RTV 900 XT indicated temperature issues

P

pepr

Senior Member
Need help with diagnosing RTV 900 XT coolant temperature indicatiion issues. Bordercollie graciously sent shop manual excerpts for he 2005 model. The temperature guages are different relative to wiring.

If any members have a shop manual for the RTV 900 XT, I would appreciate information relative to testing the temperature gauge.

My issue is a very high indicated temperature without corresponding actual temperature.

Thanks
 
This is a note to all. Not directed to anyone member.

All of our RTV's temp guages read different. I have talked several well trusted Kobota mechanics about this.

When I first purchased my RTV 900, used to drive me crazy thinking the machine was running to hot. I felt the temp needle was closer to the RED mark that it should be reading.

But than again, I realized, my fan was cycling proper, needle never hit the RED, even though I thought it was headed that way.

But when I started worring, again , the fan would kick in and it would cool down just so quickly.

I was advised to check with a infared style temp guage to see. I'm so happy I did. For the machine was not even close to getting hot, even though the guage showed it getting close to the red.
I was told that as long as it DID NOT touch red. The RTV was in good shape.

Now, one warm day, we had five RTV's running the same speed, running the same path, doing everything the other was doing. ALL GUAGES read different. ALL OF THEM. But, we took the infared temp tool and tested all five of the machines, and all where running the same temp. None overheating, even though some looked like they were getting ready to touch the red.
It's all in the guages, NONE READ THE SAME .....

So my suggestion would be, get a infared guage and test your RTV if you think you might be getting to hot. See what it is ACTUALLY doing.

Also, see how often your fan cycles and what temp it kicks in with your
infared guage.

If I'm not mistaken, my fan kicks in at 190 degrees. And that is when my
needle is so scary close to the red.

Hope this helps some .....

........... two guns
 

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Good info Jamie!!!! :tiphat:

What part or parts of the engine are you shooting the infrared at?
 
Doc said:
What part or parts of the engine are you shooting the infrared at?
Click to expand...


The infared gun reads best from a black (best is a soft black) surface. Flat black in color .....
You want water temp in this case, so best spot is the upper radiator hose. Infared guns will give different readings on different surfaces, but unless you have one that adjusts for emmisivity it will work accuratly best on black.

Keep in mind shiny areas will not show the correct temp.

Keep in mind that the farther away from the surface you are the wider the area being read.


It also looses accuracy if the ambient temperature of the thermometer is considerable difference than the ambient temp in the area you are using it. Example: If you take the thermometer from the warm house say 68*f out to your frozen garage in the winter, say 20*F it will loose accuracy. Allow the guage to heat soak for a while before using.


............. two guns
 

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I had the same concern w/ my 04 rtv - the gauge appeared that the engine was getting close to over heating & the fan never kicked in. I thought maybe the fan or switch was defective. I located the thermo-switch (on the thermostat housing) - grounded the wire & the fan came on. So, I took the "K" for a ride & used the infared to check the temp at the stat housing - it was fine. With the engine running I used a heat gun to warm up the switch & the stat housing. The fan kicked on in the 190 - 195 degree range - everything is good. So, bottom line, I agree w/ two guns, it's a little unnerving to see that needle so high but, it's probably okay. But, if u r not sure & for peace of mind, u can perform these tests.
 
Local big K dealer informed me today that a shop manual fir the XT has not been published. I believe I will call Messicks tomorrow to get a second opinion.
 
Question for those who have seen their temp gauge go up close to red.
My daughter and son in law took my RTV down to get stuff from their boat dock. Gauge went way up, close to red. They waited a while and came back to the house. Gauge still high. When they turned off the motor the fan kept going. He started the RTV after a bit to raise the bed, and the needle dropped back to the middle. Strange. Never done that before. Needle was always about 1/4 way up and that was it.
So my question is does this sound like the symptom described above or different because it never went up like this before?
Guesses on what I should start with to check this out. Already checked fluids. All okay. No leaks but have not checked past that.
 
