Water in Oil Pan

[KubotaL275]

i have a Kubota L275, with the 3 cylinder engine. when i pour water into the radiator, it goes into the oil pan, fairly quickly.

i have an idea i know what the problem is way back in the back of my mind that i dont want to think about, but could this be a head gasket problem, instead of the dreaded cracked block?

thanks

 

[Theekillerbee]

Sure could be a cracked block. If you are lucky it is a freeze plug, but doubtful a head gasket would loose that much water that fast.

 

[Ob1kubota]

Welcome K -L275 and if its pouring in let's hope its just a block expansion plug because that won't be that hard to fix but will require a tear down. Here is a thought that will help locate the leak, crack, wherever it's coming from is to add dye to the mixture and use a black light to trace the point(s) its entering the oil pan once you tear into it. The floresence won't last long after the test pour so be prepared to get after her asap....good luck and come back with your findings please.

 

[KubotaL275]

thanks for the input guys. the tractor is at our farm a pretty good ways away from me at the moment so it may be awhile before i can get it to my house for the tear down. if it is a cracked block, what can be done about this?

 

[aquaforce]

thanks for the input guys. the tractor is at our farm a pretty good ways away from me at the moment so it may be awhile before i can get it to my house for the tear down. if it is a cracked block, what can be done about this?

Welcome to the forum.

Sure blocks can crack but that is not a typical failure of a Kubota. A machinist who advised me on my engine repairs said he rarely sees a Kubota block that is cracked.

I said all this to say; if you have a cracked block you should see your local machinist and have them advise. There are a lot of options with modern technology for "pinning" a block and other repairs that can save a block senario.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[RDR]

How thin is the gear cover on the front of the engine. I have seen them rot out and leak into the crankcase on other engines. I'm always optomistic about the simple approach before going the difficult route.

If the engine has been running good with no other problems, I would drop the oil pan if not too much trouble and pour water in it to try to see where it is coming from. The main thing is don't start the engine.

 

[KubotaL275]

How thin is the gear cover on the front of the engine. I have seen them rot out and leak into the crankcase on other engines. I'm always optomistic about the simple approach before going the difficult route.

If the engine has been running good with no other problems, I would drop the oil pan if not too much trouble and pour water in it to try to see where it is coming from. The main thing is don't start the engine.

im going to take a closer look next weekend and ill let you know about the gear cover. i was considering taking the oil pan off and pouring water in as a first step to diagnosing the problem. ill let everyone know something by next week end

 

[Ob1kubota]

How thin is the gear cover on the front of the engine. I have seen them rot out and leak into the crankcase on other engines. I'm always optomistic about the simple approach before going the difficult route.

If the engine has been running good with no other problems, I would drop the oil pan if not too much trouble and pour water in it to try to see where it is coming from. The main thing is don't start the engine.

Right on RDR this is a cheap starting point and will lead to the ultimate problem as you dig deeper. Dye and black lights aren't cheap if you don't own one. I use mine for A/C work more than any other purpose but they are great in a pinch when time is if the essence to locate coolant leaks.

 

[ipz2222]

If that is a 4wd and like my L235, you won't ba able to get the oil pan off easy. There's one bolt on the front of the pan with no clearance to get it out unless you take loose the front drive assy. Not a 10 minute job.!!!