Cooling Problem

[CaribooHarry]

Finally put my Fergie (TEA20) to work raking hay with a side delivery rake on the PTO, running non-stop at 1500 rpm in 1st.

Temperature 80f with wind. After about 3 non-stop hours heat has built up to a boil. Shut down for day.

Next day remove thermostat, tighten fan belt and blow dust etc out of the rad.

Temp 90f with no wind, run about 4 non-stop hours before heat builds to a boil.

Any suggestions as to what to do next?

 

[Ulysses Hammen]

Do you have the fan shroud?

 

[Brent, IN]

When my radiator boiled over I tried a new radiator cap and that solved the problem.

 

[CaribooHarry]

Yes, it has the shroud in place.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Raking at 1500 rpm in 1st gear sounds like you"re really flogging it! I can"t imagine raking hay in fist geat on -20!
If it"s taking that long(3-4 hrs) to "overheat", what"s your definition of overheating?

Is your thermostat working properly? Do you have the correct pressure radiator cap(7 psi)? Have you overfilled the radiator? It should be filled to ONLY about 1/4" above the core. The rest of the space is for expansion.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

I can't help but have an attitude on this subject, this is the reason nearly all the Continentals in TO30's have cracks. I am really 21st century when it comes to coolants, I like high tech anti freezes, I really think it makes a difference compare to old days. Ok, in this stinkin' weather, mine is running warm after a few minutes, so am I. I only use it 10-15 minutes at a time, so I bet my fresh out of the acid bath block would get scarey after 4 hours too. So, rake for 4 hours, eat a long lunch under a cool tree, wake up an hour later and rake another 4 hours..? sounds good to me!

 

[Wazza]

Have a TEA 20 myself that i bought last winter. Tractor ran good through the cold weather but had a similar issue of running hot (to the point of boiling) during summer. Did the ususal things replaced, Rad cap, thermostat, rad flush and checked for leaks internally but nothing found. Problem still existed! Did a bit more research and found in the Workshop manual under cooling system Page 3, that the fan blade can be reversed during winter ( less air draw) to sustain engine operating temp. Had a look at the orientation of the blade on mine and found when i reversed it the draw was far greater through the radiator and past the engine block providing far greater cooling. Have not had a heating issue since. Needless to say running at 1500rpm in first gear would definately put a strain on the engine and the associated heating problem. Not sure if you have had this issue before but worth taking a look at the fan blade, could be a simple fix.

 

[Bob (Aust)]

Four hours at 1,500 RPM in 1st gear is asking a bit from your old Fergy but it should do it (although I would not do it in my TEA20).

90 Fahrenheit = 32 Celsius. I suspect you mean 90C (194F)? Standard human body temp is 98.4F (37C) - 32C is not even a warm summer day here!

Have you felt the radiator core for cool spots (indicating a blockage)? Is the radiator building pressure under the cap (indicating the cap is working)? Is the cooland just over the top of the radiator core leaving an air expansion gap? Is your temperature gauge accurate? Is the radiator actually boiling?

Why is 90C a problem after 4 hours @ 1.500 in 1st? I seem to recall the thermostat opening temp is around 76 to 82C, so your engine is not getting excessively hot. The TEA20 takes a 4 pound radiator cap for "normal" use, or 7 pound cap for "heavy" use. With 50% ethylene glycol to 50% water and a [u:5ce44a3523]good[/u:5ce44a3523] 7 pound cap the cooland boiling point is around 116C. (I could work it out - too late at night here.)

I would never run any engine without modern anti freeze. I'm also very cautious of rural town water supplies - the town water supply here (artesian) has a rather alkaline ph of 9!! I use tank rain water or cheap bottled water plus good quality anti freeze in all my old engines.

If you are worried, you could install a heat shield between the rocker cover and fuel tank which may deflect or dissipate the heat. Some years ago I [u:5ce44a3523]suspected[/u:5ce44a3523] my TEA20 was getting a vapour lock in the fuel line where it passes behind the engine due to heat and slipped a fiber glass sleeve over the fuel line - that seemed to help.

Seems to me like your Fergy is reacting to the work exactly as it should?

Bob in Oz
'53 TEA20

 

[CaribooHarry]

Thank you all for the comments, they were informative and encouraging.

Bob, a 90 Fahrenheit day here is exceptionally hot for us (I know, we are wimps in the heat, but try us at minus 38). I should have also mentioned we are 3800 ft.above sea level.

I too believe in proper antifreeze and was just using water for a day or so until I could get to town. It had antifreeze and I will do a cooling system flush and replace it with new in a few days.

I will check the fan but believe it is on correctly and will replace the thermostat and rad cap to make sure they are functioning correctly.

Most importantly I will treat the old girl with more respect as her age deserves and not run her so hard and long. I must say other than over heating she did the job magnificently without complaint. I was pushing hard to help a friend get his hay in as the season is late this year.

Tony, I will be following your advice, probably working 2 hours with a 1 hour cooling off period while I do other chores.

Lastly, does anyone have experience with 'Non Toxic' or less toxic antifreeze? With a tractor this old there is always the chance of leakage which is potentially fatal to neighbourhood dogs,
I want to be as safe as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Bob (Aust)]

Google "non toxic antifreeze".

ASPCA web site:

[i:749fe7756e]"It's important to keep in mind that no antifreeze product is without potential risk. There are several antifreeze products on the market that are labeled as low- or non-toxic. They are certainly less toxic than traditional antifreeze and usually contain propylene glycol or methyl alcohol, but they aren't truly non-toxic. Both propylene glycol and methyl alcohol have the potential to cause gastrointestinal irritation, central nervous system depression, and even death from respiratory failure in severe cases."[/i:749fe7756e]

At 3,800 feet above sea level, the boiling point of pure water reduces to 96C (205F).

At 50% anti freeze : 50% water, the freezing point is -30 F (-34 C) and boiling point is 225 F (107 C) at sea level.

At 70% anti freeze : 30% water, the freezing point is -60 F (-51 C) and boiling point is 240 F (116 C) at sea level.

My guess at 3,800' AMSL and 50% anti freeze, the boiling point will be around 104 C, so at an engine temp of 90 C you still have a 14 C (25 F) safety mrgin.

I don't think you have a problem, but treat the old girl with respect. The one hour break won't do anything. Personally I'd back off the revs slightly, but the TEA20 was designed to work all day at 1,500 RPM.

We regularly get Summer days at 40 C (104 F) but it is a very dry heat and bearable. Solution - more ice cold beer! :lol:

Bob in Oz
'53 TEA20

 

[gshadel]

CbooHarry, I have seen all the other posts and don't really agree with some of them - running 1500 rpm, which is "working speed", just like plowing or bush hogging, for 4 hrs straight in 1st gear should not overheat a good running TEA or TO.
I run bush hogging for 3-4 hrs straight, in 1st gear because the grass is too high to run in 2nd gear on 80+ days, and don't expect to overheat the tractor, me maybe, but not my TO.
A few pointers to consider, some are repeats - make sure your radiator is flushed out/cleaned well, and the fins are blown out well. Use 50% antifreeze with a good 7 psi cap. Make sure your fan shroud is fit well around the radiator and fan blades as intended and not bent out of shape, cracked or gapped in spots. Check your engine timing and carb. mixture, adjust per the manual. Both of those items can make your engine run hot, especially if the carb mixture is too lean. Also recommend you have a good factory type exhaust, not a cut-off or bad pipe or bare manifold.
All those things will help your TEA run cool under load as Harry intended.

George