- Thread starter Mertz54
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Colin King
Well-known Member
Either bring the tractor into a heated shop to thaw the ice or remove the hood and then remove the radiator so that it can be brought into a heated space to thaw and drain.
You will want to check for leaks. The freezing could have caused cracks in the fins or tank. Most likely any damage can be repaired by a skilled radiator repair shop.
Always mix coolant 50% antifreeze/50% distilled water. This will give you maximum performance for both heat and cold operating conditions.
Your original equipment radiator is vastly superior to any aftermarket radiator available. Repair it. Take care of it.
Colin, MN
You will want to check for leaks. The freezing could have caused cracks in the fins or tank. Most likely any damage can be repaired by a skilled radiator repair shop.
Always mix coolant 50% antifreeze/50% distilled water. This will give you maximum performance for both heat and cold operating conditions.
Your original equipment radiator is vastly superior to any aftermarket radiator available. Repair it. Take care of it.
Colin, MN
John Deere D
Well-known Member
Remove oil drain bung from engine oil pan......watch to see what runs out of engine oil drain as engine thaws out.......???
You may own a PARTS TRACTOR......
You may own a PARTS TRACTOR......
Hey everyone. Thanks for all the help! I was able to push it into my garage. Made the wife help. Built a fire in the wood stove and its warming up as we speak. I also drained the radiator and bought new antifreeze. I was able to get about half a five gallon pail of old fluid out of it so I'm hoping that's all there is. That stuff is ugly. Might be the original antifreeze. Is there a market for vintage antifreeze? :wink:
I don't see any (new) leaks so I'm probably good there but I'll keep watching.
Thanks again.
Randy, MN
I don't see any (new) leaks so I'm probably good there but I'll keep watching.
Thanks again.
Randy, MN
If you are lucky it will have only started freezing and not frozen sollid yet and that is when it would be starting to bust things and a radiater will start to freeze before the other parts of the engine. Make sure the block drain is working before you try to flush the system before putting in any antifreeze. And use only mixed antifreeze as putting in seperate anti freeze and water might not get mixed enough to keep parts from freezing before it gets mixed.
Thanks Leroy, et.al. I pushed my tractor into my garage and drained the radiator. I then replaced the antifreeze without flushing. I live in MN and it is cold so I didn't have access to an easy way to do the flushing.
I'm curious about a couple things though. I was only able to put in two gallons of mixed antifreeze even though the manual says it should hold 3 gallons. That concerns me.
Second, after draining, the old anifreeze had a thin film of brown sludge-like stuff floating on top that looked like oil. That really concerns me. Could oil enter the radiator if the block was cracked?
The tractor did start, however, and I was able to drive it. Does that make sense if the block was cracked?
Once again, thank you to all who have responded.
I'm curious about a couple things though. I was only able to put in two gallons of mixed antifreeze even though the manual says it should hold 3 gallons. That concerns me.
Second, after draining, the old anifreeze had a thin film of brown sludge-like stuff floating on top that looked like oil. That really concerns me. Could oil enter the radiator if the block was cracked?
The tractor did start, however, and I was able to drive it. Does that make sense if the block was cracked?
Once again, thank you to all who have responded.
John Deere D
Well-known Member
Did you Remove oil drain bung from engine oil pan......watch to see what runs out of engine oil drain as engine thaws out.......???
Bob...
Bob...
Did not get it drained. You ruined your new anti freeze. And that sludge means you need a new head gasket as that is from your tractor using some oil and when running that oil gets gurnt with the gas and pushed thru the leaking head gasket. Common problem. In other words it is burnt oil from combustion, Not from engine crancase. Combustion pressure is so much higher than raidatior pressure the leak will only go one way and that is to radiator. Only fix is new head gasket if head or block not dammaged but not a hard job to do. Hadest part is lifting that hood-gas tank off to get to head then putting hood back on. One strong person can do it but two are better. I have done it by myself years ago but could not do it now. Have both a 44 2N and a 41 9N.
If you could get it in warm enough to thaw out you could have flushed it. Just use puckete under drains to catch anything and pour fresh water through radiater till it runs clean in the bucket. I agree a back flush is better but that bucket fluse is better than none and if it will not drain into bucket then you will need to remove drain and use a screw driver to reach in and loosen crud that will make over heating if not removed. Would need to do that with the screw driver even if could hook that hose up to drain to back flush. And that in radiator is actually sludge ia actually sludge from compression burnt oil mixed with burnt exaust gasses.
Thanks again, Leroy. This is really useful information. I parked it under cover and decided to let it rest until spring. It's just too danged cold here in MN and I'm due for a knee replacement.
I tried pulling the hood on mine once and you're right, at 65 it is definitely a two man job. I guess I'll have to chalk up the wasted antifreeze to another learning experience. This tractor has been nothing but learning experiences. At the same time, when I wondered if I had cracked the block, I felt a tinge of sadness. I can see why some people develop feelings of affection toward them.
I tried pulling the hood on mine once and you're right, at 65 it is definitely a two man job. I guess I'll have to chalk up the wasted antifreeze to another learning experience. This tractor has been nothing but learning experiences. At the same time, when I wondered if I had cracked the block, I felt a tinge of sadness. I can see why some people develop feelings of affection toward them.
yes, but the first suspect would be the head gasket. head gaskets can fail for a variety of reasons. hopefully, it's a case of not enough torque on the head studs/nuts, as opposed to a warped head caused by overheating.
yes. it is possible to have a running engine that is cracked if the crack is small.
Just hope there is not enough of what casued the froxen radiaror left in the block and water pumt to bust then setting over the winter. That is why I said if you could get it warm enough to thaw out the radiator unless you could get the rest of the system fully drained it might just crack the rest of the engine. I am just getting one finnished up on overhaul I started back in 04 and never got finnished due to an ice storm in 05, then heart bypass in 11 and rotator cuff surgery in 12 and then loosing my wife in 15 after 37 years of marriage. Docks did not find my heart problem for over a year. Am now 76 and just cannot do anything any more. But I can still remember.
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