Some time ago I had a heating problem, cleaned radiator, new thermostat, checked the water pump and installed new radiator cap. filled with 50-50. I have run it apx 40hrs since this. everything far as heating been running fine, Then this morning when I cked the coo lent it was around a qt. low. filled and started running, run off and on all day, I looked down at the temp. gauge it red 250 and the red temp light was on, this is a new S&W temp manual gauge. Shut down, no coolent blowed out and no signs of being hot. So I thought do not open the cap right now go and deliver the load of shale. When I came back the temp gauge was at 180 and I cked with the inferred gun and the same. cked the coolent it was where it suppose to be. started her back up and loaded another load, Temp stayed at 190 where it usually runs. No water in the oil and no smoke at the exhaust. At this time seams to be alright. I will watch it very close tomorrow. Any suggestions. I would think if it did get this hot there would be signs and you would hear her cooking.?????
If everything stays good - no sign of head gasket problem etc., I would not overlook the chance of the new thermostat being bad. We're a tiny operation but over the years I have had at least 4 or 5 new thermostats be junk. Including one from Cat which really surprised me.
Up date I think if it was the thermostat and if it did get that hot it would boil over or have some sign of being hot other then the gauges. I run the machine most of the day and it preformed as it should, I'm keeping my figures cross and of course my eyes on the temp gauge.
I would trust the mechanical gauge plus you said the temp light came on. If it was just a short episode it might just have blown some coolant into the recovery bottle and no other signs. Engines are designed to run much hotter than they used to so you may be fine but something had to cause the over temp. I was going to say there was air trapped in the system after the coolant change but you ran forty hours after, so that's out. If it was a leaky head gasket I would expect it to stay hot plus I would think you would be blowing out coolant.
I wouldn´t rule out air in the system- some cooling systems are more difficult than others to burp. If you shut the machine off after running hard without letting it idle to cool down, that would spike the temp gauge. Have you checked the belt tension?
If its not acat it a dog....
joispoi, Good point, we've all forgotten that everything with a mechanical temp gauge would show a big rise after you turn the engine off. I had a couple cars that would run the engine fan after shut down because they would spike too high otherwise.
Fan belts with a hard glaze on them can slip even with the tension adjusted correctly.
Well another day with out a problem, The fan belt is new and the adjustment is right, and the machine was still running at a idle, I had just received a cell phone call and idled it down to talk. So this rules out the rise after being shut off.
I've seen alot of Kobelco's with Cummins engines and if its an aftercooled model usually there is a air bleeder on top of the aftercooler housing that you need to open while filling the radiator to push air out. It may eventually work its way out but 250 degrees is a little to warm for comfort.
Make sure the engine compartment is sealed up ie. all the foam around the hood, doors and between the radiator so the air is forced through the radiator and not around it. It does not take much leakage to affect the cooling.