Another Coolant Leak

Well just got off the phone with my local dealer.At least they are always willing to go the xtra mile to help me out.They know im old and broken lol.(No comments Collie) lol
They stated that the temp sensor has been natorious for getting weak and lazy over time.He asked if i ran all the tests with an OHM meter to see how it acts.They also stated that over time they like to loose their ground to the block and told me to try jumping a wire from the hex part on it to a good ground and see what happens.This would eliminate the ground element.He also recommended changing out the temp gauge as the old style were junk and should be replaced every other year .They were that bad.
At least he confirmed everything i found out during trouble shooting.The other option was to bypass the sensor and add a toggle switch to the line to manually turn the fan off and on but make sure I added it to the accessory side of the ignition so if i forgot to turn the switch off they key would kill it. The fan has constant 12 volts going to it and the switch just applys ground to make it work.Hopefully someone else here can gain knowledge and info from this post.
If I dont see you all before then you ALL have a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!.
Regards

Mark
 
Got the machine to the dealer this morning. The service guy showed me a service bulletin for the coolant leaks that everyone has been having.

Now remember a service bulletin is just short of a recall. They don't notify you but if you complain about it they have a service bulletin to follow.

Many of the first models out had not very good quality hoses and clamps that would not always clamp the rubber hose to the metal pipe correctly.
After they corrected the bad quality hoses then the clamp issue followed so there is really two issues.

Not all machine had bad quality hoses but most had the insufficient clamps.
This is basically what the service bulletin said.

The first time I had it in they tightened the clamps. The second time I had it in they changed the front hoses and clamps. All was well until this past weekend.

This time I think they will just change the clamps on the rear hoses, not sure but will see. What ever they do I hope they fix it.

Mark, to check the Sensor: Measure the resistance with an ohmmeter across the switch terminal and the switch body.
If the continuity in not indicated in the coolant temperature at (201 deg. F)
or more, the sensor is faulty.
If infinity is not indicated in the coolant temperature at lower then (194 deg
F), the sensor is faulty.

LOL. I have to disagree with you on the GM product though. Love my GM products.
 
Got the machine back today. It looks like it is still leaking somewhere.

They only replaced one clamp when there were suppose to replace two.
They left the second clamp on the skid plate and never put it on.

There was coolant all over everything. This might be from when they worked on it and never cleaned up the mess so I wiped everything down, ran the machine to warm it up and checked for leaks.
Didn't see any but most times when I find leaks its after it cools off and I look the next day.
I will check again in the morning.

I am really dissatisfied with this service. And a man can only take so much. Might have to go somewhere else.
 
Might have spoke to soon. Looks like the mechanic did a sloppy job when cleaning up. There was coolant all over everything.

After 3 days of whipping down and running to look for a leak it seems like it might be fixed, knock on wood.
After 3 times to the dealer im still skeptical though.
I will keep my fingers crossed.
 
Thanks POP58 for this thread. I am a new owner and would have to learn the hard way if it weren't for these informative posts.

I have checked my 1100c and noticed all of the clamps are the standard srcew type and i have no leaks yet. 26 hours
 
Some days it leaks, some days it doesn't... amount of time I run it doesn't change whether it leaks or not. Whether I have the heater on or not doesn't matter. But the latest leak is in the middle above the pan, and I am not dropping that to tighten what's already been tightened before. Something is seriously wrong with these hoses. But even that leaks one day and not the next!!! The other day I was over at my Dad's (a mile away) and it was running out! Got back home and there was nothing.

I just keep adding coolant/or water... and cleaning up the mess so my dogs don't get it. But this is ridiculous.
 
Mine was doing the same thing. Leaks one day then won't leak for a week. It's weird. Sometimes the coolant level would go down a bit and others it wouldn't move.

It hasn't leaked sense I got the machine back from the dealer a week ago or so but yesterday I noticed the coolant level down a bit but no leak. This is why I am still skeptical.
 
