JD410B Oil in Coolant

[BillS]

I am seeing a little bit of oil in the radiator every time I top it off. Tractor runs fine all day and I did not see anything but oil when I did an oil change. If I understand right, the places to check are the oil cooler, head gasket, and liners. Am I missing anything?

I wanted to start with the oil cooler since that seems like the cheapest/easiest place to start. I have read people using air pressure to test them, what to people use to rig this up? I was thinking to just remove it from the engine and leave it connected to the cooling system and then get a coolant pressure tester to look for coolant coming out of it. This would help me find any other leaks. Any reason not to do it this way? Does anyone know if I need a special adapter to fit the radiator or do the automotive ones work?

If that checks out, whats the next easiest thing to check? Thanks

 

[Delmer]

How much oil? and what have you tried to flush it? And how often do you have to top off the radiator?

If I saw a little bit of oil every time I CHECKED the coolant, but hadn't flushed the cooling system, that wouldn't bother me at all. If you've already flushed it and the oil keeps coming back every time you add a half gallon twice a day, then that's a different story.

The drain oil should be tested. Or look for foam, or chocolate on the top of the dipstick, or the top of the valve cover, those are the cold places in an engine where the moisture will collect, if it's glycol it will make a mess of the oil.

 

[BillS]

Hard to really say how much oil. Looks like its a few drops that float up to the top when I fill it. I take my time and let it run out the relief hose at the top of the radiator. I have never flushed the system, I just got the machine right before the snow last year so with snow and now mud, I have only got couple days on it. I top off the coolant every time I am going to run the machine, probably take a pint or so, maybe a quart depending on how much I was using it.

 

[Delmer]

OK. I wouldn't worry about a few drops of oil. Using that much coolant IS concerning, except I believe you're supposed to leave room for expansion IN the radiator tank, there's no expansion tank. Leave the coolant an inch below the filler neck,and see if it stays there.

 

[BillS]

OK, maybe I should just start with a flush? I do want to find the coolant leak. Do you know if the standard auto coolant pressure checkers will fit the JD radiator?

 

[Delmer]

If you fill a closed system full of water/coolant and heat it, it will expand and leak if there is not enough room for expansion. If you had a pint of antifreeze going into the oil, or out the tailpipe, you'd notice. I'd bet it's dripping out the overflow tube, that's usually run so it will drain to the ground without hitting anything. Don't fill it all the way to the top. Don't believe me, find an owners manual and see what it says.

A flush is never a bad idea with a decades old machine with unknown history. I drain it hot after you've been using it a while. Once cool, fill it with rainwater. The next time you run it a while, drain it hot again, into a clean white bucket. Judging by the sediment that comes out, keep repeating until you're satisfied. Don't worry about a rust tinge to the water, you'll never get rid of that, you want to get no, or extremely little sediment out with your last flush. Oil sludge may need TSP (real, not substitute) or automatic dishwasher detergent (cascade etc.).

Before you start, look down into the radiator to see if there's scale on the top of the tubes, if there is, then backflush the radiator before the successive drain and refill. To backflush, remove the hoses and cap, stick a garden hose in the top, a rag and a blow gun nozzle in the bottom, when the radiator overflows give it a shot of water, repeat until your satisfied there's no more loose scale to come out, do this on a hot muggy day.

 

[doublewide]

...do this on a hot muggy day.....

Curious about that???

 

[Delmer]

The cold water running down your back will feel better on a hot muggy day.

 

[BillS]

Finally got my manuals in the mail. It does say to leave the coolant an inch low. I am going to check for leaks and flush this weekend. Looks like TM says a max pressure of 10psi?

 

[BillS]

No leaks. Anyone know where the block drain is on the 410b and how to get to it? The picture in the manual is awful

 

[Delmer]

I can't tell you exactly, but it will be low on the water jacket, which goes down almost to he bulge where the crankshaft is. So the lowest point on the straight vertical wall of the block. Middle or back on the left side is my guess. Deere sometimes used a large hex plug with an o ring, like 1 1/2" or so. So you might not find a 1/4" NPT plug if that's what you're looking for.

 

[doublewide]

"a large hex plug with an o ring, like 1 1/2" or so"

...near the injector pump. You might want to think about getting yourself a block coolant heater while you're at it. It will go back in place of the hex plug. I think this is the one;

https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Coolant-Heater--AT74940_p_277095.html

but you should call them to check on your application.

 

[doublewide]

I just checked the Operators Manual and it shows the drain or plug on the left side of the engine, in line with and to the rear of the injector pump.

 

[BillS]

Ok, my manual looks photocopied so picture is really fuzzy. It already has a plug in coolant heater. Would that be it? I can take that panel off and check it out.

 

[doublewide]

So,.. the coolant block heater is on the left side of the engine, in line horizontally and just to the right of the injection pump? That's what my Operators Manual shows. There should be a locking nut on the heater and then the heater is screwed into the block. Be careful taking this out as the elements tend to corrode. You want to try and avoid having parts of the element drop into the block.

 

[Delmer]

if you have a block heater in there, I'd leave it alone. Unless there's sand and solid rust particles that come out in the antifreeze or water flushing, then you'd want to be able to hose out the block as well as possible.

Flush it with water till it runs clean and you'll be doing better than 99% of the old engines out there.

 

[BillS]

Found the heater, looks like an add on and had a hose running out of the block, just pulled the hose and drained it. Ran water through it and radiator, filled it, ran the machine for a while to finish a stump. Drained it again, flushed and filled it.

Next question is how much oil is too much and when to be concerned? Definitely small spots of oil dotting the top of the fluid in the buckets. Going to get the flush additive for removing oil and do it again, I dont think just water will ever get rid of the grime. The pressure test held steady for 30min both cold and warm, so not sure where it could have come from.