4610 using water

bja105 · Oct 22, 2021

My 4610 uses water. I get steam and brown snot out of the breather tube. I get a hint of steam in the exhaust, only noticable when I start it.
I have never had anything but oil on the dipstick or in the oil.

The tractor has 1800 hours. It starts and runs very well.

I have a damaged radiator filler neck and I am not sure it has the proper radiator cap, or if it is sealing at all. I think I got it hot in when I figured out I had a radiator cap problem. The gauge never got in the red, but I had steam at the radiator cap.

After mowing for three hours this week, I had to add a half gallon of water/antifreeze.

What am I looking for?
Head gasket?
Cavitation hole?
Valves?

Bern · Oct 22, 2021

Hate to tell you this, but my bet is cavitation. Head gasket failures on those engines are almost non-existent. Valves have nothing to do with water in the oil.

Welding man · Oct 23, 2021

Does your oil on the dipstick look like a Chocolate milkshake? I have been into dozens of these engines and I agree with Bern 100%. You need to get it apart, have it bored and sleeve the cylinders. If you keep running it you will be doing major damage to it. The crankshaft will be the next problem.

bja105 · Oct 23, 2021

I have never seen water, mud, or milk on the dipstick.

The breather vents the valve cover, which I have never had off. What is a likely path for steam to get under the valve cover? Will it be obvious if I pull it? Should I have a gasket on hand before I remove the valve cover?

Bern · Oct 23, 2021

Pull the oil filler cap off and look at the underside of it. Do you see any grey mayonnaise stuck to it? If so, you have the beginning stages
of cavitation, again, sorry to say. I'm 99% certain of it. The only reason I don't say this with 100% certainty is because there is a remote,
and I mean a very remote chance that it could be a leaking soft plug in the head causing this issue.

If you want to go down that road and eliminate that as a possibility, pull the rocker cover off and pressurize the cooling system with a system
pressure tester. Look carefully at the soft plugs under the rockershaft for any evidence of water leakage. Don't hold your breath while you're
doing it though.

Also look at the underside of the rocker cover. You'll likely see lots of grey mayonnaise there. Then prepare yourself for a complete teardown,
re-sleeve, and rebuild. It won't be easy and it won't be cheap. Sorry for the bad news.

You could try some radiator stop leak, but you'd likely only be buying yourself some time if you do that.

bja105 · Oct 23, 2021

(quoted from post at 09:57:57 10/23/21) Pull the oil filler cap off and look at the underside of it. Do you see any grey mayonnaise stuck to it?

Yes, grey mayonnaise under the filler cap.

Now what? I don't have the time or skills to take the engine out. Do we know anyone near Punxsutawney, New Bethlehem, or Kittanning PA who can do this work?

4610 using water

bja105

Member

Bern

Well-known Member

Welding man

Well-known Member

bja105

Member

Bern

Well-known Member

bja105

Member

Similar threads