Model B overheating

[chadlineman]

Should the fan on my B be pushing air or pulling it through the radiator? I am having issues with it overheating all of a sudden just pulling a driveway drag. Runs up to about 210 after about 15 20 minutes

 

[old]

Should the fan on my B be pushing air or pulling it through the radiator? I am having issues with it overheating all of a sudden just pulling a driveway drag. Runs up to about 210 after about 15 20 minutes

It should be pulling air in from the front and blowing it back towards the engine. A problem like your having is classic to a thermostat sticking closed and changing it on a B can cause other problems due to the way it is mounted

 

[chadlineman]

Why would it cause problems?

 

[old]

Why would it cause problems?

Simple if it doesn't open like it should no coolant flow which is how a thermostat fails

 

[chadlineman]

Yes but you said removing it can cause other problems?

 

[old]

Yes but you said removing it can cause other problems?

Yes the housing it is in is held on by 2 or 3 bolts and it is common for those bolts to break off when trying to remove the thermostat. The fix for that is to weld a nut to the broken bolt to remove what is left of the bolts. I've had it happen more then once

 

[chadlineman]

Good to know. Thank you for the heads up. I have a thermostat coming tomorrow and I will post the outcome

 

[old]

Good to know. Thank you for the heads up. I have a thermostat coming tomorrow and I will post the outcome

The problem is that to bolts sit inside so coolant is on them all the time. I've found if you can find them stainless steel bolts tend to hold up better and come back out if/when you need to remove them
By the way the thermostat is a common type that can be purchased at a local auto parts store

 

[chadlineman]

So I pulled the housing and there is no thermostat in there. Is something else likely my problem. Should I instal a thermostat?

 

[old]

So I pulled the housing and there is no thermostat in there. Is something else likely my problem. Should I instal a thermostat?

In that case I'd try this. Drain the entire cooling system and then fill with vinegar and run till hot. Let cool and drain and rig up a way to hook your garden hose to the block drain which I have done with a short piece of pipe and an old piece of garden hose. By the way when you drain the vinegar watch what color it is. If rust colored you may have found your over heating problem. Also be sure the fan belt is tight so the fan doesn't slow down when it is running. I'm dealing with this problem with my Oliver S88 and it is full of vinegar right now and will be for a few days till I use it to bale hay

 

[olddavid]

The problem is that to bolts sit inside so coolant is on them all the time. I've found if you can find them stainless steel bolts tend to hold up better and come back out if/when you need to remove them
By the way the thermostat is a common type that can be purchased at a local auto parts store

You might try coating the threads with Permatex #2. The old Chevy 235 sixes had head bolts that went into the water jacket. That's what I used on it.

 

[Aaron SEIA]

Pulling air. Whats the level of the coolant

So I pulled the housing and there is no thermostat in there. Is something else likely my problem. Should I instal a thermostat?

Absolutely install one. No thermostat can make them run hot too. The coolant flows through the radiator too fast to actually get cooled.
AaronSEIA

 

[Nordic]

Your block could also be very loaded with crud. This was the case with my B. Around liner #4 it was full to the top with 'dough', no ordinary kind of flushing would remove it. If I get time later I will post a picture.

 

[chadlineman]

How did you go about cleaning that?

 

[old]

How did you go about cleaning that?

One like Nordic is talking about you have to take the head off and pull the sleeves out and pretty much clean it up by hand with a wire brush etc. Not a job for a novice

 

[Nordic]

How did you go about cleaning that?

The previous owner overheated this liner, because coolant couldn't get at it, with the engine oil cooling off the liner skirts they cracked off even with the block and fell to the bottom of the pan. The coolant started leaking into the oil pan at that point. Like old said, with the liner out I could scrape and brush the block clean. However, with just having the head off, you can use a pressure washer down the coolant holes on the deck of the block. You remove the drain cock on the side of the block and keep at it until only clean water comes out.
In your case it may well be that just the radiator needs a good flushing.

 

[chadlineman]

Is there a good way to make sure the water pump is working? I loosened the belt and it seems to spin fine

 

[olddavid]

Is there a good way to make sure the water pump is working? I loosened the belt and it seems to spin fine

Let the tractor warm up with the radiator cap off. When the thermostat opens, that is the top hose gets warm look down in the radiator from a safe distance or with safety glasses. You should see the coolant flowing briskly. I think it would be unusual for the pump to be bad if it's not leaking.

 

[steve(ill)]

stick a garden hose in the lower hose to the engine... tape it so it flows mostly into the motor... take the thermostate out at the top.. FLUSH the motor from bottom to top.. See what comes out.. Might reverse the flow after several minutes..... to test the pump, leave the top hose OFF the motor , with radiator and engine full of WATER.. Start motor and run for 10 seconds.. You should get a LOT OF WATER out of the top hose.

 

[steve(ill)]

on the above post for FLUSHING... I have also used 1 inch plastic pipe inside the radiator hose to direct water AWAY from the engine when filling the bottom, or flushing out at the top.