I watch the coolant level carefully... Can't always see where it's leaking because I park at the barns and drive around fields... The garage doesn't always have all the leaks. Actually the container was empty day before yesterday and it had gone down a bit. I've got my own marks on the container so I can see if it changes a lot.

I am writing a letter to Kubota
 
Today it was mild! 40 degrees. I drove the dang thing 2 miles (out and back to the front gates) it sat and ran while I removed the Christmas decorations from the gates.

Parked it and looked and OMG the darn coolant was running out! Stuck a pan under it and while it was still leaking I looked for where it was coming from. Above the skid plate. Took a bit but I located it.
There are two hose clamps on 2 separate hoses underneath the driver side seat. Right in front of the radiator is a rubber shield that keeps some of the dirt from not coming up into the radiator, if you push it to the side slightly (do this from the passenger side) you can see 2 clamps! Both clamps have the nuts facing right at you from that position. 7 or 8 mm nut driver (I forget which one I used) and both clamps needed tightening. The one closest to the passenger side didn't seem to be leaking, it was the far clamp and I almost didn't notice it existed. Only time will tell if I've now located all the possible places for leaks.

I don't understand why they were so loose! There is a ridge on the metal pipe where the one is attached so the hose cannot be moved any further forward. I couldn't tell if there is enough metal pipe inside the hose to double clamp it.
 
There were two clamps in front and two in the rear. All of mine were loose. Then the hoses leaked and they replaced. then then had to replace the rear clamps.
I took the skid plates off so I could investigate after each use. Im about tired of this.

Hope that stops your leaks.
 
pop, where is the other front clamp...

no the leaking didn't stop completely (I will wait until a guy stops around and see if he can tighten it a little more for me.

I know the two under the drivers seat and the one just above the driver side front wheel axle. Where is that 4th one?

Either I put the pan in the wrong spot last night or I've got a leak somewhere else.
 
Im not sure which machine you have but on my machine the clamps involved are the radiator hoses at the radiator, top and bottom, the top and bottom hose run to two metal pipes under the driver seat. There is a clamp on each hose where the hose is attached to the pipe.

The two metal coolant pipes are about 3 feet long and run to the back of the machine just before the engine, there are hoses and clamps attached at this point which go to the engine.

There is a bulletin out on the clamps that they will not evenly clamp around the hoses.
The dealer wont tell you this unless you ask and tell them to look it up.

There is no bulletin on the hoses but I think they are a problem to. My first post shows how they leak.

Right now mine is not leaking but the coolant went down a bit. Where is it going??? Its not blowing smoke and there is nothing in any of the oils.

The only way I found things is by taking the skids plates and the top fan/radiator guard off and checking after each use and also checking the next morning because sometimes it would not leak until a few hours after cool down.

I would also wipe all visible coolant from the machine to help me figure it out the next time I check for leaks.

Im keeping my fingers crossed.
 
You might as well drop the skid plates and check all the clamps. Most likely the dealer will do that and send it back home with you without changing anything.

Tell them to look up the bulletin for the clamps.
 
pop58 said:
You might as well drop the skid plates and check all the clamps. Most likely the dealer will do that and send it back home with you without changing anything.

Tell them to look up the bulletin for the clamps.
Click to expand...

I'll ask them to check for bulletins and see what happens. Well let all of you know if the dealer gets it fixed or wind up doing it myself. In the days of old, I would use the brush on permatex. Run it around the inside of the hose, then install. Never had a leak if I did that. If they don't get it fixed, I'll do that and install pressure clamps. If it leaks then, then I'll know its the hose itself.
 
pop58 said:
Im not sure which machine you have but on my machine the clamps involved are the radiator hoses at the radiator, top and bottom, the top and bottom hose run to two metal pipes under the driver seat. There is a clamp on each hose where the hose is attached to the pipe.
Click to expand...


I have the X1100C
 
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