I have had 59 hp Mahindra tractor for over 8 years (don't really remember when I bought it). It's been good up until now. It didn't get much work in Presidio, but worked well for the 2 hours or less that I would use it there.

Now, at the homestead I'm doing a little dirt work on the driveway (Lo range 1st gear stuff) and after about 30 minutes it starts over heating. A couple of weeks ago it was dripping radiator fluid and I parked it. No more leak. I have checked the upper and lower radiator hoses, they appear good.

Could the thermostat be bad, do I need to change the coolant? What else could it be?

Any suggestions (serious ones folks) will be much appreciated.

How does the radiator look? Have you blown it out recently? I always use air vs. Water. Washing it turns the dirt into mud.

Is the fluid level close to the top ?
No tears at the clamps ?

X2 on the radiator...sometimes it can be stuffed full of dirt but you can't see it. I use air and water afterwards.

Bad water pump?

+1 on cleaning the radiator fins, blow from inside out. All my tractors have a factory installed removable screen in front of the radiator to catch bigger debris.
If you don't have an air compressor a water hose with something on it that will make a fine strong stream or slight fan stream, if you use water wash it out again in a day or two paying attention to the bottom half of the radiator.

Check coolant level & fill if necessary.
Check the water pump weep hole area for signs of leaking & staining.
Check fan belt tension, adjust if loose.

A stuck closed thermostat causes engine temp to go up rapidly, like in the first 5 - 15 minutes the engine is running.

Hard to say if your coolant needs to be changed, I test mine for temp protection & DCA/SCA twice per year.
Changing the coolant won't prevent overheating.

If you can see flow under the radiator cap when warm and idling, the thermostat is open.

No, but I will hose it out. Thanks

.

Clamps and hoses are good. Need to let it cool down before I check it. But, will do. Thanks.



No idea. Thanks. How would one check that?

Don’t hose it. That makes concrete. Use air or a pressure washer.

Noticed with ours it would start getting closer to the hot side of the temp gauge than it ever had last year doing some shredding. Blew out the radiator with compressed air and all is well again.

Blow out radiator and check Water pump... bet it’s water pump

Clean the radiator, check hose clamps, check fluid level. All cost zero dollars, and are the first steps before thinking about replacement parts.

No idea. Thanks. How would one check that?[/quote]

Feel under the water pump for a weep hole. If it's wet with coolant then your pump is probably going out. I don't know if Mahindra sells re-build kits for water pumps like JD does but it's way cheaper to re-build than to buy a new pump.

Thank you all. I have found no water (or coolant) leakage today. But, I didn't let it get hot, hot before I shut it down.

Redchevy mirrors my experience. My Kubota was running hotter than usual, and I had been mowing tall seeded weeds. The radiator was partially clogged with ‘stuff’. I blew it out and all is well.

Prior to that I had an old Allis Chalmers, which overheated all the time. I blew out the fins with air, but that didn’t fix the problem. So I took it off the tractor and washed it out. I got decades of garp out of it. It helped a lot.

Likely the radiator fins needs blown out, but also make sure your fan belts are tight.

Since the radiator pulls air from the front, do you guys make it a point to blow it out from the back or does it matter?

Always blow it from the back.

Since it takes about 30 min to start over heating I don't think its your water pump. If no water was moving in the motor I think it would overheat much fast than 30 min under load. Also a leaking water pump just has a seal out, it usually still moves water, just leaks.

Classic symptoms of a externally dirty radiator. Blow it out and/or power wash it, and give it a whirl. FWIW, I power wash my tractor radiators each fall, and have spent an hour plus washing one single radiator out until clean if I have neglected to blow it out with air enough.

blow it out from the engine side towards the front ... the stuff got in the fins from the front. I suspect it's either clogged up radiator with stuff or a loose belt that is not spinning the fan good to pull air thru the radiator.

The thought that it might not be the water pump is music to my ears. Thanks.


I will blow out the radiator, next week, if possible. Have to go to where I work this evening for a 48 hours shift starting tomorrow at 0800. Also need a longer air hose, but maybe I can jury rig it. Thanks.

I will also check the belts. Thanks to all of ya.

a good blow usually works

+1