Glad to have this job done! Plenty more that I need to fix...it never ends! Many people have posted links to an operator's manual that is online for a VIO50-6. Unfortunately, that is a different machine and doesn't apply to mine. Thanks for giving it a try though! I also agree that the drain setup would be fine with regular maintenance, but disagree with the design because that's a big if. I would design things assuming the real world, where things are going to get neglected. I've worked on many cars and trucks, and their coolant has been sitting for many years, but have never had a problem draining the radiator. There's no reason to put that silly 1/4" hose permanently attached at the bottom when I can easily reach the bottom of the radiator. Even worse that the fitting the hose terminates in has a hard 90 degree bend, so you can't run a wire through it without taking it apart like I did. I tried to blow 120PSI air through it, no go. Just put a drain valve on the bottom like vehicles have, and let the mechanic put a hose on it if they want to. My $0.02. Have an awesome weekend everybody!
‘I can’t get both hands on it at once’ 13:03 , surely there’s a that’s what she said joke in there 😂. But seriously, they could take a cue from Sany, my SY16C with a Yanmar engine, when you open the rear door to the engine compartment, there is a vertical hose hanging from a ball valve right in front of you that you can pull out and put straight into a container to drain the coolant. No tools, no fuss and you don’t even need to crouch down. 😊
John, I have to say your Yanmar excavator has made for some of the best content yet on UA-cam. Your attention to detail, and your continued energy to make things right continue to impress me. While you think you are done on the Yanmar, I would LOVE to see you repaint and re-decal it!! Thank you for showing us the proper way to work, and succeed.
Back when I used to service large generators cascade was the go to. We'd dump a whole big bottle of the liquid cascade into a 170 gallon cooling package, top it off with water and run it under load for about an hour. After that flush it a few times with pain water then fill with coolant. The amount of crud that came out was always pretty impressive. The lemon scented variety is my favorite lol.😂
We use cascade in marine and truck diesel engine s to flush also Works excellent . Run for half hour get hot then flush out and reverse flush also . Distilled water only in any system.
"This was not what I expected! So much harder and more time consuming than it had to be." seems to be a common theme in your videos. Guess that is one of the things that make your videos interesting and fun. Thanks for sharing.
When the day comes for me to finally buy an excavator, I'm going to get this exact model since I basically have a video repair manual with every aspect of this machine now thanks to this channel haha. Im also dying for a video of repainting this unit.
They don’t make parts for this model anymore. So that probably isn’t the best idea. You can get cylinder rebuild kits from the cylinder manufacturer, but other than that you are down to relying on aftermarket which is a shot in the dark.
I love the little random things like adding fire extinguishers. I have equipment that NEED fire extinguishers but never even thought of it. Great videos 👍
John I love watching you at work you are a all rounder, I think there is nothing you can't fix. I would love to see you build a yard so that all your machines would be parked in the one area. Best of luck in the future from Galway in the west of Ireland
Yanmar did a great job with the coolant drain. Easy location, just unscrew the drain plug. The problem is someone poured a lot of water in the system and it rusted. With proper antifreeze the drain will never clog. I always make mine to the Alaska concentration for extra corrosion protection.
I purchased a 2000 Dodge Dakota in 2005. I noticed it would gradually heat up after a short amount of city driving. The coolant looked like yours. I purchased a radiator and went to replace it. The truck had 80000 miles. I noticed the water pump was an original part so I decided to change it. I removed the water pump and got the 8th wonder of the free world. The water pump impeller had rusted off the water pump.....new radiator, new water pump and flush flush flush. It never overheated again after the repair. Great video.
John, your situation with the cone shaped washer that rolled into the crack in the concrete is how all my projects go. Consider your fortunate that only happened once to you.
I’m shopping for a mini excavator tomorrow and am incredibly grateful for the time and effort you put in to your excavator videos. Down to earth, understandable, and fascinating. I was entranced following your deductive reasoning and solving the many problems you found. Thanks a bunch!
Great video John. I just started a channel with my 6 year old son, he wants to be a content creator too and watches every video you put out with me! He also like let’s dig 18 and Andrew Camarata. We have 85 subscribers but trying to get to 1000 is his goal and we will start making great content!
Hey, I'm the guy with your excavator again. Mine was also starting to overheat recently and I had no idea how to drain it either. I appreciate this video because now I'm going to have to go through the same exact process. What I may try to do is drill and thread a new drain port straight up under the radiator, and tie the drain hose to it so it's vertical, and if it clogs I can just fish a wire straight up into the radiator itself if need be. Wish me luck.
I think that drain setup is the best solution given the space limitations. I bet if you maintain that coolant with your usual attention to detail, that drain hose and fixture will never clog again.
Thanks for another great post John. Not applicable to your Yanmar but I take the thermostat out when I flush the system in my ute. so I dont need to heat it up for each flush cycle and it minimises the risk of warping the warm head with cold water. I also use demineralised water.
