Rainwater down exhaust pipe

I was working on my M over the weekend and when i got home it dawned on me that i forgot to stick the coffee can over the exhaust pipe. Home is 6 hours away from the tractor. Can I let her set as she is for a couple weeks or do i got to call someone to cover up that pipe for me so the rainwater doesn't go down?
Stupid-- I've had the M running fine and I'm kicking myself right now.
thanks

To be on the safe side, call someone. A little water won't hurt if the tractor is started again the next day, but a little water, allowed to set in there for a week or two, can be trouble.

Make the call. Rain water and engines do not mix well and if it where to sit for say a month and it did rain say an inch you could be coming back to a tractor with a stuck engine and then it might cost you a lot to fix
Hobby farm

this will all depend on mother nature so you will need to ask " mother nature are you going to rain on my M"? but anyway should be ok if there is no down pours, dont want any pitting going on in the sleeves and valves. i know lots of people over look this but all my tractors have their own can, some even with matching paint.

Get a rain cap and you won"t have to worry about using can.

e-manhunt: If the M exhaust system is tight and if the tractor is out in the open with no high buildings or trees nearby, I wouldn't be too concerned if your going to be back in two weeks. Not much water goes down a tight exhaust in an open field. The tractor creates an updraft, and 95% of the rain goes right over the exhaust pipe.

In 1971 I had Farmalls 300 and a 560D parked in the middle of a 100 acre field during a 9" rainfall, with nothing over exhaust. They were on high ground but got surounded by water, thus I couldn't get to them for 4 days. When we fired them up they hardly blew black soot, next to no water in those engines.

Deflections caused by trees, high buildings, etc. creating a down draft over the tractor, could fill the engine with water. A loose exhaust pipe in manifold can fill an engine very quickly. Water runs along the hood and follows the exhaust pipe. You know the exact location and condition of your tractor, use your own judgement, and act accordingly.

WC: Rain Caps are one of the best devices I've seen to deflect water down an exhaust pipe. My first rain cap experience happened in the first month I owned my new 1066 diesel in 1975. I looked out to see the cap straight up, catching water at the rate of about 1/2 cup per min. and deflecting it right down the pipe.

Next morning the 1066 blew out a lot of water. 560, 656 and 300 parked nerby with nothing over exhaust blew very little water.

This won't help you now--but for the future. I've had trouble with the wind that accompanies our rainstorms blowing the raincaps up, so the went to the local muffler shop and had a piece of exhaust pipe bent in a curve so wind blown rain cannot enter. Then I drilled a hole in the standing part, brazed on a nut and used a small bolt for a set screw. The end was expanded so it slip over the exhaust pipe. No flapping raincap when the tractor idles and no danger of the flap blowing open.

It may be alright, but should be covered. Next time you are back to your tractor, put a rain cap on the exhaust pipe. I use the rain caps on my tractors. It is easy to forget to put the can on the pipe.

Thanks guys. i got a rain cap on the exhaust, but half the time it sticks in the "up" position. I really can't recall how it was when I left it. However, i can very clearly picture my coffee can sitting on the ground next to the left front tire.

(quoted from post at 09:18:30 10/15/08) Thanks guys. i got a rain cap on the exhaust, but half the time it sticks in the "up" position. I really can't recall how it was when I left it. However, i can very clearly picture my coffee can sitting on the ground next to the left front tire.

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Suppose you left it for a long while like that and didn't realize it. Then, when you go to use the tractor you suddenly notice that the cap is up, and you start to freak out because it has been raining like all get out. Relax! What would be the worst-case-scenario?

If enough water was in one of the cylinders, it could cause hydrostatic lock. Basically water is incompressible. On the compression stroke the water in the cylinder would not compress, and if you had one of the other cylinders firing, something would have to give (and it wouldn't be the water). In that case you'll get a bent rod, busted crank, etc.... not good.

Another problem might be that water slipped past the rings and got down into your oil. Once the engine was going, the water/oil mixture would emulsify.... creating something with the consistentcy of mayonaise. The lubricating properties of the oil would be seriously compromised. Again, not good.