Doc, I would see if the fins on the radiator are stopped up. When I did the maintenance on my RTV900 a few days ago, I notice the radiator was really nasty. I blew it out with compressed air and then squirted some cleaner on it ,let it set a bit and washed it out with my thumb on the water hose. (those fins are thin aluminum and bend really easy) . Tons of crud cam out and I repeated several times . It has been chilly since then and have not given the RTV a hard days work but will see tomorrow about improvement on the rising temperature shown on my gauge lately. I usually just blow it out but saw all the brown crud and that is why I used some cleaner this time- . It could also be the thermostat. Clogged fins would be the easiest fix. also , check your coolant with one of the checkers and see if it is still good. collie
 
Thanks BC.
All fluids were changed 3 months ago. So coolant should be good. The level was normal. will check the fins. Good suggestion. I also thought of thermostat, if the fins don't help I'll move on to that.
I drove it last night to take up the trash and drove around a little extra but the temp did not go up at all and I didn't have more time to mess with it. We should get up in the 60's for the next couple of days. I plan to take advantage of the warmer weather because some real cold stuff is right on it's tail.
 
Great Doc. I forgot to mention it but I would also check the air filter. Even though I added the homemade high rise intake, the rubber cup had come off of the canister and the dirt had been sucked in through it. I had some heck of a dirty filter because of this. p.s. that little rubber thing is $17 ! so I did something else with what I had. ;) ;) collie
 
Another good thought BC. I lost that rubber thing one time. I wonder if it's off again. Worth checking for sure. Thanks!!!!! :tiphat:
 
For anybody who may believe they are having engine temp issues, I would buy an IR Thermometer Gun. I’ve seen them for as low as $15~. This will either confirm or invalidate the temp gauge reading.
Another benefit of the IR Gun is for towing. Anytime you stop for fuel take the gun out and shoot your trailer hub temps. This may save you much grief down the road.
 
I use an IR gun all over the place. Great this time of year to check around the house for leaks around the house before winter sets in. Check the A/C and heat at the registers to make sure the HVAC is working. I don't have a thermometer on the woodstoves so I hit it with the gun. A million uses...
 
I have one of the IR guns. So far I have not been able to duplicate the issue.
However, when running the RTV the key stuck in the glow plug position. Glow plugs stayed on until I turned the key back one click. I suspect that is what cause the issue my son in law experienced. Not sure but I can't think of anything else since it will not heat up under regular running around.
 
has anyone else ever experienced the key staying on 'glow plug'? I've sprayed the switch but it will still stick on occasion. Any other ideas? Would/ Could this cause th RTV to overheat? I'm concerned for the glow plugs also, i would sure cut their lives short.
 
Yea, I wouldn't want it to stick. Did you use some silicone type spray? Maybe give it a good inspection . You can remove it by unscrewing that black plastic ring and removing from behind. It will have that electrical grease on the wire plugs when you unplug it. That is good stuff and keeps corrosion at bay. I replaced my '05's ignition years ago when it would start by itself - yep, blamed it on border collie Belle -starting it. It was about $50 for a new one.
Easy to install though. I also was wondering if maybe they ran around with the brake on and possible caused the temperature rise.

http://www.nettractortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12486&highlight=real+starter
 
My 1100 started going from cold start to hot in just a few minutes and it was a bad t-stat. Someone had also switched the lines on the overflow bottle and when it would heat up it would blow everything out of the overflow bottle. Just make sure to get the o-ring on the correct side of the t-stat or it will leak a little around the housing. Its a easy fix.
 
Thanks B/C. I thought of the brake being on also, but when I checked the RTV the brake was off. So I doubt that was it but one never knows. I have not removed the key housing all the way, I sprayed it with 'fluid film'. I don't believe that is silicone so I might have used the wrong stuff for this job.

Good to know about the thermostat, but this time at least that is not my issue. I can run it around the yard, to the pole barn, let it idle etc etc and it will not raise the temp gauge at all. It stays down where it belongs.
 
Doc said:
I have not removed the key housing all the way, I sprayed it with 'fluid film'. I don't believe that is silicone so I might have used the wrong stuff for this job.
Click to expand...
Fluid Film will work fine.
 
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