Oh Jon what a way to hide a coolant drain. That little cone shaped washer that ran away reminds me of a similar one that happened to me when I was in High School. Seems that my "work bench " was an old kitchen table in my bedroom. Under it was an old B/W Tv chassis in a large box. I had an idea that I'd fix the tv but that never happened. I was working on a model on the table that had little tiny screws one of which I dropped while putting it in. The screw bounced off my knee and had just enough room to bounce further onto the box top which had the 4 top parts folded inward into the box and of course had enough time to sag down making a slide toward the middle of the box. Now again the teeny screw slid down among the tubes, transformers, etc. of the tv. Opening the box I couldn't find the screw. There were some unused holes in the chassis and wouldn't you know it the screw must have found one of the holes. Yup taking the chassis out of the box, turning the set upside down to unscrew the sheet metal bottom of course the screw had gone into one of the tv parts. After shaking the chassis for a while the screw decided to finally fall out. Putting the bottom back on, back into the box, taping the cover so I wouldn't have this adventure again it was about a half hour later I put the screw into its place. Sometimes we have fun in spite of gravity don't we.... JimM
I like the coolant hoses. The easiest way to clean tubes out when they are plugged is to use a small wire rope & chuck it in your drill motor. You can do it with soft wire also but be carful with wire because it can be a drill instead & you will have a hole where you don't want one.
In my much much younger years ! I lived in Fargo, North Dakota . Alot of friends would have me change thermostats to 195 degrees in the winter , than back to what was recommended to a summer thermostat . Even back in the 70 's brand new thermostats were defective , ask me how I know ? I would do around thirty to forty changes a year . So every time I would use a candy thermometer a pot of heated water to test brand new and used to make sure that they were working properly . Back then changing was so simple , but putting new antifreeze in running to being to temperature ,then find out it over heated or not coming up to temperature was no fun either . So test them if possible. It saved me a lot of time .
I have a 1937 Plymouth, the radiator water looked like yours and I had cooling problems. I dumped about 3 Ltrs of white vinegar in the radiator and drove it for about a week. Then pressure flushed the system. It was unbelievable what came out of the cooling system. I no longer had cooling problems but will repeat this next spring.
One of the things my old man always did and told me, when your done with the equipment at the end of the day always fill-up the tanks check the oil and other fluids. It was mainly to prevent condense to get into the fuel tank. But it was a standard thing to do after years of doing it and when you needed you equipment it was always ready to be used. Also every Sunday the old man cleaned all the air filters and greased everything and do any repairs that where necessary.
Ear plug in the fire extinguisher nozzle, good call. Was pre-fire planning a building one time and one of the employees say me look in the nozzle and stick my finger in it. Asked why I was doing that. You’d be surprised the trash I have found in them. People walk by and to just be a piece of crap, stick paper or whatever in it. I’ve also found dirt dauber nests in ones that sit outside.
Hi John! Know I’m watching this video quite some time after you posted it but have a suggestion for your fuel tank sight glass/tube. Paint the tank wall behind it white to maximise the contrast against the red diesel fuel. Really enjoy your videos. Greetings from Australia! ☺️
Good to hear I'm not the only one who has used expressive language when dealing with problems created by others while trying to build or remodel a house or fix a truck. Architects and engineers think if they can draw it out, it can be built that way and it absolutely will work.. A belief I've had to disprove to them before.
John, you are absolutely right about the design ( or lack of) concerning the radiator system. Any cooling system on any piece of equipment is considered as Critical Service . The failure to provide a ready method to service the cooling system is an absolute invitation to NOT service the system. Your equipment repair videos are always entertaining, and more importantly, informative. I know quite a bit about heavy equipment, but I learn something every time I watch your work. Thanks, brother.
John, I don't think a lot of it either, but you have it cleaned now. And you know how to get to it, AND you aren't going to wait another 3300 hours to flush it. So I think your good.
I run a 2007 Vio 55 over here in the UK and it's done just over 1k hours. And it runs below normal/middle on the gauge when working hard. It's good watching you sort out the problem's that I might encounter in the future. Oh, btw my one does track straight, well for now that is! Great video's, keep up the good work. 👍
I'm always amazed at your willingness to jump in and doing things that you have never done before and think your way through it. I wish I had 10 of you at work..LOL. Great Work.
Draining fluids through hoses like that is industry standard. It's that way on my compact track loader for the coolant and the oil. It's been like that on all the equipment I've serviced throughout the years. As long as you're doing your maintenance regularly, it usually works. For oil, however, I've went to a vacuum because it's a lot faster.
You really need to get a grading bucket would make life much easier and would save excessive ware on your tracks diggers are not great dozers I must take my hat to you you are very patient great videos keep them coming
A radiator flush was definitely needed. But since it's clean now and you know where the drain is. I would leave it. It will take 1 fifth the time to check coolant level every so often and draining it will be just the same. Yeah, how about a spray bomb of the unit with your logo on it. It's nice to see your videos when you post them. Very good tips and tricks. Keep up the good work.
Just a small suggestion regarding the 'Sight Tube'. As it is a very dark background, maybe you could paint the side of the fuel tank white or another light colored paint to give you an easier view of the level.
The Yanmar is a nice machine. The coolant drain is a little odd. You may want to drain the fluid every couple of years and run it through a filter and after flushing put it back in if it's still good or just put new stuff in it. That line will plug for sure. Great video series.
John you went much further with that drain hose than I would have. I would have been pulling the lower rad hose after 5 mins. Love the content so I'm glad you didn't!
