upcharge. Should be more of an issue on turbo model engines, and those that live in double digit neg temps.

 

[lee192233]

Hey guys,

The dealer brought the tractor back last Thursday. I ended up paying $1200 of what would've been $4k. The turbo is an expensive little piece, $2k. I did have them add a coolant heater while it was apart. They also installed the CCV heater kit for $550. According to the service manager Kubota wouldn't cover anything unless the CCV heater was installed. I asked about the charging system issues and the dealer said don't let it idle and it won't be a problem. I don't idle it anyways to help with keeping the DPF hot and clean. I let it "idle" at 1300-1500 rpm. I will check the voltage at the battery to make sure the alternator is keeping up.

I've included a couple pics. The one of the engine shows the CCV filter with the foil insulation on it. The hose with the heaters is buried so I wasn't able to get a good shot of that.

Thanks everyone for your input!

Lee