782D leaky head gasket

[mgonitzke]

I'm not having a good day. I was getting the 782D ready to take to a PD this Sunday, and since the antifreeze looked like crap, I decided to flush the cooling system and change the antifreeze. After pouring the old antifreeze into a container, I've realized that the crap in it is oil

. The head gasket also appears to be weeping on the right side of the engine. What's odd is that there doesn't seem to be antifreeze in the oil...the level is just a touch above full, but I may have gotten it slightly over-full last time I changed it.

I think I'm going to need a head gasket and possibly machine work on the head if it's bad. Has anyone done this? How big of a job is this? Can I run this at all anymore, or do I need to park it until I can fix it? I really wanted to plow with it this weekend, but I don't think that's a good idea with it like this. Any advice?

 

[aschumacher]

Matt, I have no expierence with 782D, but,I know of 2 people that had blown head gaskets on their cars and caused a severe overheat problem because very hot exhaust gas got into the coolant and the radiator couldn't handle it. Maybe you could drive it around for show for a short while, but heavy use could cause all sorts of ugley problems. JMHO

 

[dross]

Matt, How clean was the container before you put the antifreeze in it? You didn't mention noticeing anything as you poured it. Were you seeing any signs of a problem before? Mabey you could still make that PD if you just kept an eye on it.

 

[agitch]

Was your water temp gauge showing abnormal readings? Usually on deisel engines a blown head gasket will give fluctuating temp readings if it's bad enough.

 

[mgonitzke]

Water temp was in the safe range, but on the upper end of it. It's always been that way. The old stuff was drained into a clean container, so the oil had to be in there when it was drained. It floats to the top after awhile. The antifreeze has always been ugly, so I decided to change it before working it really hard.

I called a Kubota dealership today and talked to a mechanic, who gave me a few suggestions. I'm going to keep using it and see if oil appears in the antifreeze again. So far, it hasn't returned. The leaky spot between the head and block doesn't look fresh at all...I don't think it's leaked from there in a long time. My dad had a good point too...he knows of at least one person that accidentally put oil into the radiator, and doesn't think anyone would admit to doing something so stupid. So I'm going to take the mechanic's advice and keep using it, but monitor the oil and antifreeze closely.

 

[aschumacher]

Ahhhhhhh...oil in the radiator...great way to keep the pump lubricated!

<font size="-2">I wouldn't tell anyone either...</font>

 

[mkopishke]

Funny this is the first thing I read (I came to ask about my 1512D running way hot).

Anyway, the head gasket is very easy to replace.

Draining the fluid is probably the hardest/messiest part. The gasket is precoated with some sort of sealant, is it's just a matter of pulling the old one, cleaning everything up and putting the new one in and torquing it correctly.

Don't spray the gasket with anything! I made the mistake of setting it on the deck that was cloated with wd-40. It turned the sealent in a sticky mess. I ended up getting a new one...

 

[mgonitzke]

Well...

I beat the crap out of the 782D today...no overheating, no more oil appearing in the radiator...in fact, it ran cooler plowing in this 90 degree heat than it did when I mowed the last time when it was 70 degrees. That radiator flush must have done something. I'm still not sure there's anything wrong...

 

[bbrigham]

Matt..A blown head gasket will also form bubbles that you will see in the radiator, sometimes I've had them look kinda....light foamy I guess you would call it.

 

[mkopishke]

Matt,

How did you flush your radiator? Garden hose or something more professional?

 

[mgonitzke]

Garden hose and a BIG drain pan under the front end of the tractor. If you have the service manual, it more or less outlines the procedure.