DB 990 getting hot, but radiator is cold?

What do you think the rad cap does?
If there is not a separate expansion tank, the top tank on the radiator acts as one.
Old Daisy Browns don’t have what you call a ‘top tank’
The rad cap just sits in top of the rad and it’s designed to maintain pressure in the rad ( so that it doesn’t boil over) What the OP is describing is consistent with a defective rad cap.. Probably it would be a good idea to dump the thermostat as well.
 

010101

Member
Arable Farmer
Old Daisy Browns don’t have what you call a ‘top tank’
The rad cap just sits in top of the rad and it’s designed to maintain pressure in the rad ( so that it doesn’t boil over) What the OP is describing is consistent with a defective rad cap.. Probably it would be a good idea to dump the thermostat as well.
OK, the top of the rad might not have a tank, but that just means it is somewhere else.
When the water expands it needs somewhere to go.
 
Hello all

Having some overheating problems with my db 990. After about 15mins of work it overheats and it vents hot coolant out of the top of the radiator. But if I then touch the radiator it is all cold.

I have had the thermostat out and there was some nasty black fatty stuff on it, so I took it out and cleaned it. I also took the radiator off and put boiling water through it, took some radiator flush and look it sook in it for 2 hours. Water through again, remounted it. Put radiator flush in it and ran the tractor in idle for 45min. Drained and repeated. Put some need coolant in and it still gets too hot when put to work.

Before mounting the thermostat, I put it into some boiling water to test it. It opened fine. In the bottom of the thermostat it said 78, wich I guess is degress celsius. I can see, that original it should be a 82 degress thermostat. Could that be the problem? I. Also noticed, that the radiator cap didnt seel 100% when I had the radiator out and layed down to put the flush fluid in it. Could that be the problem?

I would really like to know if the water pump is working. Could I try to start the cold tractor with the tophose from the thermostat to the radiator off and without the thermostat installed? Would the pump, if it is working, push the coolant out? Or is there a better way to test it?

Hope there is one out there who has some ideas..

/Jacob
Where’s are you located?
 

Wisconsonian

Member
Trade
Old Daisy Browns don’t have what you call a ‘top tank’
The rad cap just sits in top of the rad and it’s designed to maintain pressure in the rad ( so that it doesn’t boil over) What the OP is describing is consistent with a defective rad cap.. Probably it would be a good idea to dump the thermostat as well.
It's a vertical radiator, so it has a top tank, and that tank is bigger than the bottom tank to give some room for expansion. Since there is no expansion tank, the top is not meant to be filled up full. The tractor should run fine with a rag stuffed in the radiator opening and not lose coolant. If you fill it right to the top, it will run over even with a perfect radiator cap as there is no expansion room.

If the engine is running on water, then it should be boiling when you shut it off and it's overheated. If it's not boiling, then check the engine temp to make sure it's hot enough to open the thermostat.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
It is cold. The radiator is almost entirely cold after I put the tractor to work and it runs hot (on the gauge).
That is good news I'd say, as it's likely to be a basic problem.
Is water circulating? sounds like it can't be.
Go back to basics...
thermostat?
fan belt?
water pump function?

My money is on thermostat...throw it over the hedge.
 

Little squeak

Member
Location
Lancashire
When the water pump has gone in the past on my 990 it has always leaked, I have had trouble in the past with overheating cleaned the outside of the radiator with no joy took the radiator off and left water running through it still didn't fix it, took it off AGAIN this time ran water through with the hose pipe with the radiator up side down left it running for an hour and its been OK since. If you want to test the sender just unscrew it from the engine and put in a cup of boilng water.
 

010101

Member
Arable Farmer
You forget that with DB 990’s they are old technology - no newer than 1980.
when the water expands it goes through the overflow pipe from the filler neck and vents on the ground.
Only if you completely fill up the tank on the top of the rad when you fill the rad.
I always do this, they just vent the excess water and find the correct level themselves, which leaves an expansion zone at the top of the rad.
Normally, when I have drained and filled an engine's water it is because it needs some maintenance. Part of the procedure is checking the water levels after it has been run. This also ensures there is no vacuum, as the water cools and shrinks.
I posted to try and help with the overheating issue. I did not think it necessary to make any distinction between types of expansion vessel.

Is this about something else?
 
Last edited:

JacobJ

Member
Okay a short update. Stress testet the tractor yesterday without the thermostat. It went hot again. I took my laser therometer and took some readings. Top engine block was 91 degress, thermostat housing 87 degress. Radiator close to the top (under the expansion part of it) 12 degress.

So I think there is still to much resistance in the radiator, does that sound right?

I also noticed some troubling thing. See attachment. It doesnt smell like diesel, so it might be water. Is that a problem with the head gasket?
 