11/17/23..Yanmar Radiator Drain..'find me if you can'...is just lousy maintenance design. Waaay toooo much inconvenience & tiny drain size for valve & hose. Yes John, put this one on your Bucket List..relocate (& resize to larger) Radiator Drain assembly. Also A+ on new Diesel Fuel 'Sight Glass' transparent hose! That looks much better & more professional. Another great video! Stay safe & give us more ! 👍🙂💪🍺
You might try adding a piece of HVAC tape behind that new fuel level indicator hose you put on to change the contrast of the fuel tank color and the fuel. The HVAC tape that I have is chrome looking and that should reflect the fuel level a lot better. The engineers of yesteryear had to work on the machines they created so they were easier to work on because they had to work on their creations not like the ones now a days. Enjoyed your video. Lee
I just love this channel. You always fix things the right way and take pride in it. Proper maintenance goes a long way. That drain line is cause and effect of an engineer sitting at a desk 😅
Engineers can only design in so much autonomous maintenance (self-adjust brakes and valves). I don't know any way to have the machine change old coolant autonomously. This one's on previous owners due to use of too low a concentration of coolant and neglect.
if you're serious about rebuilding your hydraulic pump and think it is too complex for DIY. send it to area diesel service. they're nice guys and very knowledgeable about these type of stuff
I have a Yanmar B7-3 and I got it overheating from the time I bought it. Thought it was air pockets in the engine because each time I would air bleed the radiator it stopped overheating for a couple weeks. One time running it hard pulling a huge stump it overheated and blew the cap off the overfill. Turns out I had a mouse nest between the radiator and oil cooler and oil cooler fins mostly plugged with oily dirt severely restricting air flow. Pulled the cooler, cleaned everything, installed a temp sensor and actual temp gauge (initially only had a temp warning light), added an auxiliary fan I can turn on & off if over 160, wrapped the coolant return hose in motorcycle exhaust fiberglass plus a reflective fiberglass piece between the hose and muffler literally 1.5” apart, and now it works great. Never use the auxiliary fan except long stump pulls in August but even then it’s not really needed. Don’t wanna rub it in but my drain is easy access through a plate underneath. Sorry yours was such a struggle, Jon. As always, great video & thank you for sharing. Stay blessed.
2oz (1/4 cup) MotorKote goes a LOOOOONG way in an engine block/radiator...it will bond with the metal and keep the rust from sticking inside the block Definitely washed alot of crap out of the water jacket and radiator...daggum..that drain plug needed some colon blow...LOL Keep em coming!!!!
When that first portion of coolant started draining out... 😱😱😱 It was so satisfying to see the rounds of flushes progressively get cleaner. Love how that piece of dozer tank got repurposed here. 😎👍
Glad you were able to conquer the rad problem. Those plastic fire extinguisher mounts are junk, you may end up with that thing on your knee. My local fire extinguisher service center sells an all-metal mount that costs more than the extinguisher but well worth it IMHO.
I understand your frustration with draining coolant. I have a Bobcat E20 Mini excavator. It is fairly new to me and I have not changed coolant yet.Your design flaw is not limited. Lucky you changing attachments is easier and can be done from operator seat. Where as mine one has to drive out pins and replace them. I think that they all have pros and cons.
First thing I do when buying a piece of equipment is purchase a service manual for the machine. Saves so much time when doing jobs like these, wouldn’t have had to search all over for the drain line, just a suggestion . Great videos keep them coming!
I do the same, and I have the service manual. But as I said in the video, it doesn't say anything about changing the coolant (Seems that should be in the SERVICE manual!!) Apparently that is in the operator's manual which I have been unable to locate. There's a VIO50-6 operator's manual online, but that's a different machine. Cheers!
Every time I bought USED equipment I went over them top to bottom, changed all the fluids, inspected all the belts and hoses, checked for any oil, coolant, fuel and hydraulic fluid leaks also any gear oil and all joints in good condition with clean grease, goes a long way to prevent equipment breaking down during use or causing unexpected repairs caused by bad fluids.
Great video. My kubota U35 also has a drain hose that was clogged. Cleaned it out flushed it removed all the calcium buildup on and around the pressure fill cap which lead to it not building pressure and therefore overheating. Keep an eye on it so something similar doesn’t happen or holes in the radiator that were plugged by years of crude don’t open up. On a separate note. If a progressive link thumb is something you would benefit from I think that would make a great video.
Great repair, John. Unfortunately, buying used means doing all of the maintenance that the previous owners neglected. I must say, that stump removal was really anticlimactic. I was really hoping it would put a fight! 🤣
I hadnt heard about the dishwashing powder trick before, will have to keep that one in mind. It reminded me of a youtuber mechanic from years ago but I cant remember who, would sneak parts into the dishwasher to clean them. It did a very good job. Maybe the Mrs finally caught him in the act and he was never heard from again.
Mini excavators definitely have some things that make Zero sense. I recently had a hydraulic hose bust on my CAT 303 and it was a nightmare. CAT told me to pull the entire cab. I finally found a company that did a mobile repair and I didn’t have to pull the cab. I enjoy your channel. I like my equipment to run properly also!
I am a bobcat fan but I have a small like really small excavater it is not like yours everything is easy to work on . I do know yammer changed quite a few things. I am like you my equipment is top notch. Thanks
I’m a lube tech, pretty common on mini ex’s to drain coolant with a hose running off somewhere, generally 3000hrs is the change interval for coolant unless your using ELC coolant extender, then you can go 6000hrs. Just found your channel yesterday btw.
