Is there a fan? Is the fan bolted to the crankshaft, or is it belt driven? Is there any shrouding designed to direct the airflow around the cylinder heads? Shrouding is generally made from stamped steel. It can fall off, eventually. Sometimes it gets in the way of maintenance, and it gets removed.

The 2000 LB 10324 that my dad bought in some local (not national) store in late 1999 did not come with mulch plate and fan...only grass-bagger and side-discharge gear were included. My dad passed away in 2002, so I began using the 10324 and thought it was a dog because of how hard it often was to start. Then I found you all here on GardenWeb in 2004 and that has made all the difference. I learned then about such problems as the infamous intermittent CDI and the leaky gas tank. I bought the mulch plate and fan, but discussions here led me to think there was little value to the fan when mulching. I had never installed the fan even after owning it nine years. In 2013 after 14 mowing seasons, I finally had to replace the self-propel drive belt. I also found that the journal bearing for the input shaft to the transmission had severe wear which had resulted in misalignment of two gears and very bad erosion of their teeth. I had to replace all three of these transmission parts. So, while putting everything back together, I decided to put that mulch fan on as well, just as a lark. I immediately noticed that I no longer needed to stop periodically and scrape away grass debris under the deck that occurred especially when there was any moistness to the grass. I've now mowed several times in 2013 and again in 2014,,,finding the same result: The underdeck area stays perfectly clear of packed grass debris since I installed the mulch fan. I rate installing the mulch fan to be the second best improvement to the operation of my 10324 that I've made in 15 years, ranking only below the replacement of the defective CDI unit in 2004. I love this mower! What I've learned on GardenWeb from you and other knowledgeable people since 2004 has made most of that possible. Thanks to all!

Wally: I appreciate your explanation of the 746 watts equalling 1 hp. I checked all 6 of my physics text books and found nothing addressing this. Only 550ft lbs/sec equaling 1 hp. Although I was well aware that 746 watts was considered 1 hp in generating. Now that I think about, I have seen some English of German engines expressed in KW output. I too am a EE, however, I had almost no education in power generating or distribution. My speciality and education was in micro electronics, thus I am quiet familiar with Ohm's Law. Now an interesting question: How did James Watts make his early steam engine run when he had almost no steam pressure at the time, too little to push the piston down. This was because he had no pressure vessel that would hold steam pressure of any appreciable magnitude. I ran across the answer to this in the Henry Ford museum.

The radiator drain plug is on the bottom of the radiator on the left side. You may have to remove the left body panel to gain access to it. You need to clean the radiator screens frequently, remove the screens and spray the radiator fins from time to time with a garden hose. This is something you have to pay attention to, because Kubota will not warrant damage from overheating the engine due to a clogged radiator. It is hard to imagine how you clogged the radiator fins after 4 hours use on a brand new tractor, it must have been some severely dusty work you were doing there. I have owned mine for 6 years and not had that kind of problem. Sounds like you took care of that part of it. I would not change the coolant unless the dealer tells you to.