Here's what you do: first, change the oil. That will get rid of any water that got past the rings. Second, remove all the spark plugs and turn the engine over with the starter. If there is a significant amount of water in the cyls, it will get blown out of the sparkplug holes by the up and down action of the pistons. Just be careful that you remove any crud around the holes so that it doesn't get sucked in. After that, put the plugs back in and you should be good to go.

-pickNgrin

As the years go by I see more and more pictures of old Farmalls with rain caps. When those letters series were purchased new by farmers I never saw a rain cap on any of them. The first rain cap I saw was on an MD...and the thing just banged up and down so much I wondered how the man could stand that racket...I still do. Then caps become more common as diesels came onto the scene, especially Olivers.

To us who lived in that era (Heck, I"m older than Hugh MacKay), rain caps are sacriligious.
The proper protection is a Campbell"s soup can, other cans are ok, but not what you must use. And the soup flavor has to be tomato...it"s a badge of honor, kind of like having the proper glass jar on the air cleaner.

And we always started up those Farmalls and tried to catch the can on the way down. You scored big points if you caught it. The best was when a John Deere and a Farmall were parked close by and we watched to see which tractor could fling the can the highest. After I had my H painted I tried to catch the can and it hit the hood beyond my reach, so I don"t do that anymore.

I also am much better looking than Hugh. I know, because I stopped at his place about 3 weeks ago. I have a picture of us standing by one of his tractors, but I haven"t figured out how to show it to you. His wife Marge makes terrific cinnamon bread. Hugh grows some big potatoes on that Ontario flat country.

So, go buy a can of Campbell"s Tomato soup.

And pay attention to what Hugh says...on any subject.

LA in WI

(quoted from post at 14:18:30 10/15/08) Thanks guys. i got a rain cap on the exhaust, but half the time it sticks in the "up" position. I really can't recall how it was when I left it. However, i can very clearly picture my coffee can sitting on the ground next to the left front tire.

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If it has a rain cap on it I wouldnt worry about it. Some of our tractors sit for months at a time without a problem

In regards to everyone talking about rain caps sticking up, I have personally never seen one stick up, only with I was trailoring a tractor...guess we dont get that much wind...haha

Ive never had a problem with rain caps but ive seen a lot of tractors locked up becaues some one put cans over them and forgot the tractor just to find out the can had rusted through,I like glass jars,they dont rust or leak

jimmy

James: Your right, long term the vessel should be in good condition. I better stick with the can, I rarely forget to put it on, but quite often forget to remove it. Started the 560 diesel once, wondered where the can went, looked up to have it hit the bridge of my nose. I think I'd sooner get hit by soup can than glass bottle.

Bob M tells a story about starting a big diesel on an articulated Deere, and the pail nailed the dog some 100' away. He said, after that dog was very cautious about being around big diesels when they started.

Nothing to do with the topic of the post, but the references to tractors blowing the can off the exhaust when started reminded me of when I was a kid back in the 70's. We had terrible grasshopper problems here in Nebraska back then....you could get a handfull of 'hoppers with every swoop of the hand...well, our "big" haying tractor was a 656 gasser. After we'd get back to the feild from lunch my brother and I would gather several handfulls of 'hoppers and climb up on the 656 and stuff 'em down the top of the muffler....then set the throttle lever about 3/4 open and fire it up....it'd blow 'em about 30 feet in the air and it'd just rain grasshoppers for a while....geez..the fun we used to have before video games and internet!!!!

Lowell: It certainly was a good visit, one thing we both learned was, even though we grew up 2,000 miles apart, in small town rural North America nobody drank beer in the 1940s and 50s, at least not until beer cans started showing up in the landfills.

I always get a kick out of this,"water down the exhaust subject", every time it comes up. My dad and I never put a tractor in the shed when we were working them hard. Most of the time we never covered the exhaust, if they were going to be used again next morning. The only time I've ever seen any measurable amount of water get in the exhaust is if tractor was parked in lee of a higher object like a building, tree, etc. The other one was exhaust pipe loose in manifold of 300. Pipe was laying against hood and water running along hood followed pipe right down.

I always have a much bigger concern of water running down the gear shift lever into transmission. Those old tractors have numerous objects like seat, steering wheel, controls, etc. that create deflections around the platform of the pre 1963 tractors. I always have to put a bucket over gear shift lever of my SA and 140. I've seen one 2" rain fall add 2-3 quarts of water to my transmission.