I can't say much about that coolant drain hose, as we don't have the workshop manual of how to service the cooling system. But I would say to keep an eye on the coolant level in the radiator - check it before each use of the machine. Also inspect the water pump for any leaks at the same time, that scaled brown water is not good for seals and bearings.💫
Hi from Australia, great content, I learn something every video. I have a small farm with a few sheep and would love to see some content of how you manage your cattle. well done.
Cat engineers are not much, if any, better. The frost plug or block heater, call it what you will, went out on my 226 skid steer. Plenty of frost plugs on the side of the engine that are easy to access. Cat chose to put theirs on the front of the engine. Everything for maintenance is accessed from the rear of the engine. Way to go Cat. Oh, and if you need one...the power cord is as expensive as the heater element.
Tygon is great stuff. We use the reinforced version for our high purity shielding gas for our welding equipment for use in nuclear fabrication. It doesn’t breakdown.
Just love your approach to repairs ,you should try one of these harbour frieght - Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump , I was impressed when a friend showed me how it worked
Fire extinguishers, ever since I saw your boom video I eraplugged all my cylinders; they won’t hear me cussing because they don’t want to work. In the event of an emergency you’ll forget the plug however, the pressure of the extinguisher is going to flush it out. Earplugs …. I’ve got a ton of ‘em.
I love that you took the time to change the fuel site hose and used the proper stuff. And you probably saved yourself some not too distant future grief by changing the coolant.
Compressed air In the hose would have certainly unclogged it. Coolant is supposed to be replaced frequently enough that you never have corrosion in the engine,so no clogged hose. It's a maintenance flaw,not a design flaw.
I blew 120 PSI into it. No go. There’s a hard 90 degree turn right at the fitting the hose attaches to, and that doesn’t help. But once I had the tube accessible I figured blowing that junk into the radiator wasn’t the best idea, hence the wire.
I wrench on equipment professionally. Your low coolant temps are normal for a lack of hydraulic load in cool wearher. Next summer, on a hot day, digging hard for 6 hours? You’ll see the temps you expect. Don’t stress over it. 👍
Next project needs to be sandblasting and painting the tins so the excavator will look new. Tested positive for Covid yesterday so your video is a godsend.
I have had lots of experiance working on numerous vehicles and plant in my time, I can honestly say never seen anything that complex, But as ever you sorted it out good for you John.
Hi, Jon. Hugh fan of you and your channel. I have a suggestion for you. After having watched this video, it might be a good idea to drain a little coolant out when you do your routine maintenance/oil change to help keep the drain line from clogging up again.
Good shout on that fire extinguisher. I had one save my ass a while back, when I found myself holding a 5L bottle of methanol that was on fire (long story), and I got away with just minor burns on my arms and some light equipment damage that I could repair myself. Without the extinguisher I'd have been seriously injured and the fire may well have spread to the house.
the coolant drain was designed to be vacuumed out, for easy of service, For scheduled dealer maintenance as far as I know Yanmar was a diesel boat motor originally so they always sucked out the fluids
Glad to have this job done! Plenty more that I need to fix...it never ends! Many people have posted links to an operator's manual that is online for a VIO50-6. Unfortunately, that is a different machine and doesn't apply to mine. Thanks for giving it a try though! I also agree that the drain setup would be fine with regular maintenance, but disagree with the design because that's a big if. I would design things assuming the real world, where things are going to get neglected. I've worked on many cars and trucks, and their coolant has been sitting for many years, but have never had a problem draining the radiator. There's no reason to put that silly 1/4" hose permanently attached at the bottom when I can easily reach the bottom of the radiator. Even worse that the fitting the hose terminates in has a hard 90 degree bend, so you can't run a wire through it without taking it apart like I did. I tried to blow 120PSI air through it, no go. Just put a drain valve on the bottom like vehicles have, and let the mechanic put a hose on it if they want to. My $0.02. Have an awesome weekend everybody!
Please read my comment on coolant for diesel engines.
Does this engine require a diesel coolant with anti-cavitation additives?
I agree about the drain, with your aptitude this should be an easy mod and interesting video. Always enjoy your work.
‘I can’t get both hands on it at once’ 13:03 , surely there’s a that’s what she said joke in there 😂.
But seriously, they could take a cue from Sany, my SY16C with a Yanmar engine, when you open the rear door to the engine compartment, there is a vertical hose hanging from a ball valve right in front of you that you can pull out and put straight into a container to drain the coolant. No tools, no fuss and you don’t even need to crouch down. 😊
ViO50-6B ViO55-6B OPM.book www.ultraquip.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/210505-Yanmar-Vio50-6.pdf
www.google.com/search?as_q=Yanmar+vio+50+diagram+&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&as_filetype=&tbs=
The Yanmar urologist. That was some mighty fine catheter work.
Congrats on the 100th Like on your comment!
John, I have to say your Yanmar excavator has made for some of the best content yet on UA-cam. Your attention to detail, and your continued energy to make things right continue to impress me. While you think you are done on the Yanmar, I would LOVE to see you repaint and re-decal it!! Thank you for showing us the proper way to work, and succeed.
He did say "he's pretty particular". It's due for a cosmetic freshen now!
Man all the things your doing to this excavator , thing is brand new. Refresh the paint and be styling
The reason you use dishwasher detergent is it doesn’t foam. Best method ever!
