Hi all,
Hoping some experts here can offer me some advice. I recently bough a 555 with the 382 diesel because I've always loved them and the price seemed reasonable. Now I'm not so sure if it was altogether wise:
The first thing I did was to drain and fill all fluids. I filled the coolant to the top of the rad. Now, when I start it up fluid gushes out of the overflow tube for a few minutes before calming down. Once it's settled and the engine's turned off it's below the level where I can see it in the radiator.
Could the coolant really be expanding this much, or could there be air causing havoc in the system, or is this more indicative of a bad head gasket/sleeve/block? There doesn't seem to be any trace of coolant in the oil, nor does it seem to be burning with any trace of white smoke.
If it happens to be a cracked block/sleeve, is it worth fixing at $400/sleeve (or $1400 for the whole set, if I do them all - which I probably should)?
My other options would be:
a) Purchase a JD403, which I understand bolts right in. Unfortunately the 403 I possibly have access to is not cheap, and it's a bare-bones long bock; no injection pump/oil filters/fuel filters/manifolds. Not sure how these parts would interchange with the 382.
b) Find a Detroit 3-71 (which I've always loved) and some how swap it in there. Not sure how it would fit in the frame, nor how hard it would be to work out the clutch/bellhousing/flywheel issues. I know Centash has mentioned a few times he had a 55 with a Detroit. Not sure this route is a good one, as I wouldn't be able to use the existing Massey hydraulic pump setup, which is rather nice to have.
I guess the first step, if the experts here agree that there is definitely something wrong, is to pull the head and see if it's just a head gasket.
Hoping some experts here can offer me some advice. I recently bough a 555 with the 382 diesel because I've always loved them and the price seemed reasonable. Now I'm not so sure if it was altogether wise:
The first thing I did was to drain and fill all fluids. I filled the coolant to the top of the rad. Now, when I start it up fluid gushes out of the overflow tube for a few minutes before calming down. Once it's settled and the engine's turned off it's below the level where I can see it in the radiator.
Could the coolant really be expanding this much, or could there be air causing havoc in the system, or is this more indicative of a bad head gasket/sleeve/block? There doesn't seem to be any trace of coolant in the oil, nor does it seem to be burning with any trace of white smoke.
If it happens to be a cracked block/sleeve, is it worth fixing at $400/sleeve (or $1400 for the whole set, if I do them all - which I probably should)?
My other options would be:
a) Purchase a JD403, which I understand bolts right in. Unfortunately the 403 I possibly have access to is not cheap, and it's a bare-bones long bock; no injection pump/oil filters/fuel filters/manifolds. Not sure how these parts would interchange with the 382.
b) Find a Detroit 3-71 (which I've always loved) and some how swap it in there. Not sure how it would fit in the frame, nor how hard it would be to work out the clutch/bellhousing/flywheel issues. I know Centash has mentioned a few times he had a 55 with a Detroit. Not sure this route is a good one, as I wouldn't be able to use the existing Massey hydraulic pump setup, which is rather nice to have.
I guess the first step, if the experts here agree that there is definitely something wrong, is to pull the head and see if it's just a head gasket.