Hey everyone, I did a coolant flush recently and installed a new thermostat while I was at it because I believed the one that was in it was either stuck open or removed entirely. Now with the new Tstat in the cooling system is not circulating at all and Im not sure if I did something wrong with the thermostat or if Im hydrolocked. I tried to bleed the air like you would on a car and im not having any luck. The thermostat I bought looked a bit different from the one I pulled out, I will post some pictures and a link to where I bought the new one. On the thermostat I pulled out it looks like it has a little divot where air can get by (dont know if its supposed to be there or if its just damage), but on my new one I did not recall seeing any such divot, so I am wondering if I was supposed to drill a small hole in the new one for it to bleed the air? When I refilled the system with coolant, I filled the engine block first before installing the new Tstat and then topped off the radiator. This is the new one I bought Case Engine Thermostat with Gasket for Backhoe, Dozer, Skid Steer, Excavator Keep your Case diesel engines running smoothly with our 180° Thermostat. Compatible with various Case Engines. www.brokentractor.com And these are pictures of the old one:
Found an OEM one that has the divot. So I'm guessing that is for the air to bleed out then, and I was supposed to drill a hole in the broken tractor one I bought :thinking:
If you have a cab run the heater for a while as well. The coolant will circulate when the thermostat opens.
Yeah that’s the bleeder and it usually needs to be put at 12 o’clock. Usually I leave the cap off the radiator and run it until it burps. You can always run it for 10-15mins, let it cool and take the cap off and re add. Sometimes you need to work to machine to get it to open the thermostat. Also make sure you go OEM as after market can have a different opening temp. A simple mistake can cause you major issues.
Yea I'm just going to go ahead and order the OEM one. By "put at 12 o'clock" do you mean having that bleeder facing the radiator? I saw in the service manual it saying to have the thermostat facing the radiator, I'm guessing that is what it meant. I did run it for a little a few times, letting it warm up and hoping it would burp but nothing would happen, and i would shut the machine off after the temp gauge would be in the red zone for a few minutes. Also, I think I might need to replace my radiator cap too as it might not even be keeping pressure like it's supposed to
No the bleeding faces the sky, straight up. No thermostat is better than one that is over heating.
Be carefull and don't waste a lot of time and money on what the factory gauge is telling you. It may be right, it may not be right. One of those cheap infared guns from harbor freight can help determine if it really is overheating or not. You should have other signs too. Like gurgling, engine oil leaks smoking, coolant puking out of the radiator, etc.
And the smell. There is no mistaking the smell of a extremely hot engine.
Ok I will keep all that in mind, thank you for the feedback. Hopefully I will get a chance to run it this weekend and let you know how it goes. I have already ordered the OEM thermostat so if I'm seeing any bad signs or that the coolant isn't circulating (top hose and radiator should eventually be getting warm, right) then I'll put in the OEM thermostat in
Going to pick up the cheap infrared gun too
Put the OEM thermostat in and everything seems to be working as it should now. Took it out and dug up a stump and water temp gauge stayed in the green with no bad signs. Just ordered the infrared gun too so I'll be checking it with that periodically from now on. Thanks again
Thanks for the update