New CEE video and Farm craft video today! It’s a good day
Back when I used to service large generators cascade was the go to. We'd dump a whole big bottle of the liquid cascade into a 170 gallon cooling package, top it off with water and run it under load for about an hour. After that flush it a few times with pain water then fill with coolant. The amount of crud that came out was always pretty impressive. The lemon scented variety is my favorite lol.😂
thanks for that ! I've never heard of that before . I shall keep it in mind for the future ! thanks !
We use cascade in marine and truck diesel engine s to flush also Works excellent .
Run for half hour get hot then flush out and reverse flush also .
Distilled water only in any system.
Sodium carbonate / phosphate is fine for copper, steel, and neoprene, but it's corrosive to aluminum radiators.
@@Bob_Adkins we only leave it in 30 minutes then flush several times.
@@Bob_AdkinsI’d imagine decent coolant would have corrosion inhibitor additives.
"This was not what I expected! So much harder and more time consuming than it had to be." seems to be a common theme in your videos. Guess that is one of the things that make your videos interesting and fun. Thanks for sharing.
When the day comes for me to finally buy an excavator, I'm going to get this exact model since I basically have a video repair manual with every aspect of this machine now thanks to this channel haha.
Im also dying for a video of repainting this unit.
just like the wife always says "function over looks"
They don’t make parts for this model anymore. So that probably isn’t the best idea. You can get cylinder rebuild kits from the cylinder manufacturer, but other than that you are down to relying on aftermarket which is a shot in the dark.
@@regularman6328 haha I was mostly kidding
Thankfully we still have a handfull of guys makin solid content for the end of the work week. Best to you and the family!
I love the little random things like adding fire extinguishers. I have equipment that NEED fire extinguishers but never even thought of it. Great videos 👍
John I love watching you at work you are a all rounder, I think there is nothing you can't fix. I would love to see you build a yard so that all your machines would be parked in the one area. Best of luck in the future from Galway in the west of Ireland
Yanmar did a great job with the coolant drain. Easy location, just unscrew the drain plug. The problem is someone poured a lot of water in the system and it rusted. With proper antifreeze the drain will never clog. I always make mine to the Alaska concentration for extra corrosion protection.
Should have been a submarine fitter. Most delayed repair at full arm stretch can test even the best john.
take care - more antifreeze reduces the coolant efficacy , water is the better conductor :)
50/50 water/antifreeze@@Abbadon2001
Yes it's fine except in cases of extreme neglect
Changing it more often than never helps, speaking as someone closer to the “never” end of the spectrum than I’d care to admit!
Man, this makes me thankful to have had larger equipment... generally more room to work.
I purchased a 2000 Dodge Dakota in 2005. I noticed it would gradually heat up after a short amount of city driving. The coolant looked like yours. I purchased a radiator and went to replace it. The truck had 80000 miles. I noticed the water pump was an original part so I decided to change it. I removed the water pump and got the 8th wonder of the free world. The water pump impeller had rusted off the water pump.....new radiator, new water pump and flush flush flush. It never overheated again after the repair. Great video.
John, your situation with the cone shaped washer that rolled into the crack in the concrete is how all my projects go. Consider your fortunate that only happened once to you.
I’m shopping for a mini excavator tomorrow and am incredibly grateful for the time and effort you put in to your excavator videos. Down to earth, understandable, and fascinating. I was entranced following your deductive reasoning and solving the many problems you found. Thanks a bunch!
A very visible new date on that fire extinguisher is also a great idea.
Great video John. I just started a channel with my 6 year old son, he wants to be a content creator too and watches every video you put out with me! He also like let’s dig 18 and Andrew Camarata. We have 85 subscribers but trying to get to 1000 is his goal and we will start making great content!
Hey, I'm the guy with your excavator again. Mine was also starting to overheat recently and I had no idea how to drain it either. I appreciate this video because now I'm going to have to go through the same exact process. What I may try to do is drill and thread a new drain port straight up under the radiator, and tie the drain hose to it so it's vertical, and if it clogs I can just fish a wire straight up into the radiator itself if need be. Wish me luck.
Probably get lost in the comments, But a "curtain wire", thin plastic coated spring, is great for clearing out thin pipes/lines.
Props for Perfecting the Profanity Preventer. Peachy!
I think that drain setup is the best solution given the space limitations.
I bet if you maintain that coolant with your usual attention to detail, that drain hose and fixture will never clog again.
Thanks for another great post John. Not applicable to your Yanmar but I take the thermostat out when I flush the system in my ute. so I dont need to heat it up for each flush cycle and it minimises the risk of warping the warm head with cold water. I also use demineralised water.
John, we're all really waiting for the pond update.
