John Deere 4400 overheating

[Jdtank122]

Trying to start cutting my 35 acres of wheat and having trouble with overheating. Combine will overheat after 10-15 minutes of cutting. Coolant coming out of overflow and from radiator cap. Can hear it bubbling and surging. Fan belt looks good and tight. Radiator cap looked bad so ordered a new one. waiting on it to come in from Deere. Combine has NEVER ran hot in the 12 years I’ve owned it UNTiL I Had to replace the hose from the water pump to engine before I started cutting due to rats and completely drained the radiator and flushed it while I was doing that. It had a bunch of rusty looking chips in it but got it cleaned up good. Anything I can look for incase this radiator cap doesn’t solve the issue. Thermostat? Thank you

 

[matthies]

Maybe an air bubble in the system, try turning on your heater valve and see if that helps. If you have a flare wrench or socket you could loosen the temp sender for the gauge but be careful not to mess it up.

 

[joeysmith]

WAG but did the hose get replaced immediately or is it possible a rat/bird/squirrel/grizzly bear build a nest in there you didn't see/get out?

 

[Jdtank122]

Maybe an air bubble in the system, try turning on your heater valve and see if that helps. If you have a flare wrench or socket you could loosen the temp sender for the gauge but be careful not to mess it up.

I’ll give that a try thanks!

 

[Jdtank122]

WAG but did the hose get replaced immediately or is it possible a rat/bird/squirrel/grizzly bear build a nest in there you didn't see/get out?

The rats had just chewed the outside of the hose in 1 spot causing some leaking. The grizzly bear part of your reply had me laughing haha

 

[the tractior vet]

Trying to start cutting my 35 acres of wheat and having trouble with overheating. Combine will overheat after 10-15 minutes of cutting. Coolant coming out of overflow and from radiator cap. Can hear it bubbling and surging. Fan belt looks good and tight. Radiator cap looked bad so ordered a new one. waiting on it to come in from Deere. Combine has NEVER ran hot in the 12 years I’ve owned it UNTiL I Had to replace the hose from the water pump to engine before I started cutting due to rats and completely drained the radiator and flushed it while I was doing that. It had a bunch of rusty looking chips in it but got it cleaned up good. Anything I can look for incase this radiator cap doesn’t solve the issue. Thermostat? Thank you

Well several things come to mind here , (1) flush out the radiator . (2) Burp the system as ya may have and air pocket and not getting coolant up against the thermostat and this will cause the thermostat to not open till everything is boiling . (3) impeller on the water pump has failed . Now you did not say what engine your 4400 has ????? . Now we are getting to the OH carp part of overheating . You could have a cracked head , you could have a head gskt . that is letting compression into the water jacket . If it is a gas engine then you may think i am off my med's here but we have been down this road of a over heating engine in a combine before and chased all the GHOST . I personally bought a auction steal thinging i was going to hit a home run selling it . Only to find out NOBODY wanted it after dragging to to five sales and never got a bid . Ok now stuck with it i have hard money tied up in it . What to do now dummy , so let's put it to work doing small farms . straight out the gate i could not keep the engine temp below 220 . This was powered by a Chrysler 225 slant six built in 1970 . As a EX master tech Chrysler Plymouth tech i know this engine inside and out so this should NOT be happening . BUT we went down thru the check list . First radiator , next thermostat , water pump and changer it to a A/C water pump for more flow . , did the compression into the coolant , checked dist timing on the strobe to see if the advance was doing it's thing . covered all the bases . This was happening now in the late 80's . I was running reg. Gas from the station i got all my gas from . And i used a LOT of gas in my truck due to all the running to sales across three states buying and selling . the one sale i went to just to get there that 460 Ford sucked down about 26-28 gallon just to get there our of the 38 gallon the truck carried . . Gas back then had just went over 1.05 a gallon . I could make the sale with ease and make it top Mt. Comfort on the way home and refill there and IN. at the time gas was 85 cents a gallon . While at the sale i snagged two 110 gallon truck bed fuel tanks with electric pumps for peanuts . On the way home that evening i stopped at Mt. Comfort and filled the truck and noticed a PUMP that said FARM gas that was 55 cents a gallon , HUMM combine gas for next week So i filled both tanks . I had one farm to go to Monday and shell his corn , 78 acres I filled the Massey with that In. Farm gas and on a warn Oct. day just the change in Gas she never ran over 190 . On that combine i would eat around 40 gallon a day . when it ran out we tried one more tank from the local station and instant 220 on reg , then we tried what i was running in the 460 high test and oh wait 190 . Yes i ran high test in my 460 even though they said it was reg fuel engine may be stock but my 460 was not bone stock as shortly after i got it we changed cam timing and ing. timing . Buy doing that it made a world of difference and gained fuel mileage and getty up and go . The farming i did up till i bought a 806 D was all done with gas powered and tractors all ran on what i put in my trucks as none of them since my first 4x4 have been bone stock If your 4400 is diesel then it could be a cracked head, a seeping head gskt and warped head , over fueling . or just dirt clogged rad fins. . I am not there to look and see . IF it's gas then and easy check to see if your getting compression into the rad is firts take the fan belt off that drives the water pump , next drain the rad down below the thermostat housing remove the thermostat fill up to flush with the edge of the thermostat housing on a cold engine then start the engine and give a quick sharp shove on the throttle to wide open and if you have compression getting in then she will look like old FAITHFUL and water will come gushing out . MUST be done on a cold engine .

 

[Roger in Iowa]

Diesel or gas?
Drill a small hole in thermostat so hot water can get to it. Especially on a diesel. Thermostat is so far from block hot water cannot get to stat to open it!

Make sure crankcase oil is not overfilled with gas or diesel!

All has happened on 4400's I have owned.

 

[Jaden]

You said you flushed the radiator (I assume the liquid side), but how about the air flow through the fins?

 

[the tractior vet]

The rats had just chewed the outside of the hose in 1 spot causing some leaking. The grizzly bear part of your reply had me laughing haha

Ah ya never have lived till ya open the hood on a combine to wake it up and ya jerk the hood open and your starring at the south end of north bound SKUNK . and just how far one can jump and how fast

 

[Loosehandle]

Trying to start cutting my 35 acres of wheat and having trouble with overheating. Combine will overheat after 10-15 minutes of cutting. Coolant coming out of overflow and from radiator cap. Can hear it bubbling and surging. Fan belt looks good and tight. Radiator cap looked bad so ordered a new one. waiting on it to come in from Deere. Combine has NEVER ran hot in the 12 years I’ve owned it UNTiL I Had to replace the hose from the water pump to engine before I started cutting due to rats and completely drained the radiator and flushed it while I was doing that. It had a bunch of rusty looking chips in it but got it cleaned up good. Anything I can look for incase this radiator cap doesn’t solve the issue. Thermostat? Thank you

Have you done this sort of harvest with it before?

 

[Roger in Iowa]

Trying to start cutting my 35 acres of wheat and having trouble with overheating. Combine will overheat after 10-15 minutes of cutting. Coolant coming out of overflow and from radiator cap. Can hear it bubbling and surging. Fan belt looks good and tight. Radiator cap looked bad so ordered a new one. waiting on it to come in from Deere. Combine has NEVER ran hot in the 12 years I’ve owned it UNTiL I Had to replace the hose from the water pump to engine before I started cutting due to rats and completely drained the radiator and flushed it while I was doing that. It had a bunch of rusty looking chips in it but got it cleaned up good. Anything I can look for incase this radiator cap doesn’t solve the issue. Thermostat? Thank you

Did you feel of lower hose when it was overhearing? If cool or cold you are not getting any circulation of coolant.