F30 running hot

[Al in Il.]

I bought a non running 1936 F30 not to long ago. Got it running the other day and the head got really hot - smoking hot - the new temperature
gauge was pegged to the hot side, returned to cold later on that day. The water in the radiator was cold even though the head was HOT, the block was cool to the touch. I thought
the thermostat might be bad so I filled the radiator full with water again (it leaks) took the temperature gauge out of the water manifold and water came
out like crazy - this tells me water is getting past the thermostat if it even has one. Possible water pump issue? Don't want to fry my new toy!

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Could the water be coming from the bottom up, and out the hole?

 

[Charlie M]

I have a W30 which is the same engine. Those engines used a bellows type of system to work the thermostat. Mine was rusted off and didn't work so I have no thermostat in mine. I would guess most of them are like that. If you are sure the water coming out is passing the possible thermostat then it has to be either the pump or the block is so full of crud the water doesn't circulate or bottom of radiator is plugged. I just took the head off a Super C that hadn't run for along time and over half the block was filled with just junk.

 

[Pete in Holland MI]

My F-20 had mud filling the lower 2/3 of the water jacket & sleeves. Once the head as off, I flushed it heavily, using a stick to poke thru the holes on top of the open block & break it up to flush easier. With that big opening on top of the radiator, who knows what creek or mud hole the water came from thru the life of that tractor.

 

[Leroy]

I am not familuar with those tractors but for the time frame they were made it supprises my that it even had a waterpump or thermostat and was not a thermo siphon cooling system and just used shutters to control temp. Those thermo siphon systems are sometimes very hard to get filled without an air pocket andit will make things do like you are saying. At leas on all John Deere tractors up to about 1952 were the thermo siphon. The earlier Fordsons up thru the time the F30 was built were the thermo siphon type as well.

 

[DeltaRed]

Pretty sure F30s had water pumps.As said,the thing is full of rust.A thorough cleamning/flushing is needed.You will most likely need to pull the head.

 

[Nebraska Kirk]

(quoted from post at 18:55:35 08/09/21) I bought a non running 1936 F30 not to long ago. Got it running the other day and the head got really hot - smoking hot - the new temperature
gauge was pegged to the hot side, returned to cold later on that day. The water in the radiator was cold even though the head was HOT, the block was cool to the touch. I thought
the thermostat might be bad so I filled the radiator full with water again (it leaks) took the temperature gauge out of the water manifold and water came
out like crazy - this tells me water is getting past the thermostat if it even has one. Possible water pump issue? Don't want to fry my new toy!

Since you say the head is smoking hot while the block and radiator are cool, then the problem is the thermostat is not opening. The original F30 thermostat is a bellows style and not available anymore. There is not a modern thermostat that I know of that will fit either. What you will have to do is remove the thermostat housing from the front of the water manifold and remove the old thermostat.

 

[Al in Il.]

That was my thought if it has the thermostat still in it, if not, on to the next possibility.

 

[Al in Il.]

Kinda late on the reply Fritz but yes it very well could be. As soon as I get the time, I'm checking to see if it has a thermostat or not.