Oh Jon what a way to hide a coolant drain. That little cone shaped washer that ran away reminds me of a similar one that happened to me when I was in High School. Seems that my "work bench " was an old kitchen table in my bedroom. Under it was an old B/W Tv chassis in a large box. I had an idea that I'd fix the tv but that never happened. I was working on a model on the table that had little tiny screws one of which I dropped while putting it in. The screw bounced off my knee and had just enough room to bounce further onto the box top which had the 4 top parts folded inward into the box and of course had enough time to sag down making a slide toward the middle of the box. Now again the teeny screw slid down among the tubes, transformers, etc. of the tv. Opening the box I couldn't find the screw. There were some unused holes in the chassis and wouldn't you know it the screw must have found one of the holes. Yup taking the chassis out of the box, turning the set upside down to unscrew the sheet metal bottom of course the screw had gone into one of the tv parts. After shaking the chassis for a while the screw decided to finally fall out. Putting the bottom back on, back into the box, taping the cover so I wouldn't have this adventure again it was about a half hour later I put the screw into its place. Sometimes we have fun in spite of gravity don't we.... JimM
I like the coolant hoses. The easiest way to clean tubes out when they are plugged is to use a small wire rope & chuck it in your drill motor. You can do it with soft wire also but be carful with wire because it can be a drill instead & you will have a hole where you don't want one.
In my much much younger years ! I lived in Fargo, North Dakota .
Alot of friends would have me change thermostats to 195 degrees in the winter , than back to what was recommended to a summer thermostat .
Even back in the 70 's brand new thermostats were defective , ask me how I know ? I would do around thirty to forty changes a year . So every time I would use a candy thermometer a pot of heated water to test brand new and used to make sure that they were working properly .
Back then changing was so simple , but putting new antifreeze in running to being to temperature ,then find out it over heated or not coming up to temperature was no fun either .
So test them if possible.
It saved me a lot of time .
I have a 1937 Plymouth, the radiator water looked like yours and I had cooling problems. I dumped about 3 Ltrs of white vinegar in the radiator and drove it for about a week. Then pressure flushed the system. It was unbelievable what came out of the cooling system. I no longer had cooling problems but will repeat this next spring.
One of the things my old man always did and told me, when your done with the equipment at the end of the day always fill-up the tanks check the oil and other fluids. It was mainly to prevent condense to get into the fuel tank. But it was a standard thing to do after years of doing it and when you needed you equipment it was always ready to be used. Also every Sunday the old man cleaned all the air filters and greased everything and do any repairs that where necessary.
Ear plug in the fire extinguisher nozzle, good call. Was pre-fire planning a building one time and one of the employees say me look in the nozzle and stick my finger in it. Asked why I was doing that. You’d be surprised the trash I have found in them. People walk by and to just be a piece of crap, stick paper or whatever in it. I’ve also found dirt dauber nests in ones that sit outside.
Hi John! Know I’m watching this video quite some time after you posted it but have a suggestion for your fuel tank sight glass/tube. Paint the tank wall behind it white to maximise the contrast against the red diesel fuel. Really enjoy your videos. Greetings from Australia! ☺️
Good to hear I'm not the only one who has used expressive language when dealing with problems created by others while trying to build or remodel a house or fix a truck. Architects and engineers think if they can draw it out, it can be built that way and it absolutely will work.. A belief I've had to disprove to them before.
You have shown how you work to get things done, winter is a great motivator
You have an inexhaustible amount of content and I thoroughly enjoy it. Keep up the good work.
John, you are absolutely right about the design ( or lack of) concerning the radiator system. Any cooling system on any piece of equipment is considered as Critical Service . The failure to provide a ready method to service the cooling system is an absolute invitation to NOT service the system. Your equipment repair videos are always entertaining, and more importantly, informative. I know quite a bit about heavy equipment, but I learn something every time I watch your work. Thanks, brother.
That's why you need to know your equipment and how to service it. Most importantly, service it properly.
John, I don't think a lot of it either, but you have it cleaned now. And you know how to get to it, AND you aren't going to wait another 3300 hours to flush it. So I think your good.
You can see the porch you renovated in the background there! Great vid sir.
Need a skid steer for these smaller jobs, every farm should have one!
I run a 2007 Vio 55 over here in the UK and it's done just over 1k hours. And it runs below normal/middle on the gauge when working hard. It's good watching you sort out the problem's that I might encounter in the future. Oh, btw my one does track straight, well for now that is!
Great video's, keep up the good work. 👍
I'm always amazed at your willingness to jump in and doing things that you have never done before and think your way through it. I wish I had 10 of you at work..LOL. Great Work.
Draining fluids through hoses like that is industry standard. It's that way on my compact track loader for the coolant and the oil. It's been like that on all the equipment I've serviced throughout the years. As long as you're doing your maintenance regularly, it usually works. For oil, however, I've went to a vacuum because it's a lot faster.
You really need to get a grading bucket would make life much easier and would save excessive ware on your tracks diggers are not great dozers I must take my hat to you you are very patient great videos keep them coming
A radiator flush was definitely needed. But since it's clean now and you know where the drain is. I would leave it. It will take 1 fifth the time to check coolant level every so often and draining it will be just the same.
Yeah, how about a spray bomb of the unit with your logo on it. It's nice to see your videos when you post them. Very good tips and tricks. Keep up the good work.
Just a small suggestion regarding the 'Sight Tube'. As it is a very dark background, maybe you could paint the side of the fuel tank white or another light colored paint to give you an easier view of the level.
The Yanmar is a nice machine. The coolant drain is a little odd. You may want to drain the fluid every couple of years and run it through a filter and after flushing put it back in if it's still good or just put new stuff in it. That line will plug for sure. Great video series.
John you went much further with that drain hose than I would have. I would have been pulling the lower rad hose after 5 mins. Love the content so I'm glad you didn't!
