Well, I'll give it one thing...

Mark - IN.

Well-known Member
...when I drained the oil on the B today, the antifreeze that lead the way was a perfect shade of green. Wasn't a lot of it, but sure caught my eye. First time that ever happened. Drained the cooling system to get a look at the antifreeze, and it was perfect green too, so didn't look like anything was pressured into the cooling system from last season. Filled it. Changed the oil filter, put in five quarts of detergent 40 weight, same as last year. I wonder about that too. Forever, I've run non-detergent 40 wt. Last year I made a move to detergent 40 wt. Am wondering if I broke something loose that has been plugged up and hidden by gunk for decades. Anyway, I ran it about 15 or 20 minutes or so, drained the new oil out, it had some foam in it, like contamination, but didn't see antifreeze. The antifreeze on the first drain bothers me, it came from somewhere that it shouldn't have. The fact that the second round didn't have antifreeze in it bothers me too, because something might be on the verge. When I ran it, at first it was spitting moisture out the stack, but stopped. The foam in the new oil when I drained it, might have been moisture built up in the crank case from a long cold winter of setting that got cleaned off by new hot oil. So, got the oil pan drain plug out and the radiator cap off, setting over a drain pan for the night. We'll see what tomorrow morning brings. And tomorrow, I'll drain the trans and rearend, and put in new gear lube. To be honest, I hope that its contaminated from moisture too, because I know that its sealed well, except from condensation. And we'll start on the Deeres, but they haven't been setting. They've been running all sub-zero winter moving snow. The B has been setting in a corner since about last November.

You know? I've got an '02 Dodge, Cummins, automatic. I don't drive it so much. Has 70,000 on it, and the dealer warranty repaired the trans when it went out at 25,000. Then I had a trans shop overhaul it when it went out around 50,000. Rebuilt it. About 60,000, it went out again, so took it back to the trans shop right after their 2 year warranty went out. When they opened it up, they called me and asked if I had been driving it through swamps because everything in the trans was severely coated with rust. Nope, it pretty much stays in the barn, especially during winter, when I don't take it out at all. Well, they split the cost of a second total rebuild with me, and asked me to drive it some in the winter, to coat the insides with trans fluid to keep it from rusting up setting in the barn, I assume from internal condensation. Why did I mention this? That foamy new oil in my little B. The antifreeze, although not much, scares me. But, I'm hoping that foamy new oil was caused by it setting in the corner of a barn for about 5 months, not run, in one of the coldest winters we've had for a long time. When I drain the trans and rearend tomorrow, that should shed some light on it. Either its going to be foamy too, or not. And, I put about 4 miles on the '02 Dodge today too.

Mark
 
Same thing happened to me a couple of years back. Tracked it down to the freeze plugs in the head. One had pin holes. Tapped the others and you could have pushed the screw driver through with little effort. Nothing to change them and you can get them almost anywhere. Good luck. Mike
 
Thanks Mike.

Nothing in the drain pan this morning. Ran new oil through it, actually ran it for a good hour, drained it, clean. Obviously something is a miss though. Antifreeze doesn't show up in the oil and just fix itself. Drained the trans and rear end, just the slightest hint of contamination, almost none though, so there goes that theory of setting in a corner untouched throughout a very cold 5 or so months and swetting internally to cause moisture, separate and apart from the antifreeze that showed up in the engine oil.

Mark
 
In your case Mark, the B has been indoors, which pretty well does away with a rain water theory. In the rainy, Puget sound area, I have to be concerned with moisture entering the transmission, down the gear shifter, past the shift boot. I try to keep 2 new spare shifter boots available for the B and the CA, because the summer sun dries them out. My C stays inside most of the time. I learned early on, to mfg my own mufflers, or at least modify them. Rain runs down the mufflers, and seeps into the manifolds, due to the design that Allis had for them. When I buya new muffler, I go to auto zone, and buy a exaust pipe adapter that slips snugly, on the lower muffler pipe, and with the adapter's belled end hanging down, I braze the adapter in place, which creates an umbrella, to let the rain drip past the manifold. Knowing those small Allis engines, I suspect either the soft plugs on the head, or a lower O ring, leaking on a sleeve. Good luck, they are great little tractors.
 
Thanks Ralph.

I'm hoping the plugs in the head too. O-rings I can do, but not looking forward to it if thats what it turns out to be. That little B is and has always been a good tractor. I use it weekly during the mowing months. Yep, I could get myself a zero turn (hare) and mow acreage faster, but that little B (turtle) was here before I was born, and will still be around after I'm gone, God willing and gasoline still legally manufactured.

Mark
 
(quoted from post at 23:13:08 04/27/14) Thanks Ralph.

I'm hoping the plugs in the head too. O-rings I can do, but not looking forward to it if thats what it turns out to be. That little B is and has always been a good tractor. I use it weekly during the mowing months. Yep, I could get myself a zero turn (hare) and mow acreage faster, but that little B (turtle) was here before I was born, and will still be around after I'm gone, God willing and gasoline still legally manufactured.

Mark

Hopefully it is the freeze plugs!
Interesting that you say the B with a belly mower is slower than a 0-turn, as my B will pretty much keep up with a 0-turn in areas that are open as far as speed is concerned (7.8mph in 3rd gear, although I usually cut in 2nd, 4.0mph). Granted there are a lot of 0-turns out there that have advertised top speeds at more than that, but will they mow at that speed, and can you hang onto them while bouncing that fast? Some of the heavier ones definitely will allow faster cutting, but at what cost?
Now the reason my B will keep up with them isn't because it is as fast as them, it is because it is cutting more grass than them. Seldom do you find a SIX FOOT MOWER on a 0-turn but that is what my B has hanging under it. Now if you put add in the purchase price comparisons for a B to a 0-turn, a B will outshine even the cheapest of the 0-turns as far as acre's per hour at cost of investment dollar value. I paid $500 for my B with the mower under it, but had to clean the carburetor to get it running, a 10 minute job. A 0-turn looks more stylish than an old Orange/rusty tractor but what will it look like in 60 or 70 years of service?
David from jax
 
Hey David.

My closest neighbor has Type 1 diabetes, and last year went in to have an infected toe removed. He got pretty sick, spent extended time in the hospital and then time in bed. I went over with my B and my Woods L-59 a couple of times. He's got a couple of acres around his house. I mow in 1st gear. I don't treat my B to 2nd or 3rd gear under load. She's old, she works in 1st gear only. There's a feller down the road that has a Cub Cadet zero turn of some sort and he came over too. I don't know how fast he was moving, but was about 3 times as fast as me. He cut pretty good, and I'm thankful that he did too, because I had other chores that needed to be done. I'm not complaining that he came over and left me in the dust. My old girl aint in no hurry. She's always been reliable, and I want her to be that way long after I'm dead and gone. As far as longevity goes, my B versus his or someone else's zero turn, my B is pushing 70 years old.

Mark
 
Well, I understand that. My B has a whine in reverse and 1st gear, so i mow in second to save the tranny. I have a back-up tranny but din't want to have to change out one any sooner than required.
Sharpe blades, good tight belt and a good greasing will help cut the grass, although it isn't a bush hog.
David from jax
 
I know this is a simple answer but did someone just put the antifreeze in the wrong place? There is a possibility nothing is wrong. Your tests seem to show this. Although it maybe a leak that only shows up when its hot.
 

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