John Deere Maintenance Monday: Preventing Model B block cracking
Living the Country Life Radio Program with Betsy Freese
Radio interview source: Brian Holst, manager, John Deere Collector Center
In this edition of Maintenance Monday, we're answering a question from Jennifer in Georgia. She has a Model B tractor and wonders if she has to drain the water out of the block to keep it from busting.
Brian Holst is the manager of the John Deere Collector's Center, an association of antique tractor enthusiasts. He says the Model B tractors were made from 1935 to 1952. The block contains the pistons for the engine, and water was used to cool the engine as it ran. If it wasn't drained daily in the cold weather, the block would crack. Sometimes they even mixed the water with alcohol to prevent freezing, but that was flammable. Today, antifreeze is used to cool the engines.
So Jennifer, if you only use water as your coolant in the Model B block, it will have to be drained.
"Use distilled water if at all possible, just make sure you drain it out," Holst says. "Especially when the temperature gets anywhere near freezing point, it does help save the engine."
When the water freezes, it expands, and cracks the block metal. When that happens, you will see water leaking externally. Or, the water will crack the sleeve that goes around the pistons, and you'll end up getting water into the engine oil.
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