11/17/23..Yanmar Radiator Drain..'find me if you can'...is just lousy maintenance design. Waaay toooo much inconvenience & tiny drain size for valve & hose. Yes John, put this one on your Bucket List..relocate (& resize to larger) Radiator Drain assembly.
Also A+ on new Diesel Fuel 'Sight Glass' transparent hose! That looks much better & more professional. Another great video! Stay safe & give us more ! 👍🙂💪🍺
You might try adding a piece of HVAC tape behind that new fuel level indicator hose you put on to change the contrast of the fuel tank color and the fuel. The HVAC tape that I have is chrome looking and that should reflect the fuel level a lot better. The engineers of yesteryear had to work on the machines they created so they were easier to work on because they had to work on their creations not like the ones now a days. Enjoyed your video. Lee
I just love this channel. You always fix things the right way and take pride in it. Proper maintenance goes a long way. That drain line is cause and effect of an engineer sitting at a desk 😅
Engineers can only design in so much autonomous maintenance (self-adjust brakes and valves). I don't know any way to have the machine change old coolant autonomously. This one's on previous owners due to use of too low a concentration of coolant and neglect.
if you're serious about rebuilding your hydraulic pump and think it is too complex for DIY. send it to area diesel service. they're nice guys and very knowledgeable about these type of stuff
I have a Yanmar B7-3 and I got it overheating from the time I bought it. Thought it was air pockets in the engine because each time I would air bleed the radiator it stopped overheating for a couple weeks. One time running it hard pulling a huge stump it overheated and blew the cap off the overfill. Turns out I had a mouse nest between the radiator and oil cooler and oil cooler fins mostly plugged with oily dirt severely restricting air flow. Pulled the cooler, cleaned everything, installed a temp sensor and actual temp gauge (initially only had a temp warning light), added an auxiliary fan I can turn on & off if over 160, wrapped the coolant return hose in motorcycle exhaust fiberglass plus a reflective fiberglass piece between the hose and muffler literally 1.5” apart, and now it works great. Never use the auxiliary fan except long stump pulls in August but even then it’s not really needed. Don’t wanna rub it in but my drain is easy access through a plate underneath. Sorry yours was such a struggle, Jon. As always, great video & thank you for sharing. Stay blessed.
2oz (1/4 cup) MotorKote goes a LOOOOONG way in an engine block/radiator...it will bond with the metal and keep the rust from sticking inside the block
Definitely washed alot of crap out of the water jacket and radiator...daggum..that drain plug needed some colon blow...LOL
Keep em coming!!!!
When that first portion of coolant started draining out... 😱😱😱
It was so satisfying to see the rounds of flushes progressively get cleaner.
Love how that piece of dozer tank got repurposed here. 😎👍
ITS the little things that also keeps the blood pressure down also. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
14:33 The old man in me felt the relief. Usually the brown stuff comes from the other drainage though.
petcock or pet cock?
I should have tried that cascade for my prostate
Glad you were able to conquer the rad problem. Those plastic fire extinguisher mounts are junk, you may end up with that thing on your knee. My local fire extinguisher service center sells an all-metal mount that costs more than the extinguisher but well worth it IMHO.
I’d use CLR. Pour in 1 bottle. Fill with water. Run the engine till operating temperature. And DRAIN. You’ll be AMAZED!
I understand your frustration with draining coolant. I have a Bobcat E20 Mini excavator. It is fairly new to me and I have not changed coolant yet.Your design flaw is not limited. Lucky you changing attachments is easier and can be done from operator seat. Where as mine one has to drive out pins and replace them. I think that they all have pros and cons.
That machine is amazingly compact. Maybe their focus on compactness instead of other attributes like easy maintenance? I liked the music at the end!
First thing I do when buying a piece of equipment is purchase a service manual for the machine. Saves so much time when doing jobs like these, wouldn’t have had to search all over for the drain line, just a suggestion . Great videos keep them coming!
I do the same, and I have the service manual. But as I said in the video, it doesn't say anything about changing the coolant (Seems that should be in the SERVICE manual!!) Apparently that is in the operator's manual which I have been unable to locate. There's a VIO50-6 operator's manual online, but that's a different machine. Cheers!
Every time I bought USED equipment I went over them top to bottom, changed all the fluids, inspected all the belts and hoses, checked for any oil, coolant, fuel and hydraulic fluid leaks also any gear oil and all joints in good condition with clean grease, goes a long way to prevent equipment breaking down during use or causing unexpected repairs caused by bad fluids.
Watching other people work is the best form of friday night winding down routine. I´d love to see that pump rebuild btw.
Couldnt believe yanmar built it that way, Thanks for your advise
Great video. My kubota U35 also has a drain hose that was clogged. Cleaned it out flushed it removed all the calcium buildup on and around the pressure fill cap which lead to it not building pressure and therefore overheating. Keep an eye on it so something similar doesn’t happen or holes in the radiator that were plugged by years of crude don’t open up. On a separate note. If a progressive link thumb is something you would benefit from I think that would make a great video.
What a frustrating project! Glad you pulled it off successfully John. Great video thumbs up.
Great repair, John. Unfortunately, buying used means doing all of the maintenance that the previous owners neglected. I must say, that stump removal was really anticlimactic. I was really hoping it would put a fight! 🤣
Agree. That thing was more rot than stump.
Dude I felt the same way. It just disintegrated and made me sad.
