# Ferguson Z134 engine water in oil



## autodoc

Hi Folks. I have a Ferguson with the Z134 gas engine that is pumping water into the oil (a lot of it). I replaced the head gasket and that did not fix the problem. I'm assuming it'll need the sleeves pulled?

Question is: Has anybody run into this? Are the sleeves removable like a diesel? Am I missing something obvious?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

Dave


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## Bruceman

Autodoc, when you replaced the head gasket, did you turn the crank, looking into each cylinder, checking for cracks along the wall? Another possibility is a cracked block.

Did you let it get hot, or is this the first time you've used it since winter?

More info would help.

Bruce~


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## autodoc

Hi Bruce. It was run hot (bad water pump) by my workers. The cylinders looked good. So I'm now assuming the block is cracked between the sleeves on the bottom. I'm toying with the idea of injecting the bottom of the block with epoxy into the water jacket. The backhoe probably isn't worth the cost of a replacement motor, but it runs so well I hate to get rid of it.

Thanks

Dave


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## autodoc

It's now oil cooled! I drained the water system and the crankcase, added 4 quarts to the crankcase and 6 quarts of oil to the radiator! It runs cool, seems to cool the oil fine in the radiator. I'm sure the water pump will like it! I'm a little concerned that the hoses and seals may deteriorate, but so far so good.


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## chrpmaster

autodoc

That is a very creative answer to the problem! I have never heard of anyone putting oil in the radiator (on purpose) before. I would think it would not cool the engine as well as water since oil is thicker and doesn't cool as fast. May work well especially in cooler times of the year. 

Keep us informed on how it works out for you over the next few months.

Andy


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## Live Oak

DEFINITELY an outside the box solution!   Hopefully it will work and last as long as you need it. It will be VERY interesting to see how long it runs like this. Could surprise the heck out of us all and run for years.  Keep us posted on how it runs and lasts.


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## DEERE180

Since the cooling effect of oil is much less than that of water I would suggest, as others have that it may work OK in the cold but it may not work well in the ehat of the summer.

Thus, may I suggest that you find and then attach an electric fan to the radiator to aid in cooling in the summer (U can attach a switch manual or automatic/thermal to control its operation)


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## autodoc

Will do folks! I'll be running it pretty hard in a couple of weeks. It seems to be rejecting the heat pretty well using the stock fan. I may have to add a shroud to increase the efficiency.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Dave


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## Bruceman

OIL COOLED?!?! Wow, now there's a solution, lol. Autodoc, I come from a long line of mechanics and have worked on cars all my life. I can honestly say I have never heard of that.

I'll ask around for any firsthand knowledge for ya, but I hope it all works out.

I still can't believe you did that.

Bruce~


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## autodoc

I'm using light weight (5-20) oil, it seems to circulate beautifully and cools nicely! I've heard of using straight alcohol in a radiator (to prevent freezing), but not oil.

more to follow! wish me luck.

Dave


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## Chris

Good lemonade maker we have here, autodoc! Just make sure your prescription included lots of replacement hoses in your future, Dr! Back when I was young, dumb & broke (couple years ago - haha), I kept a car going this way for a few months. You'll find that the oil will attack the radiator hoses bigtime. My upper 
radiator hose started to look like a balloon after a few weeks. I 
replaced it and kept driving around for a few more weeks before the car went to the junkyard. Not saying same result for you, just thought I would chime in!

Keep an eye on the lemons, Dr!!! 
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :duh: :duh: :duh:


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## autodoc

*UPDATE on the "oli-cooled" Ferguson*

We'll I worked it hard for a full day: IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM! I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I used the backhoe to remove and replant several large palm trees (25+'). Temp never got above 180 degrees (on an 80 degree day). It initially spit a little oil from the radiator overflow as it heated to operating temperature but never indicated any kind of problem cooling at all. Upon shutdown after working it hard, I heard some minor boiling internally to the engine, I'm guessing oil doesn't accept heat as quickly as water. It stopped making the boiling noise within seconds.

Not much oil migrated from the cooling system to the crankcase, I guess oil is truly thicker than water. I didn't have to add any oil to the cooling system after 8 hours of use.

I'm very pleased!

Thanks for all the input.

Dave


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## autodoc

*"oil cooled"*

Hey Guys, the old Ferguson is still doing great! Oil cooling is working out fine.

Dave


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## chrpmaster

Autodoc - that is great news. about how many hours have you put on since your creative "fix"? Have you had to replace water hoses like Andy (admin) said? Just wondered.

Andy


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## autodoc

Hi Andy, probably about 50 hours since the fix. I haven't replaced a thing. All the hoses seem fine, and the inside of the radiator looks great. I may have to try this on a street driven car....

Dave


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## Spikes

Any chance of an update to this old thread? 

I'm thinking about oil cooling an old Fergie TO 20 just because I like the old girl. I bought her ( my first tractor) with a cracked block and want to keep her going on a budget.

Sorry to bring a thread back from the depths, but this is intriguing to me!!

Carl.


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## oldtom

no that new Deutz new diesel engines can be both water or oil cooling systems plus VM and a couple of others have use it over the year no rust higher boiling point good, hi cost in heat exchanger hosing,&circulation pump all cost alot more


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## bstrang4

Bad idea. Surface temps. in the cylinder head around the exhaust can reach 800-1000 degrees which is well above the flashpoint of most motor oils of 450-500 degrees releasing combustible vapors. that could be the boiling sound you are hearing. Also this kind of heat will lead to thermal breakdown of the oil causing sludge formation that will lead to blockages in the cooling system. Best of luck.


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## SugarTractor

One would wonder, if a radiator water system sealent product could have been tried first.


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## ChiefEngineer

Likely high temps seen in the cooling system will oxidize oil rapidly. Would likely cause increase in viscosity. Would consider draining oil and replacing on more frequent basis.


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## shona13

Hi all 
I agree with bstrang4 oil is not a good dissipator of heat that is it wont carry the heat away from the cylinder liners ,the hottest part of the engine it may seem to be running o,k. but i bet the combustion area is running to maximum heat and luckily the engine has not seized .
The proper thing to do would be to buy an engine overhaul kit including pistons and liners get a manual and read it before you start it is not difficult to do and you will be very happy with the results.
Regards 
Hutch.


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## Niko48

Hi Autodoc. Just came across this thread, very curious about the long-term effect of using oil in the cooling system of your Ferguson. I have the same issue (cracks in the Z 134 block, Ferguson TO35), but haven't pulled the sleeves yet. If you still have the tractor after 15 years, I'd sure like to know how it worked out for you! Also, did you pull out the thermostat? Seems logical to reduce pressure. Thanks.


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