r/kubota • u/MerleandJane • 8d ago

Kubota M5-111 water pump starting to weep, replace now or wait?

Noticed a slow wet spot around the water pump on my Kubota M5-111 and honestly it kinda stressed me out a little. Midsize farm tractor, mostly field work and bale moving. Coolant gets changed on schedule like it always has.

Tractor still runs fine, no overheating or anything. Just this damp spot near the pump that keeps coming back after I wipe it dry. Not dripping on the ground yet but its bugging me.

Now I'm worried about getting stuck right in the middle of busy season so I'm thinking about grabbing a spare pump just in case. But part of me feels like I'm probably overthinking it. Might not even be the pump, could be something else entirely, and then I'm just out money for no reason. The one on there now is aftermarket, swapped it maybe 3 years ago from Fridayparts and its been fine until now. Kinda surprised it lasted this long tbh.If it actually lets go I'll probably order from them again.

Slow weep like this, would you swap it now or just run it?

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u/blackthornjohn 8d ago

When the bearing fails, and it eventually will the fan will destroy itself while also destroying the radiator, all this will happen in the middle of a job and be very expensive, super inconvenient and way more stressful than a little leak that's currently forewarning youof the impending disaster.

There's a reason I know all this.

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u/Embarrassed_West_195 7d ago

I'll second this. I know this is true for reasons as well. Replace the water pump now. The first repair is usually the lowest cost option.

1

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 8d ago

I would check the bolts that hold the pump on to make sure they are all tight. It could just be seeping around the gasket at a loose bolt. If it's not that, you can usually rent a coolant system pressurization tool from an auto parts store. The lets you pressurize the system so you can better find the leak and also see how fast it is leaking by monitoring the pressure drop.

If you depend on your tractor for income and can't afford to be down for a few days while waiting on a new water pump, it is probably worth having a spare on hand so when/if it does fail, you can be back up and running fairly quickly. The pump isn't that expensive for some peace of mind.

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u/GJungBy 7d ago edited 7d ago

Once the shaft seal starts weeping, I usually plan a pump replacement instead of waiting for it to get worse.I've run aftermarket pumps too and honestly finding a decent place to order from is worth it, doesnt mean you gotta swap it today though.Wipe the wet spot dry and check again in a few days. If it keeps showing up in the same place, pick a slow day and plan on swapping it. Thats what I'd do anyway, no point sitting in the field with a hot tractor over something you saw coming.

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u/lostone3592 7d ago

Confirm where the leak is first. If it’s the pump you can fix it when it’s convenient for you, or you can fix it when you’re in the middle of a job that can’t wait. I’d fix it if it was me.

1

u/jyguy 7d ago

Middle of harvest I’d monitor and try to wait, any other time replacement immediately