440 crawler loader leaky rad cap - newbie asking for help

[paramedic8998]

first time here and asking for some help.
I have a late 1950s 440ic crawler loader (not sure of exact year as the serial plate has hundreds coats of paint on it)
I bought this last year, it is in good shape but needed a littrle tlc.
I just finished a restoration, replaced alot of part, and electrical parts - I replaced the rad cap and it ran fine, I then replaced the thermostat and now the rad cap leaks ??? I have flushed the rad and it still leaks. It only seems to leak when it first begins to warm up to operating temperature. after it gets to full operating temperature it seems to leak less or not at all. when it does leak it drips from under the gasket area of the rad cap ???

the temp guage reads 170 so it seems to be running at right temp ???

can it be a faulty thermostat or a faulty rad cap or ????

please help, I am a newbie at the JD crawler world but love it alot.

if I get just get this problem sorted out then my JD 440 will be all restored and working 100 percent !!!

thanks
John

[Lavoy]

Sounds like you are overfilling your radiator. Run it a while, and see where the level ends up at, you can not fill the full to the neck.
Lavoy

[Ray III]

I thought the same thing as Lavoy. On cooling systems that do not have an external expansion tank an air space has to be left in the top of the radiator. A lot of people fill to the top then when the excess is purged they think the engine is eating coolant so they fill it back up over and over...

[paramedic8998]

thanks to both of you for the advice, I learn more and more about this crawler everyday.
I ran it down the end of my driveway and back which is about 2 km round trip and it only spit out 2 drops of rad fluid, seems it may have been the problem.

all I have to do now is get the lower rad hose plug unseized so it can be drained / flushed completely all the way to the bottom. the lower hose has a a 3/8 inch square headed plug on it and I can not get a good enough grip on it to loosen it with a wrench. I am gonna try a crowfoot wrench and see what happens

thanks again for the advice and thanks for a great website

John
Ontario, Canada

[shinnery]

If it is a square headed plug you can get an eight pointed socket to use on it. Sears sells them individually or a set of about 8 different sizes in their Craftsman tool line. If you have enough room to get a ratchet in there.
Bryce