Ford 8N overheating

[rbowden63]

I just bought a Ford 8N. I am not mechanical and trusted the guy who sold it to me. It looked nice, has a front end loader setup with a clean nice steel snow blade attached, 4ft Howse Brush Hog (very nice condition)in the back and implements of a rake and two bottom plow on the side. Everything works except after brush hogging I noticed the radiator had steam coming from it. I called him immediately and he said it didn"t do that at his house......hmmmm Anyways, he put a lot of work in this tractor. I find it hard to beleive he would sell me a bad tractor.
The steam was my concern. It continued to steam and I tightened a loose fan belt, blew out the radiator that kept getting clogged from the flowers in the air and it still steamed after approx 15-20 minutes of use. I checked the radiator and ended up pouring a gallon of anti-freeze over the period of 3 acres of brush hogging over a few days. I think I maybe was over filling and it would blow out causing the steam? Then, I stuck my finger in the radiator and it looked dark and oily. It also looked like dirty radiator fluid too. I could be wrong about the oil. I did some research and oil in the radiator is a sign of many things. This tractor starts fine, runs fine, only steams after putting a load on it for a short period of time. Any ideas and am I in for a whole world of trouble? I paid a total now of $2,600 so far. Is it worth keeping or can I get my money back if I choose to do so by selling? Thanks.

 

[Royse]

If you over-fill it it will "boil" out. Should be just to the top of the tubes.
An oily sheen in the radiator can be just water pump lube.
A loose fan belt doesn't help for sure!
It probably wouldn't hurt to drain, flush and refill with 50/50 antifreeze/water.
I don't think the fluid is your trouble from the symptoms, but if you don't know
when it was done last it would clean it out and make sure it doesn't freeze.
I sure wouldn't throw it out at this point.
Post some pics when you get a chance, and let us know how it goes!

 

[Bruce (VA)]

As Royse said, the most common reason for an N to “over heat” is over filling the radiator. Only add enough fluid to cover the core. (check out tip # 24, below as well as tips 25 & 35) It is not actually over heating; it is just spewing out the excess water.

If the radiator is not overfilled, check for low coolant, a loose fan belt, debris in the radiator fins or a stuck thermostat. A bad water pump will usually squeak or leak. (If you ever have a water pump start leaking or making noise, replace it immediately. A N water pump will come apart & launch the fan into the radiator.)

In order to have a stuck thermostat, you need to have one installed. Squeeze the top hose; if it has a t-stat, you can feel it. Sometimes (rarely) the t-stat can migrate in the hose & get stuck closed. Or, in an attempt to keep that from happening, some owners will put a third clamp on the hose & tighten it too much resulting in a stuck t-stat. The OEM top hose came w/ a non-adjustable ban to keep the t-stat in place.

The fan belt should have 1/2" of flex at the mid-point; no more, no less.

Unless you have a pusher fan, blowing out the radiator from the engine side is always a good idea.

But, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet & flush out the block & radiator. To do that, remove the t-stat from the top hose. Then, remove the bottom hose from the radiator & stick your garden hose in the radiator. Turn the water on (reverse flush) & the water will flow into the radiator, then the block & out of the disconnected lower hose. Let it run until the water is clear. Then, check the radiator flow. Stick the hose in the top of the radiator; the water should flow out of the bottom w/o backing up in the filler neck. It should flow at 19.5 gallons a minute. As a final flush, put a gallon of white vinegar & about 2 gallons of water in the radiator, run it to operating temp & then drain it again. Don’t forget to put the t-stat back in correctly!

Use 50/50 anti-freeze & distilled water as your coolant. The anti-freeze contains rust inhibitors, pump lubricant & raises the boiling point of the coolant.

If you do need to get the radiator re-cored, make sure you get the flat fin industrial core. Automotive style cores will clog up w/ debris very quickly.
75 Tips

 

[gwo1973]

Overheating, dark & oily residue in the radiator....sounds like a headgasket or as I personally experienced a cracked block.
Water pump lube will be barely noticeable to the eye.