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Harry Ferguson Tractors Discussion Forum
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TO20 temperature problems

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John in MS

05-07-2008 04:41:15




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My TO20 suddenly developed temperature problems and a coolant leak I think from the water pump shaft. Even though the radiator is full, after about 10 minutes of running the temp starts going up very rapidly and when I shut it down I can hear the water boiling in the system.

I pulled the pump off and it looks and feels fine. There is absolutely no play in the bearing and it turns smoothly. I checked the thermostat and it is working fine. Any thoughts on what is going on with the overheating?

Thanks.
P.S. Thanks to all those who helped me work through replacing all the parts in my oil system saga. Finally got it all back together and it seems to be working great, and, best of all, NO LEAKS.

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AussieDoc

05-11-2008 06:04:02




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to Jim in OH, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
Are you sure your radiator is good? Blocked internal cores will obviously cause the problem. The engine then over heats and the pressure build up finds the weakest point, possibly in your case the pump seal.

Flushing your radiator is nice but it may not clean it enough. The top and bottom tanks may need to be removed and the core cleaned out or replaced. That's a job for your local radiator company.

Also check the radiator cap for a good seal. As John (UK) stated, any leak can cause a drop in the pressuried cooling system, leading to over heating.
Coolant can also help maintain a lower temp once the problem is fixed.

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John (UK)

05-07-2008 11:22:20




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
If you have a coolant leak then that is your problem as the pressure is escaping. The cooling system is pressurised to about 4psi std. on these tractors, by doing this it raises the boiling point of the water, so if there is no pressure due to the leak then the water will boil at a lower temperature. But as has been said, you need to keep the radiator thoroughly clean and it needs to be checked regularly....once week when you are mowing, maybe more often, depends on how much seed is flying around to be sucked in the radiator. Wash the radiator with a hose (not high pressure) from the engine side and make sure to go in all the corners and all of the middle, only when you can see right through when you hold a lamp at the opposite side will it be clean enough. If it is leaking from the Pump, change the Pump, it will be doubtful if you can get the correct kit to repair it anyway, plus the housing maybe corroded so it will not seal....John

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Jerry/MT

05-07-2008 10:35:30




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
Make sure that your fan belt is on tight and that the lower rad hose does not collapse when the engine is running particularly at higher speeds. They usually have a wire coil in the lower hose to prevent this. The air side of the radiator can clog with chaff and dirt. The coolant side can plug up with crud from a flush.

Make sure that your mixture is set properly and not less then one turn from full out on the power jet. Make sure the timing is correct (7 oBTDC) at 400 rpm and that the advance is working correctly.

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John Yates

05-07-2008 09:21:10




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
Greetings from another TO-20 "expert."

My '51 was overheating for the first time in years ... couldn't figure it out until I checked out the radiator ... it was jamb packed with chaff and grass and seed. It was so tightly packed that I had to carefully poke it out with a small wire before it would flush with a hose. As simple as that ... it works perfectly now.

Regards,

John

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John in MS

05-07-2008 07:34:50




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
Yeah, I'm learning a whole lot more than I intended with this machine.

Did all those things you folks mentioned. Did the thermostate check with hot water (it was new last year),checked to make sure it was in the correct direction, checked the radiator fins. The engine was working great before I started working on the oil system. Temp was always fine even under load in 90 degee weather and there were no leaks.

Last fall before I got into the oil system I did a thorough cooling system flush, and ran it long enough to circulate the cleaner. I did this several times until I got clean water coming through the system. I then put fresh water/antifreeze in it, and ran it to make sure the coolant got distributed to all parts of the engine. The temp was fine at that point, and I had not run it since then because I was working on the oil system.

As I was coming to the end of my oil system repairs about two weeks ago, I noticed some leakage on the floor even though I had not done anything to that part of the engine since last fall, and it had not been cranked in six months. We did not have any really hard freezes this winter and temps never went below about 18 degrees F, but my antifreeze mixture should have been able to withstand that.

I'm really curious about why the leak started spontaneously, but more importantly it seems that the coolant is not circulating through the radiator properly, which did seem cooler than normal. Could there be such a thing as an air lock that would cause this?

Saw a new pump on ebay for about $38, but wanted to make sure I didn't miss something before I ordered a new pump.

Thanks.

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gshadel

05-07-2008 06:20:41




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
John, you seem to have one problem after another with that '20. By the time you get all the kinks worked out of that TO,and git'er runn'in smooth, you are going to be quite the TO expert! That's how I became a TO "expert", bought a worn-out TO...
Anyway, Blow-out, spray out your radiator fins as Jeff describes, you will be amazed how much hidden crud is held-up in those fins. Make sure you have a radiator fan shroud. That shroud is not only a safety feature but also greatly improves the air flow thru the radiator. If all the above is good, sounds like your thermostat is not opening. When your engine overheats is your radiator still cool? You say your thermo is okay, did you take it out and dip it in hot water with a candy thermometer to test if it opening at the right temp? Make sure that thermo goes in the hose pointing the right direction or you will get exactly your problem, over heat in about 10 minutes. Most thermos have a direction of flow arrow etched in the side. If you are carefull!!! you can take the cap off your TO radiator when it is cool, run your TO, and watch for return flow back into the top of the radiator to verify your thermo is opening and pump pumping.
Pumps leaking at the shaft seal is common, that is usually the mode of failure. New pump is not that much. I recall on mine it would leak slow only when the engine had been worked real hard, like when bush-hogging, but didn't seem to leak much if I was just driving around the yard. But it steadily got worse until I finally replaced it.

George

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Jeff-oh

05-07-2008 06:09:11




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 Re: TO20 temperature problems in reply to John in MS, 05-07-2008 04:41:15  
Check the radiator exterior Fins and passages. I had the same issue a few years ago and the radiator was clogged from all the grass chaffe over the years.

I blew it clean, though if you do not have air then a water hose and nozzle would work.

Make shure you can see through the radiator from the fan to the grill.

Jeff



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