l185 oil in coolant/coolant in oil

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 8, 2016

Freebird,
I'm really worried that you have a cracked block, you said that when you pressurized it you got water out around the crank, that would point to a cracked block.
The thin metal shim that D2Cat is talking about is for when you have done deck work to the head or block to make it the right compression ratio, it's not going to help you with sealing.

Please give more info, so we can get you on the right path.

freebird · Feb 11, 2016

Gentlemen,
After I tore the front of the tractor down to look behind the gear case and found no problems with the freeze plug or cam plug, I sent the head back to the Kubota dealership and they sent it back to the machine shop for evaluation. the machine shop verified the head as good. the Kubota dealership asked if I had installed the shim with the head gasket and I of course said what shim! they said there is a shim that is suppose to be between the head gasket and block. I did go to Kubota.com and pulled the parts list and image for my L185 and sure enough there is a thin metal shim that is shown under the head gasket. the twist to this tale is this... there was no shim that I removed from under the head gasket originally, unless the shim has become one with the head gasket and I didn't notice it. the head was decked and valve job done by the shop during the crack repair to the head. I also don't see what the shim would do to seal the system that the head gasket doesn't, however it does show that shim in the assembly drawing for my tractor. I haven't re assembled the front gear case as I was waiting for the word back on the head, I didn't want to spend more money on gaskets if the block is cracked. let me know your thoughts!

D2Cat · Feb 11, 2016

freebird said:
Gentlemen,
the head was decked and valve job done by the shop during the crack repair to the head.

My understanding is when material is milled off the head the shim replaces that material to get back to the original height for proper compression.

However, your head could check out fine....but still have an internal crack in the block!

Another thing to remember, when re-assembling be sure to put the "O" ring on the block for the oil tube.

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 12, 2016

freebird,
My advice if your going to put it back together, leave the pan off, put the head on it, then pressure test the water jacket, if it leaks by the journals or anywhere around the block again then you most definitely have a cracked block.

freebird · Feb 12, 2016

D2Cat and Wolfman,

Thanks for your input on this issue, I will re-assemble the front gear case. and head gasket with shim, and the oil tube o ring. I will leave the pan off and I will pressurize the radiator and see if I still have pressure loss in the coolant system, if the leak is still there I will probably have to opt for some sort of sealer to seal the leak in the system. the tractor is in good shape with around 1400 hours on it, and she still kicks like a mule. any ideas on how to flush motor oil from the inside of a radiator? let me know your thoughts
Thanks again for your help

Tooljunkie · Feb 12, 2016

Crc makes a metallic block sealant. A few good products from there.
Simple green will make internal part of your cooling system sparkle. Especially if you can run it. Had a van that trans cooler failed and polluted engine with atf-pink slime. Ran it to operating temp with thermostat out then flushed with fresh water. Spotless.

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 12, 2016

Use Zep Purple cleaner, (you can get it at Home Depot) put some in the radiator strait, let sit for a while, and then flush with water, could do that to the motor too to get the oil out of there also.
Just note if you do have a crack your probably not going to get it to seal because of the fact that it getting oil in the crack that your trying to seal.

achtuning1 · Feb 12, 2016

I have heard of people using mean green. You should think of replacing all your radiator hoses. if you don't the hoses could break down and fail due to the oil.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

freebird · Feb 14, 2016

North Idaho Wolfman said:
Use Zep Purple cleaner, (you can get it at Home Depot) put some in the radiator strait, let sit for a while, and then flush with water, could do that to the motor too to get the oil out of there also.
Just note if you do have a crack your probably not going to get it to seal because of the fact that it getting oil in the crack that your trying to seal.

Thanks for the feedback again, all good tricks of the trade!

what are the main causes for cracked blocks?

