Combines Headers won t start immediately when it s hot

I am guessing it is the oil cooler needing time to catch up when you go to an idle. For instance, when you shut your engine off or go to an idle the water temperature will increase at the thermostate indicator because there is a sudden interruption of cooling. The same is could be with the oil and the lack of flow and cooling coming to the pressure switch on the PTO actuator.Check the oil cooler, which I am sure you have, that sits above the rotor drive for plugging. The grease has a tendancy to be thrown up there from the torque spring and cam followers. I believe that oil also runs the rotary screen and is pumped from a gear pump on the motor. I have the same problem on occasion and always when the engine is hot and the day is warm. I am just happy when it goes. I had my PTO rebuilt and the mechanic noticed that I barely had the correct pressure to engage the system when it was hot. Does your's engage if you increase the engine RPMsIJ Mine will if I go to about 1500 or so. Good luck with the mystery.

Bubs, what you are saying makes more sense than anything anybody has told me so far, although there are a few flaws in your theory. On the 03 model the oil cooler is up on the side in front of the radiator and behind the rotary screen where it should have so much more cooling than it did setting down below where it was on previous models. That does not mean that when one idles the engine down to engage the header that there are a few moments when the oil boils up a little. On the other hand on these 03 models we have never had the engine temperature come close to hot mark even on the hottest days so if the radiator is staying cool which is behind the oil cooler one would think that the oil cooler would be even cooler.

I know we are just fishing in the sea of combine events, but maybe, just maybe, you need to clean that cooler. I have found that you really need to take the rotary screen off and spend a long time cleaning all those coolers that are stacked in that area. I usually devote at least an hour, cleaning and recleaning, and it usually lasts for the season which is 250 hours or so. I just use water reduced to a 1_4 in nossle, not high pressure. If someone else is doing your cleanup maybe you should recheck their work, unless it is your wife and then brag on her first, and then check it when she is not home. I really like to engage mine at an idle and really don't know how many others are like ours. Perhaps other 2388 owners will chime in and relate to this situation. I have my crop in the bins or on the ground at the local mills. Weather is in the making and the turkey had better watch for my axe. I have become lean this fall. Good luck.

The 2003 model 2300 series went to an air-to-air aftercooler. To protect the engine they have a temperature sensor in the air intake after the turbo charger of the engine. If the air temperature is too high the header will not run or if harvesting an alarm goes off and the header drive will automatically disengage. Check your operators manual for details. Have heard of the odd sensor reading wrong or poor connection but very rare. From what you describe the sensor is working just maybe reading a little off or the coolers need cleaning, I think the temp threshhold is 195 degrees F but check with your dealer

If he's got his wife cleaning the combine...then whats the problem thereIJ Just tell her to do it better!!! haha

RedHat, I am aware of the header shutting down if the air in the air to air after cooler reaches too high temperature but this happens after a red light and an alarm comes on for so long or so many times. We have never had this happen on these two machines. Is it possible as bubs was saying in the earlier post that when we idle the machine down to engage the header, that is when the air to air after cooler heats up and does not allow the header to start. One would think that there would be a red light and an alarm would come on if that is what is happening. But what you are saying makes sense because as I recall we had more trouble as the wheat harvest progressed and the after cooler became more plugged up. I blew out everything before wheat harvest and again after wheat harvest and before we started on corn harvest. But then that does not explain why it was doing it on the first few days of corn harvest when everything was, I thought pretty clean, except for the fact that we had some very hot days, 100 plus, the first few days of corn harvest.

If you are nuts then I am too, or I will be soon. I was hoping this problem would have been eradicated by the 2003 model. Does the reel still run even though the head won'tIJ We have had this problem with a 1998 2388 for three years now and after many hours of frustration I am still stumped. The problem with this one is low voltage to the hyd valve that controls the cylinder that tightens the feeder house belt. You can check this at the big main plug coming out of the cab by the cab air filter. It's the front blue wire on the third row down from the top.That's the wire that goes to the valve solenoid.It's a lOT safer doing it there than checking it at the valve with the machine running. On this one machine, it gets 10 volts cold, which is already low, but when the combine has run for awhile, the voltage is 8.75 or lower and highly unstable, which is too low to kick the valve in but enough to hold it in once it is engaged. It needs a minimum of 9.75 to kick it in. I have changed the aftercooler temp sensor, the seat switch, the solenoid on the valve was changed before I was involved with it, and the A post computer was interchanged with another combine. Every time something was changed the problem went away for a short time, then came back. The grounds have all been cleaned and the voltages have been checked on every wire, with the one going to the valve being the only one to have low voltage. The other seven 2388's in the fleet, all 1998 models, have had this problem to a lesser degree but usually turning the lights on and off once to put a voltage spike in the system, will get the head going. A lOT of head scratching has been going on with no results so far. I have a hunch this is in the wiring that goes to the valve and has nothing to do with any of the safety devices but.............!

riceman, I wouldn't want to push my sweet wife too far or she might tell me what I can do with those combines. She has been putting up with this custom harvesting business and doing a very good job of it for 36 years now and she thinks it is about time to give it up and stay home, but I keep telling her that I have a few good years left in me. So I do all the combine cleaning!

wasgreen, I have had several service men tell me that the problem is dirt in that valve down there on top of the transmission that is making that valve hang up momentarily. I just cant buy that at all.

Sounds like you have a great woman. Keep her happy and you'll be happy too. I have great memories of my "harvest mom" from back in 2000. It takes a special person to deal with that type of work.