JD 4020

[Ochs n]

Have a 68 4020 JD, the radiator had some oil floating on top, so ordered a used engine oil cooler. Installed oil cooler, drained water out of tractor. Put some radiator cleaner in it to clean oil out of engine. Let tractor run for about an hour, noticed a oil leak coming from front of motor. Oil was being pushed out of radiator overflow. I am assuming that them new cooler is bad. Plan on installing old cooler to see if oil is still pushing out of overflow. If it still pushing oil out of radiator then I assume head gasket is bad. Is there any other things that I need to check out to before getting into head gasket? Thanks for your help.

 

[Bob]

(quoted from post at 21:43:35 05/27/19) Have a 68 4020 JD, the radiator had some oil floating on top, so ordered a used engine oil cooler. Installed oil cooler, drained water out of tractor. Put some radiator cleaner in it to clean oil out of engine. Let tractor run for about an hour, noticed a oil leak coming from front of motor. Oil was being pushed out of radiator overflow. I am assuming that them new cooler is bad. Plan on installing old cooler to see if oil is still pushing out of overflow. If it still pushing oil out of radiator then I assume head gasket is bad. Is there any other things that I need to check out to before getting into head gasket? Thanks for your help.

I would NEVER install a "used" engine oil cooler, no proof it's any better than the one you are replacing, plus a great chance it came off of an engine that suffered "trauma", which put metal particles in the cooler. NO WAY!

What was the initial issue, besides a little "oil" floating on top of the coolant?

Was the engine running hot, or bubbling out coolant, or gaining so much engine oil into the coolant that engine oil was going overboard through the radiator "overflow pipe"?

If NOT, what you perceived as "oil" may have simply been what's left when stop leak products, "waterpump lube" or aged antifreeze break down.

Unless the amount of oil is so great it indicates a leak, for sure, or the radiator is being overpressurized by leaked combustion gases and burping out coolant, I would drain the cooling system, and flush with a cooling system cleaning product, and then repeat and flush and flush again, then work the engine and see what happens.

Please post back with "the rest of the story" that brought you and the defenseless tractor to this point!

 

[buickanddeere]

Did you pressure test the original and the replacement oil coolers ?

 

[tim s]

I have never had to replace one of those oil coolers,,you have some thing else going on...

 

[D-]

You probably overfilled the radiator and coolant expanded as warmed up.
Surely you aren't getting that much oil into the radiator.
Like Tim S I have never replaced a cooler either. If you suspected a
leak you should have checked it before putting on a used one.
Those head gaskets usually leaked oil to the outside not to coolant.

 

[Ochs n]

This tractor had a leak on front end, I found that hose going from hyd pump to cooler was leaking. Installed new hose stopped leak in that area. Noticed on floor of shop that there was another leak. checked it out and there was a small amount of oily material coming from radiator over flow.
Tractor has never over heated, and has run good. the only issue was it used a little oil. Reading things on this form I come to the conclusion that oil cooler may be leaking a little. I never checked to see if cooler had a leak. J Deer wants over $1000.00 for new cooler. I was able to get a used cooler for $250.00. I pulled unit apart, cleaned inside up. This unit had a 2 year warranty so didn't feel like I would lose that much on the deal. Going to check original unit under pressure to see if a leak appears. I bought this tractor at a auction so don't know its past history. It has a lot of hours on it, hour meter didn't work. Drained cooling unit, had good looking antifreeze. Will keep you informed on what is going on. thank for your help.