jd 350 dozer

[coxy]

what will make it run hot hot 240+but I will not boil over ??? ??? :-\ I put in 2 different temp units both are with in 10 degrees of each other this has been doing this for a few years   thought it was just a bad temp censer over the years but apparently not   if I loosen the rad cap it will run normal 180-190 depending on how hard you push it  and  it will not push antifreeze out of the over flow when its that hot   could the cap be bad and being its a closed system that's why it wont boil/steam  also it does not loose antifreeze it will stay full  this has a few of us woodchucks stumped  ;D

[lewis]

sounds like a thermostat ,when it is running with cap off do you get bubbles in radiator

[thenorthman]

Napa has or at least had, an infrared temp laser thing? pretty accurate and cheap, made in china yes but it was under $20. (it lives in the wifes car since it has radiator issues and is hard to find parts for)

Pressure will increase the boiling point. So could be the cap has been bad the whole time or the like Lewis said thermostat.

Barring that if its a mechanical version, sometimes they read funny, the "wire" is too short or too long and  you get a less then accurate reading. The one I have in the dumper truck will say 180-190 when idling but as soon as I get over 35mph it drops to like 120 even though the heat is still good (what little is left after 46 years of neglect and rat nests). Been trying to figure out a way to shield the wire, but then I don't have much time to mess with the dumper truck lately...

[lshobie]

I'd replace the cap And thermostat and run Evans waterless coolant in it...I put it in everything now.

[coxy]

I run straight antifreeze and do not cut it and  not the 50-50   what is waterless coolant ??? never heard of it so please excuse my stupidity 

[North River Energy]

Try it with 50/50 and see if anything changes.
Unless I'm mistaken, straight antifreeze is less effective than water as a heat transfer agent.

[HiTech]

To those who run straight anti-freeze. It is very volatile. It you ever break a hose and it lands on a hot manifold it will burn like gas.

[grassfed]

Straight water is much better for cooling (heat transfer) than straight anti freeze. Anti freeze can help reduce corrosion and of course help prevent ice. Cut the anti freeze at least 60-40 anti to water (50-50 is recommended). Use distilled water to help reduce lime and mineral deposits. It is also a good idea to test your antifreeze rather than just replacing it based on time hour recommendations. Heated water loses O2 over time and the less O2 the less corrosion. The same holds true for OWB water.   

[Knocker of rocks]

All correct and excellent points. I think water has the second highest heat content of all substances, so it does it's job cooling the block.  And the engine will act as a deaerator.

Not so sure about the waterless coolant, it's protecting against something that really shouldn't happen.

With the others, I think you have a stat problem.

[pineywoods]

Real easy to get the thermostat installed backwards (upside down) If you installed a new one just like the old one was and it was backwards, what you are seeing is exactly what you will get. Don't ask how I know this  :

[starmac]

If you are not loosing water and no steam, it is not hurting the engine. That said it sounds more like an air flow problem through the radiator than a thermostat problem and the cap is obviously working or it would be pushing water out.

Fan belts good and tight?
Fins in the radiator clean?
While the heat is not hurting the engine, I am not familiar with how the 350 is set up, but would bet there are other coolers that depend on air flow (tranny) and the higher temps may be woring on the life of it.
I would invest in a hand held pyrometer and find out exactly where the heat is and what the temps actually are.

It was mentioned that straight antifreeze will burn like gas, while straight antifreeze is not good for an engine as far as ph levels go, I have never heard of it burning, can anybody verify this?

[BargeMonkey]

Ethylene Glycol. Yeah straight antifreeze will burn, I'm not a chemist but remember when I was in tech school going over it and had a demonstration. I would flush your radiator and check that your fins aren't plugged with mud. We have issues with our big loaders running hot from fine dust and sand building up where the fan doesn't reach.

[Mike_M]

It might be worth taking the radiator out and take it to a shop for them to go through it. Last summer I pulled the radiator out of our Case 850E (not fun at all) and had the local radiator shop go through it. It did cost a bit, but it made a big difference in how much cooler it ran. Like BargeMonkey stated any equipment working in the fine dust will eventually get clogged. We even make it a habit to blow out the radiator on a regular basis during the summer.

[coxy]

why will it not run hot with the rad cap loose tighten it up it will run back up 240+ that's whats got me stumped

[ohiowoodchuck]

Bad liner, cracked block, cracked head, bad headgasket.

[coxy]

Bad liner, cracked block, cracked head, bad headgasket.

nothing is getting in the oil and it don't loose any coolant  cant be anything major or it would have died by now 

[ohiowoodchuck]

Water pump blades ate up from years of use? Causing it to not circulate enough water. Just throwing suggestions.

[BargeMonkey]

So it doesn't run hot with the cap off ? And runs to 240 with the cap on ??? How many pound cap is it ? Im thinking you've got a circulation or radiator issue. Building pressure in the system but not losing coolant, that's what I was shaking my head about. How many hours on the engine ?

[Ikeholt]

I have a 350 also.  I thought it ran a little hot so I took the thermostat out about ten years ago.  I don't use it when it is cold out.  Seems to run cooler with full flow.  Yeah, I'm sure it's wrong, but it works for me.  I use ether too, but don't tell anybody.

[starmac]

The fact it runns cool when the cap is loose tells me that your thermostat is opening like it should, possibly even early, then heats up when you tighten the cap and let pressure build, tells me you either have a circulation problem (clogged radiator tubes)or an air circulation problem (clogged radiator on the outside) which is very common working in the dirt, even more so if you run it in the grass and underbrush much.

[coxy]

How many hours on the engine ?

that's like asking me how many miles is on my skidder  :D :D :D :D :D :D  you can see daylight if your look through the radiator

[ohiowoodchuck]

could try a flush, the powdered form of calgon does a good job of cleaning one out. a little goes along way.

[danbuendgen]

I am/was having a overheating issue with a Rottne forwarder I just picked up, I tested the thermostat (tested good), de-greased and power washed the outside of the radiator (didn't help but good to do, lots of crap came out), and it was still heating up. Today I flushed the coolant a few times, and all kinds of gunk came out. I have not given it a full test yet, but I did play around the landing for a hour or more and the temp was right where it should be. I just used the cheap Prestone cooling system flush/cleaning liquid, got it at Wal-mart for $2 and change per bottle. I used 2 bottles per flush. Cost me a day of my time and $15 in the flush/cleaning stuff. I have my fingers crossed, but I think I have it straightened out...

GOOD LUCK