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ford 7810

Member
Location
cumbria
Okay a short update. Stress testet the tractor yesterday without the thermostat. It went hot again. I took my laser therometer and took some readings. Top engine block was 91 degress, thermostat housing 87 degress. Radiator close to the top (under the expansion part of it) 12 degress.

So I think there is still to much resistance in the radiator, does that sound right?

I also noticed some troubling thing. See attachment. It doesnt smell like diesel, so it might be water. Is that a problem with the head gasket?
It must be diesel either injector leaking or injector washer at the bottom. If water it will dry up instantly with a hot engine I think, but I’m not a David Brown expert
 
Okay a short update. Stress testet the tractor yesterday without the thermostat. It went hot again. I took my laser therometer and took some readings. Top engine block was 91 degress, thermostat housing 87 degress. Radiator close to the top (under the expansion part of it) 12 degress.

So I think there is still to much resistance in the radiator, does that sound right?

I also noticed some troubling thing. See attachment. It doesnt smell like diesel, so it might be water. Is that a problem with the head gasket?
So, two possibilities:
1. Water pump
2. Blocked rad.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Okay a short update. Stress testet the tractor yesterday without the thermostat. It went hot again. I took my laser therometer and took some readings. Top engine block was 91 degress, thermostat housing 87 degress. Radiator close to the top (under the expansion part of it) 12 degress.

So I think there is still to much resistance in the radiator, does that sound right?

I also noticed some troubling thing. See attachment. It doesnt smell like diesel, so it might be water. Is that a problem with the head gasket?
sure you need a new water pump
the fluid leakage is probably as OP said injector washer. May even be that you have 2 in there which will always cause issues
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Is the radiator core blocked? You may say this is unlikely but I've recently changed the radiator on my MF 135 which probably has the same technology. The core of the radiator was very seriously blocked and nothing would shift it. Similar symptoms to the OP's tractor, I think. All sand here which in a hot summer will blow and drift and block roads, let alone radiators if air filters are not up to scratch! It gets everywhere.

I had repeated failed head gaskets in a Peugeot 504 many years ago and got used to the symptoms. Just take the rad cap off and rev the engine. The water in the rad would look 'disturbed' as steam rose in the radiator causing agitation. I saw that several times as the genius who kept replacing the head gaskets had not measured or replaced the head bolts. In use, they become fatigued and stretch and will no longer take a torque. Changed the bolts and the problem was fixed.

I see Oliveau beat me to it!
 

Alchad

Member
You‘ve said previously that you took the the thermostat out and cranked over the engine and water shot out? In my admittedly limited experience that doesn’t sound right, what I’ve seen is you just see a “swirling” of water at the top of the radiator.

The fact it does shoot out that suggests some sort of back pressure perhaps caused by blockage in the radiator, I’ve previously used caustic soda to clean my system - Google caustic soda cleaning of radiators for loads of info - BUT if your radiator is heavily blocked you might not get a circulating flow through the radiator. it really might be best to take off the rad and see what happens if you stick a water hose in at the top and if it flows freely from the bottom.

You could also check the pump at the same time, I’m still not convinced it’s not part of the problem.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
Okay a short update. Stress testet the tractor yesterday without the thermostat. It went hot again. I took my laser therometer and took some readings. Top engine block was 91 degress, thermostat housing 87 degress. Radiator close to the top (under the expansion part of it) 12 degress.

So I think there is still to much resistance in the radiator, does that sound right?

I also noticed some troubling thing. See attachment. It doesnt smell like diesel, so it might be water. Is that a problem with the head gasket?
Tiny little baby steps Jacob

With engine running, and thermostat out, have you taken off the radiator cap and looked to see if water is gushing from top hose into rad.
If it isn't, water pump isn't pumping water.
Is fan belt tight enough to spin pump? (fan going round when engine's running indicates)
If it spins but don't pump, sounds like a bollixed pump.

'resistance' in rad would be several steps along the line yet.
 

JacobJ

Member
You‘ve said previously that you took the the thermostat out and cranked over the engine and water shot out? In my admittedly limited experience that doesn’t sound right, what I’ve seen is you just see a “swirling” of water at the top of the radiator.

The fact it does shoot out that suggests some sort of back pressure perhaps caused by blockage in the radiator, I’ve previously used caustic soda to clean my system - Google caustic soda cleaning of radiators for loads of info - BUT if your radiator is heavily blocked you might not get a circulating flow through the radiator. it really might be best to take off the rad and see what happens if you stick a water hose in at the top and if it flows freely from the bottom.

You could also check the pump at the same time, I’m still not convinced it’s not part of the problem.
To clearify. When I did that, I had the thermostat out and not fitted the top hose back on again, so there was free above the pump. Therefore I think the pump is ok.
 

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