Should I buy it?

[bradleydavidgood]

 

[Mark Poss]

I would buy it in a heartbeat!!

 

[bradleydavidgood]

I would buy it in a heartbeat!!

Thank you. Can you tell me more about why you say that? Do you know anything about the damage caused by overheating on these normally and the fix involved?

 

[Jim.ME]

You listed the possibilities of what it could be. It might be as simple as a head gasket, or it could lead to a major overhaul. Just what the issue is and the answers to your questions, will only be known by opening it up and checking.

A broken temp gauge doesn't mean it overheated. It means the gauge should have been replaced so the operator could watch the temperature.

How did they determine it over heated? What symptoms did it show? Is there coolant in the oil pan? Does it run now? Are there bubbles in the radiator when the cap is off?

 

[bradleydavidgood]

You listed the possibilities of what it could be. It might be as simple as a head gasket, or it could lead to a major overhaul. Just what the issue is and the answers to your questions, will only be known by opening it up and checking.

A broken temp gauge doesn't mean it overheated. It means the gauge should have been replaced so the operator could watch the temperature.

How did they determine it over heated? What symptoms did it show? Is there coolant in the oil pan? Does it run now? Are there bubbles in the radiator when the cap is off?

I think they knew it overheated because the owner knew it had a tendency to get hot and he would be careful and not push it into overheating. He said he could smell it getting hot.
Which is my other concern. Why was it getting hot in the first place? He said it was doing some serious work, can't remember what, but it was something big.
Does serious work on an old tractor heat it up just because it is old or was there something else wrong going on?

Yes I know the broken temp gauge does not automatically mean it overheated. But another person was running it and they didn't have the same care about watching it carefully and smelling for the heat, so that's why he thinks it overheated.

And he did say that the coolant was clean before and now it is dark, so sounds like blown head gasket to me.

I will ask more about the symptoms when it happened, that is a good idea. It does not run now.

I guess we could also see if it turns over. That would tell us if it is seized or not right?

If it turns over then the rings and cylinders may be fine?

But the head gasket may be gone or the head cracked or warped?

Maybe we will just start taking it apart if he allows it to see what's going on before we talk about buying it. I think the farmer's sons will be up for that just for the experience and so would I.

Do you think we would be able to easily tell what the damage is if we take it apart?

Thanks!

 

[bradleydavidgood]

I just heard back from the owner. It does run still. It has limited power.

 

[Jim.ME]

You may or may not see just what the issue is if you take it apart. Are you familiar enough with engines to know what you are looking at/for? I ask as we have no idea of your skill sets or available tooling.

Many older tractors do a lot of "serious" work. They can if the cooling and other systems are properly maintained. In this case he felt it had a tendency to heat but without a working gauge it is hard to say if he was right or not. If it was heating the internal water jacket could have some build up, the radiator core could be partially plugged, the outside of the radiator core could be plugged with buildup limiting air flow through it, the water pump might be weak, it could be a number of things.

You should be able to get a combustion gas test kit for a diesel at a parts store. Diesel uses a different test fluid than gasoline. Doing that test should confirm if it is getting combustion gases into the coolant which would generally be a sign on a head or head gasket issue.

 

[miangus]

The fix may cost some serious cash. If you have to finance a $2500 tractor this may not be the deal for you. However, the price is in the right range for a Super 90, cheap. That engine is known for head gasket issues, loss of the head gasket may also damage the block. There is a Massey combine engine that can be used as a replacement, I expect that combine is getting hard to find.

 

[Jim.ME]

In regards to your thoughts of taking it apart before buying.

Right now he has a running tractor, even if it lacks power. Once you take it apart it is a non-running tractor. Then either you fix it or his value has dropped if you don’t buy it. If it was mine you would have to buy it if you want to take it apart. Doing the combustion gas test or a compression test would be about the limit without affecting the value.

I would guess you need to be prepared to spend another 1000 to 5000 dollars if you buy it. That doesn’t seem practical if you are looking at financing the 2500 purchase price.

 

[37chief]

Someone should ger the temp gage fixed soon, operating with out a temp gage is a big no no. Does it lose water? I would think if it was a head gasket issue there would be water in the oil. Check the radiator tubes for being plugged. If you drain some radiator, remove the radiator cap. you may be able to see a few of the tubes. this will give you a indication of the rest of the tubes. Stan

 

[scootergmc]

$2500 for an overheated unknown quantity? Nope. I wouldn't even look twice at it, especially since the $2500 requires financing.

 

[Ozlander]

Could be a loose fan belt.

 

[NDIHC]

No chance that I'd get mixed up in some deal where someone owns the tractor but I'm going to tear the engine down to see what might be wrong with it. If you start working on it you might as well own it, because that's what's going to happen. You may be friends but when you get into a deal like that someone has to pay for the parts and such and that will most likely be you. Even if you don't buy the tractor. If you want to take a chance on it and buy it, fine. Clean deal. Getting mixed up in what you are describing sounds like a good way to end friendships and cause hard feelings.

 

[Ray,IN]

IMO, that's not the tractor for you. I would go ahead and run a dry/wet compression test. Those 2 tests will reveal compression problems, and which cylinders are involved, and the tests cost nothing. You can borrow a good compression tester from an AutoZone store.