Hello our 94 JD 310 backhoe which generaly is in very good shape just started overheating. My son roaded it about 6 miles on flat ground, elevation 4500 feet ,O.A.T 101 F. This unit has no temp gauge only a waning light and buzzer, neither of which alarmed. As he was driving the radiator fill neck blew plum off the radiator. He fixed it with J.B weld and checked the spring on the radiator cap, seemed ok. He refilled with coolant and started working. While shuttling between forward and reverse the engine seemed to almost stall when at idle. Prior to any of this trouble he had cleaned the radiator of any debris or dust with a garden hose ( water went right thru). He had also checked all fluid levels and cleaned the air filter prior to leaving our place. The fan belt and fan look ok. Could the road trip have caused the overheating or is that just a coincidence? Does the reverser or transaxel cool thru the radiator? Are there any other things we should be checking that I'm missing?Thanks in advance for your help. Steve.
Based on this little bit of info, there was excessive pressure in the cooling system causing the neck to blow off the radiator. If you are completely sure that the radiator fins are clean and airflow is good, it's time to look at the obvious like a stuck thermostat, or even consider cleaning the radiator and/or hydro. oil/trans. cooler if equipped, with pressurized water and air, removing it if possible for a thorough cleaning job. Does it consume coolant after this overheating episode now? Is there still compression in the radiator after that first one? I'm just covering all the bases to determine whether or not you have an internal problem, such as a bad head gasket, porus cylinder liner, cracked head, etc. that would allow compression into the coolant system. Check fluid level again, and have someone do a coolant system leakdown test, if needed, to determine the cause. Good luck.
I had some 310's that started overheating like this in California. About 6500 service meter hours. The Deere engine is a "liner" type and ours had experienced bad liner erosion not only in the water jacket portion, but at the seat where they fit into the block. Check the rad for bubbles in the coolant. If the bubbles are present, you have liner erosion or possibly a cracked head or blown head gasket. There maybe other causes, such as a bad water pump or internally plugged rad. I can't recall if the 310 has a tranny cooler, I don't think so. But your machine is slightly newer than the ones I had.
Yeah...what he said. ointlaugh