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Water circulation

A

Axell

Member
Location
Scandinavia
Hi there!

Before winter I will put antifreeze coolant in my tractor before storing it. For how long should I let it run to be sure it has circulated.
 
If you have water in it now, you would be better to drain it and mix the
antifreeze and water and then refill. I don't know where you are located, I am
in NW Illinois and always have used 50/50 mix. Then run it for a half an hour
or so after it's warmed up enough to open the thermostat.
 
Super99 is right, drain it thoroughly, and mix the coolant before you put it in. You really should run anti-freeze year around to reduce
corrosion and it will cool better.
 
I put antifreeze in a 46 JD A once years ago. I drained all the water and put in 5 gallon of antifreeze and topped it off with water. That didn't workout so well. When I ran the tractor the gravity circulation system failed to work and it got hot just driving down the lane. I had to drain some of the antifreeze out and pour it back in the top to get the circulation moving.
 
If it just has water in it now, or it's rusty, or just time to change it, now would be a good time to flush the system.

Open the radiator drain and the block drain if there is one, temporarily remove the thermostat or disconnect the bypass hose or a heater hose, run the engine at fast idle with the garden hose feeding water in as needed. When everything is running clear, drain the water.

If there is no block drain, you can assume there will be some water still in the block. Compensate for this when adding antifreeze. The goal is to have 50-50 antifreeze and water. Distilled water is preferable.

Run the engine until the thermostat opens, the upper hose will feel hot, coolant moving through the radiator.
 
Does the tractor have a water pump? If not, it is a thermosyphon system and you need to pre-mix the antifreeze to get it to circulate.

If it has a water pump I would get it hot enough to open the thermostat, then run it with enough of a load to keep the thermostat open for another half hour to be sure the antifreeze and water are thoroughly mixed.
 
The drain plug is stuck. And im not taking the risk of breaking anything by trying to remove it or the old stiff hoses. Not before I have the time to mend it and that wont be until spring. So I will just top it off with som concentrated antifreeze. The existing coolant isnt antifreeze anymore..

Yes it does have a block drain.
 
(quoted from post at 09:40:15 10/13/21) The drain plug is stuck. And im not taking the risk of breaking anything by trying to remove it or the old stiff hoses. Not before I have the time to mend it and that wont be until spring. So I will just top it off with som concentrated antifreeze. The existing coolant isnt antifreeze anymore..

Yes it does have a block drain.
Click to expand...

I would use that drain then. drain it and pour in a some that you mixed. It won't mix well with water already in the system.
 
If it has a water pump (not
thermosiphon) bring it up to operating
temperature (top hose should be hot to
the touch, bottom hose warm to the
touch, if temp gauge don't work), and
that's when the system itself should
begin do the mixing. So let it run a
good 15 to 20 minutes longer after
that. Shut off and let it cool
completely back down, and check it
with a antifreeze strength tester that
you can buy at pretty much any auto-
parts store. And hopefully you added
enough straight antifreeze to make it
good.
Note - if its a thermosiphon system,
you are going to have to run it much
much longer. And perhaps just using
the tractor several times, before you
can get an accurate check of the
antifreeze strength. And also, pay
close attention to the antifreeze your
dumping in. You can buy both straight,
and already mixed with water. Most
places have them side by side on the
shelves at the stores. In jugs that
almost look the same.
 

Luckily it has a pump.. and I have bpught the concentrated stuf.

Didnt know there was an anti freeze tester. Would be handy to have.
 
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