I hadnt heard about the dishwashing powder trick before, will have to keep that one in mind. It reminded me of a youtuber mechanic from years ago but I cant remember who, would sneak parts into the dishwasher to clean them. It did a very good job. Maybe the Mrs finally caught him in the act and he was never heard from again.
Mini excavators definitely have some things that make Zero sense. I recently had a hydraulic hose bust on my CAT 303 and it was a nightmare. CAT told me to pull the entire cab. I finally found a company that did a mobile repair and I didn’t have to pull the cab.
I enjoy your channel. I like my equipment to run properly also!
Would love to see the pond that you had built. You did such a great job it would be nice to what it looks like now. Great video today once again John.
You should mount a led next to the fuel line with a momentary switch so when checking fuel just hit the button.
I am a bobcat fan but I have a small like really small excavater it is not like yours everything is easy to work on . I do know yammer changed quite a few things. I am like you my equipment is top notch. Thanks
I’m a lube tech, pretty common on mini ex’s to drain coolant with a hose running off somewhere, generally 3000hrs is the change interval for coolant unless your using ELC coolant extender, then you can go 6000hrs. Just found your channel yesterday btw.
The hose works fine. I have used the same for decades with no trouble. Does help to replace the hose every decade or so.
Dishwasher detergent and citric acid are both incredible cleaning tools for anything like this. Radiators, boilers, pipework, the lot.
I can't say much about that coolant drain hose, as we don't have the workshop manual of how to service the cooling system. But I would say to keep an eye on the coolant level in the radiator - check it before each use of the machine. Also inspect the water pump for any leaks at the same time, that scaled brown water is not good for seals and bearings.💫
As you said, it's the little things, would love to see a fresh paint job on that machine, would look brand new.
Hi from Australia, great content, I learn something every video. I have a small farm with a few sheep and would love to see some content of how you manage your cattle. well done.
Cat engineers are not much, if any, better. The frost plug or block heater, call it what you will, went out on my 226 skid steer. Plenty of frost plugs on the side of the engine that are easy to access. Cat chose to put theirs on the front of the engine. Everything for maintenance is accessed from the rear of the engine. Way to go Cat. Oh, and if you need one...the power cord is as expensive as the heater element.
Tygon is great stuff. We use the reinforced version for our high purity shielding gas for our welding equipment for use in nuclear fabrication. It doesn’t breakdown.
What a shot of the sunset and sky halfway through your video. Truly stunning outlook.
Just love your approach to repairs ,you should try one of these harbour frieght - Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump , I was impressed when a friend showed me how it worked
I could not agree more, I had an old Land Rover 1964 B Reg, and I had the same problem as what you had.
Hello from Moosomin, Saskatchewan, Canada great videos thanks for sharing with all of us 😊
Thank you for your yanmar videos Noone has any help with these. You are a life saver.
Fire extinguishers, ever since I saw your boom video I eraplugged all my cylinders; they won’t hear me cussing because they don’t want to work. In the event of an emergency you’ll forget the plug however, the pressure of the extinguisher is going to flush it out. Earplugs …. I’ve got a ton of ‘em.
I couldnt believe it was running on that "mud". I like the dishwashing detergent trick. Gonna have to try that myself.
I love that you took the time to change the fuel site hose and used the proper stuff. And you probably saved yourself some not too distant future grief by changing the coolant.
I don’t know about you Jon but I had to go to toilet 9 times throughout this video, but I’m running clear now ,thanks
Cheers from Aus
I can't believe you take the time to film this,but im sure glad you do👍thank you Sir
Compressed air In the hose would have certainly unclogged it.
Coolant is supposed to be replaced frequently enough that you never have corrosion in the engine,so no clogged hose.
It's a maintenance flaw,not a design flaw.
I blew 120 PSI into it. No go. There’s a hard 90 degree turn right at the fitting the hose attaches to, and that doesn’t help. But once I had the tube accessible I figured blowing that junk into the radiator wasn’t the best idea, hence the wire.
I wrench on equipment professionally. Your low coolant temps are normal for a lack of hydraulic load in cool wearher. Next summer, on a hot day, digging hard for 6 hours? You’ll see the temps you expect. Don’t stress over it. 👍
CAT dealers sell cascade under a CAT part number. We used it if we ever had an oil cooler fail and get oil in the coolant. Good stuff.
Next project needs to be sandblasting and painting the tins so the excavator will look new. Tested positive for Covid yesterday so your video is a godsend.
Grass seed in the fall is good; it will germinate in early spring, so I have experienced on my lawn.
I have had lots of experiance working on numerous vehicles and plant in my time, I can honestly say never seen anything that complex, But as ever you sorted it out good for you John.
Hi, Jon. Hugh fan of you and your channel. I have a suggestion for you. After having watched this video, it might be a good idea to drain a little coolant out when you do your routine maintenance/oil change to help keep the drain line from clogging up again.
Good shout on that fire extinguisher. I had one save my ass a while back, when I found myself holding a 5L bottle of methanol that was on fire (long story), and I got away with just minor burns on my arms and some light equipment damage that I could repair myself. Without the extinguisher I'd have been seriously injured and the fire may well have spread to the house.
the coolant drain was designed to be vacuumed out, for easy of service, For scheduled dealer maintenance as far as I know
Yanmar was a diesel boat motor originally so they always sucked out the fluids