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Tractor got hot!!

grandpa Love

grandpa Love

Well-known Member
'55 Ford 640. Owned for 3 years. I put new radiator in shortly after I got it. Old one leaked. Never had a thermostat so last weekend I installed one. Also new temperature gauge. I tested it with hot water and cooking thermometer, it reads correct. Used tractor for an hour last week in 95+ heat, bushhogging. Temp ran up to 190 then dropped to about 175-180 and stayed there. Close to 90 today, started bushhogging and temp ran up to 190 then kept climbing FAST!! Hit 240 and shut it off. Looks like it blew out joint on radiator where top joins the main part. Fluid was being forced out at high pressure in several places. I pulled tab up on cap and leaks stopped immediately. Opened cap ,stuck finger in and fluid was cool. What the heck happened?
 
Just one of those things,huh? Working fine last week and issues today? Where did air pocket come from?
 
I always let em run about an hour with the cap off . On the Cummins engine in my truck there are bleed plugs along the length of the head and when I drain and refill it I pull each of those plugs out to get the air out
 
Dang. I guess I gotta pull radiator and hope the local shop can fix it. I just got lucky on other tractor? Air keeping thermostat from opening?
 
Sometimes you get lucky but usually they?ll get real hot and least once and It?ll sometimes push the air pocket out
 
I always drill a real small hole in the thermostat. That way any trapped air can get by and the coolant can reach the thermostat and open it.
 
I guess lucky thing is I don't need this tractor for a week or so. Just leaving cap off will take care of air bubbles?
 
I read that about installing a thermostat in our MM rtu. Didn't know it applied to all tractors. Uggggggggggghgh.
 
I have to agree with Zack. You had air trapped in the head and it got hot enough to turn to steam and expanded quickly and the cap and overflow couldn't handle it.
I went through the same thing last week with a Case dozer. Had to take the radiator out and get it repaired. Problem was air trapped in head. I had to loosen sensor bulb on temp gauge to purge the air out. Then all was good.
Loren
 
Verify pressure of cap. This is not a modern car using a 15 PSI cap! You need 3.5 to 4.5 PSI cap. 10 extra PSI will rupture seams.
 
I suspect there was a leak at the radiator before the thermostat was installed.

But since it always ran cold, it never built any pressure. Once it built pressure it started blowing out coolant. Once the coolant got low, it overheated.

Hopefully it didn't get hot enough to hurt anything. Once the radiator is fixed I would replace the thermostat just in case it was damaged. They don't like being overheated. Go back with a cold thermostat, a 160*. If it doesn't have a small hole or a notch cut in the valve disc, drill about a 1/16" hole to let trapped air by.

How is the cap? A new low pressure cap may be in order too.
 
I would agree with air lock in system, or perhaps has the new thermostat been installed incorrectly where the side of the thermostat could be blocking the bypass hole??
 
Only ran hot a couple minutes. I was watching it close. Cap has never had lever down on it so I never paid attention to the psi. I should have. 16 psi. Well. Well. Well. Live and learn. In y'all's experience, cheaper to fix radiator or buy new one? My 960 has a 170 degree thermostat and 4 psi cap. Have run it maybe 6 hours ,4 of those hours were good hot weather finish mowing,since I installed thermostat. Any air gone by now?
 
I don't think so. It did fine last week. Up to temp,cooled off a bit,stayed right there for an hour or so.
 
If you have an original radiator, try to save it.

There are still some radiator shops left that specialize in heavy equipment. Most don't like the small stuff, but if you let them know you are serious and not just price shopping, they will work you in.

The new aftermarket radiators seem to hold up "ok", but the problem is they typically don't fit well.
 
Check your water pump to see if the impepper is intact and working. That tractor if the water pump is working should not get an airlock, that happens in the thermosiphnon type in tractors without a water pump. That tractor does not have a vent to let out air like car and trucks do. I think it is something other than an air lock as a working water pump should keep that from happening. And even tho they say the older Fords like the 2N that I have should have a thermostat in I don't think mine had one in for the last 50 years. I was 7 months old when it came to live with me. I have had John Deere get that air lock or they would not circulate the anti freeze if poored in and then the water. Things had to be mixed and then put in and they had no water pump.
 
Before I put thermostat in the water was moving in radiator. Also spun tractor over with hose off and it shot water out good. I did pour antifreeze in then distilled water. Didn't mix em first.
 
Given the fact that you used the tractor last week; the temperature went to 190 and the thermostat opened; and tractor ran fine for 1 hour kinda rules out trapped air in the system.

I am thinking either your new thermostat did not open this time or your water pump give out.
The fact that you blew a seam out of the radiator tells me your cap is rated to high or is not working so replace it.
The proper cap can be hard to find sometimes because they are such low pressure; unlike the modern day caps used today.
 
If I was a betting man I would say the new thermostat went belly up. Sadly all to common now days you buy something new and it last a short time
 
I'm thinking along the same lines as JMOR I believe.
If your cap has a lever, it's likely way over pressure.
Whether you repair or replace the radiator, use the right cap.
 
Since you used the tractor one day and temp hit 190 then dropped back and stayed there says there was NOT an air lock when it over heated the second run, nor was the thermostat installed wrong. What happened was after the first run of the tractor, the thermostat closed as it cooled off, the valve portion of the thermostat got bound as the neck it sets in, when closed, contracted around the valve binding it so it could not open. I have seen this few times over the years. Anymore I test the old thermostat in a pan of water and if it tests fine I reinstall due to have new thermostats stick or fail the second or third run of a tractor. I seriously doubt your water pump has an issue. The radiator cap needs to open at low pressure also 5-7 psi I think. The opening pressure should also be tested to make sure as there is too much stuff being imported from the land of "almost made right"
 
Well first off if it ain't broke don't try to fix it,been using with no thermostat and everything was fine that is the way I'd of kept using it.Sounds like the previous owner may have
gone thru the same drill you are going thru.2nd the thermostat is the only thing that is different from what it was when everything was working like it should so its about
a 99% chance that is the problem.I'd take out the thermostat fix the new radiator and run it.Pressure cap needs to be just enough to keep the water from pushing out.And its not true that
a thermostat makes an engine run cooler than no thermostat.
 
I agree with the bad thermostat idea. Years ago my FIL had a Ford van that occasionally the thermostat would stick when you first started it. The temp would go up and keep going up. If you shut it off and started it again apparently the thermostat would pop open and it would work fine. New thermostat fixed it.
 
I agree with TF on that. My 8N has not had a thermostat in it as long as I can remember. I began driving it 56 years ago when we were both 10 years old. We are both 1952 models and the 8N starts and runs much better than I do.
Richard in NW SC
 
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