EM light & over heating

[JohnieND]

I have a 2016 L3901. I bought it used with 1000 hours. I’ve put about 30 hours on it since getting it around 2 months ago. I’m having an issue with the EM dash light. About 10 days ago while tilling, I noticed the heat gauge was rising. It got close to the red zone, so I stopped tilling and parked the tractor. The EM dash light came on before I got it parked. The owners manual just say it’s EMissions and to check the coolant level. I had to go on a trip so I just left it.
When I returned from my trip, I checked the coolant level, radiator and radiator fins. All was good. I changed the oil and topped off the HST transmission fluid. Then let it idle for about 5 minutes. All looked good. I started tilling. About 15 minutes into tilling, I noticed the heat was starting to creep up. It got to about 3/4 on the dial and the EM light came on again. Then something very odd happened. On it’s own, the engine rpms increased, then decreases, then the tractor stopped running. A puff of smoke emitted from the muffler. It would turn over, but wouldn’t start. No fluids where coming out of the block or crank case. About 10 minutes later, it started right up. No EM light. I just parked it and lowers the implements. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[DustyRusty]

You could have a bad water pump that isn't circulating the coolant, or the radiator fins might be clogged with dust, dirt, or pollen. The first thing to check is the radiator temperature with an inferred thermometer. Trouble shooting is best done in a methodical way rather than haphazardly jumping from point A to C, then to B. The owners manual should have a trouble shooting page that will give you some helpful information, and if not, then it should be in the Shop Service Manual.

 

[whitetiger]

You need to have your dealer connect Diagmaster to diagnose the emissions failure. I still do not understand why check coolant is their only answer.

 

[JohnieND]

You could have a bad water pump that isn't circulating the coolant, or the radiator fins might be clogged with dust, dirt, or pollen. The first thing to check is the radiator temperature with an inferred thermometer. Trouble shooting is best done in a methodical way rather than haphazardly jumping from point A to C, then to B. The owners manual should have a trouble shooting page that will give you some helpful information, and if not, then it should be in the Shop Service Manual.

Thanks for your suggestions. I did clean off the radiator. First with compressed air, then water. That helped. But while tilling for about 2 hours yesterday, the EM light and overheating occurred again. I caught it quickly and parked it. Washed off the radiator today prior to tilling. Tilled for about an hour. No real issues. But in a few spots the engine did bog down below the 540 RPM level. I finished up and parked it. I will take a look in the shop manual and see what I can find about the EM light issue. I did not get the EM light today. Again, thanks for your suggestions.