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White Foam

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:58 pm
by adamsch
Hello all,

I have a question for you master mechanics out there! Tonight when I finished plowing snow I went to check my oil and I noticed a small amount of foam on the upper part of the oil dipstick on my 63 Cub LowBoy. The foam was only on the upper part of the dipstick and I did not notice any on the lower end. Under the cap there was also a little white foam. I am hoping that it is not a headgasket but I thought I would get some second opinions!! My antifreeze level has stayed fairly level. I do loose a little antifreeze every know and then because I have a couple small holes in my radiator cap and when it is cold I see a little steam come out of the holes. Any tips, pointers, or words of wisdon would be appreciated!!

Thanks....

Re: White Foam

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:04 pm
by Eugene
Condensation. Get the engine completely warm. Might have to cover part of the radiator. Let engine run, once warm, for 30 minutes. This will remove the moisture.

Re: White Foam

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:12 pm
by John *.?-!.* cub owner
During the winter when I am plowing snow I usually cover the bottom half of the radiator with thin Styrofoam to keep the engine temperature up and prevent such as this. Also, most cubs do not use a pressurized cooling system, so a leaking cap should not be a problem. It normally runs about 1 to 1 1/2 inch below the neck. As long as the tubes are covered that is all you need. It will push coolant out if it is higher than the levels I mentioned.

Re: White Foam

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:16 pm
by Bill Hudson
Sounds like condensation in the crankcase. Plowing snow is not normally (in my experience) hard work for a Cub. Given you're working in cold weather and not working the engine hard, the engine does not get up to a real warm operating temperature, a temperature hot enough to drive off the moisture that has collected in the crankcase. After you shut down the engine, the engine cools and draws moisture laden air into the crankcase, through the breather which is perfectly normal. The next time you start the engine to plow snow you have more moisture in the crankcase than the last time you ran it. The cycle continues until:
the weather warms or,
you change oil or,
you get the engine hot enough to drive off the moisture through the breather (the same way the moisture got in).

The solution, for cold weather snow plowing, may be a small amount of covering over the radiator to increase engine operating temperature to effectively drive off the accumulated moisture.

Hope this helps.

Bill

Boy! You guys are quick!

Re: White Foam

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:29 am
by Gary Dotson
I agree with the other fellows. The Cub has no thermostat, so there is nothing to encourage the engine to warm to proper operating temperature. It will be much better, for the engine, to run at a warmer temperature. When I plowed snow with my Cub, I used an old car floor mat and a couple bungee cords to cover the grill. If it was real cold, I covered the entire grill. Even then, it didn't run any too warm. The Kubota that I plow with now, has a thermostat, eliminating the need to cover the grill.

Re: White Foam

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:55 pm
by lazyuniondriver
I'm not convinced that build up of cream you described hurts anything even though it shouldn't be there. Can anybody document damage caused by this besides the inconvenience of having to wipe it off the stick and the inside of the tube?

Re: White Foam

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:08 pm
by beaconlight
When the foam is on the bottom end of the dip stick that you are in trouble.

Re: White Foam

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:20 am
by Rudi
Yup, condensation/moisture. The fellas have already given you some good advice, so I will just limit it to my usual schtick:

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