Thanks again

Tooljunkie · Feb 14, 2016

Only times i have seen a cracked block is water freezing. An expansion or frost plug works 99% of the time. or a catastrophic failure,like a connecting rod playing peek-a-boo.
A casting failure is unlikely. Those would usually occur in the first few hours of its life. Warranty would take care of that.
Not impossible but rare.
Im very curious to see what you find.

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 14, 2016

Yep freezing, overheating, or mechanical failure.

I would say freezing would be #1.

freebird · Feb 15, 2016

Tooljunkie said:
Only times i have seen a cracked block is water freezing. An expansion or frost plug works 99% of the time. or a catastrophic failure,like a connecting rod playing peek-a-boo.
A casting failure is unlikely. Those would usually occur in the first few hours of its life. Warranty would take care of that.
Not impossible but rare.
Im very curious to see what you find.

Thanks again for the feedback, the coolant showed up in my block around August of 15, root cause was the typical crack in the head around the firing channel of the #1 piston, this 2 cylinder head routinely cracks in this area on these tractors from what I have read in this forum. But.... the oil didn't show up in the radiator until after the head was weld repaired and decked. I run the antifreeze on the heavy side ( due to lack of knowledge of the thermo syphon cooling system configuration ) probably causing some overheating and cracking the head originally. I'm sure the block did not freeze. I don't run the tractor for long periods without giving it and me a break every hour or two. I'm hoping the shim that I missed will solve the issue, as far fetched as it seems. Thanks again for the feedback on this issue.

Tooljunkie · Feb 15, 2016

Heres a thought, that oil passage/ standpipe- it hold the head up from seating properly? Like a shoulder in the head and tube bottoms out? Hence the need for the shim? Or another reason for it.

freebird · Feb 17, 2016

that makes a good point concerning the oil tube pipe. I could at least measure the pipe to head clearance. I'm hopeful the shim solves my problem. this has been a tough and expensive learning experience to say the least.

freebird · Mar 23, 2016

update on the l185.... still leaking....... BOO! added the shim with new head gasket, new oil tube o'ring filled the radiator with water pressurized the radiator and the pressure held for a minute or two then started loosing pressure slowly, then water started to drip from the oil filter housing at the threaded spin on port. I still suspect the head but don't have the funds to put into another head. as much as I hate too, it looks like I will have to attempt to buy some type of block sealer and hope for the best. any other options/ideas would be appreciated.

Diydave · Mar 23, 2016

Sounds like you have coolant leaking into the oil gallery, somewhere. You might try some Blue Devil block sealant, its available through most good parts stores, and a few discounters, too. I used it on my L185, and it seems to be working, 5 months later. I know my block froze, cause it popped the front FP. Just be sure to follow the directions, as close as you can. leave the radiator cap off, so the system doesn't pressurize, and it should work, without pushing coolant into the oil, while you are doing the blue devil procedure. In your case, an immediate oil change would be prudent...

Tooljunkie · Mar 23, 2016

dye trace, leak test again, pull head and look for evidence of dye in head oil ports.

The block sealant works well if used as prescribed.

freebird · Mar 27, 2016

Thanks for the feed back, I will take a look at the blue devil block sealer and keep my fingers crossed.

D2Cat · Mar 27, 2016

If you've decided to add some sealer to your system you might check out Iron Tite. Look them up. There are a few You Tube videos, or call them and visit first hand. It's a unique product. Study how it was developed, then decide.

I used it in a 6.5 diesel about 5 years ago. It's still running fine. Use it for my snow plow and has my welder in the back all the time.

I've got a MF 50 with the same ailment, but since I don't really need it and have time I am going to replace the head gasket.

Good luck with whatever you do.

http://www.irontite.com/index.html

freebird · Mar 28, 2016

D2,
Thanks again for all the input, I will look into the iron tite product and go from there. I have researched the blue devil product and it has about a 90% success rate. I hate to put sealing compound into this engine but I have exhausted my budget on this repair. thanks again for the help with this issue.

l185 oil in coolant/coolant in oil

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