Ford 4610 smoke coming out of valve cover breather

[Rowes04]

I was bush hogging this field today and suddenly I saw smoke coming out of the valve cover breather. I stopped the tractor to see if I could see anything but couldn t see anything that would tell why smoke was coming out. After I looked for a little a started the tractor up and decided to drive it back to the barn to take a better look at it. As I was driving back it started to bog down and blew the oil fill cap off. I have no clue where to even start. Has anyone ever had this problem? Do you know what could be the problem?

 

[Michael Soldan]

Crankcase ventilation system may be plugged , pressure is building up in the engine and it blew the oil fill cap off. Check
crankcase vent valve and clean if neccesary

 

[Fordfarmer]

Smoke, or steam, coming from the breather?
I hate to say it, but it was likely steam,
from a cavitation hole near the bottom of
a cylinder... and it diluted the oil until
it spun a bearing.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I'd start with checking the oil and rad for full or low. then chack the engine for bubble in the rad. look for oil in the radiator or water in the oil. IF the oil coooler is leaking setting the water will be in the oilpan if only leaking when running then the oil will be in the radiator. With the running the oil pressure is higher than the water pressure so oil goes to rad if setting leak then a static pressure of the water and oil will let the water in the oil pan.

 

[used red MN]

Hello Rowes welcome to YT! Is the engine a gas or
diesel? Do you know what a misfiring cylinder sounds
and acts like? At the oil fill where the cap blew off does
it have air or pressure pushing out of it, does it feel like
the discharge is pulsing? It sounds to me like a piston
ring has broke or some other damage has happened to
a piston. Now combustion pressure is pushing down
along the side of the piston. So it has probably only
happened to one piston so the vapors coming out of
the crankcase would be in pulses whenever that
cylinder fires. As mentioned above this type of
problem would cause a cylinder to acts as if It is
misfiring to a degree. A compression test would
answer if this is a problem.

 

[r.w.b.]

burned hole in piston

 

[Welding man]

Oh the dreaded cavitation problem on the 10 series tractors that is so easily prevented but no one does until it happens. Coolant
conditioner or change your antifreeze ever 2 years. Now it is a sleeve job I'm afraid. I have done dozens of them. Hope I'm wrong,
but the symptoms are all there.