Archive through April 24, 2012

[fcurrier]

Don T.: Hey, Leaky - what's the chance that your crankcase breather (the part closest to the engine) is "upside down" - i.e. the little weep hole isn't on the bottom? I'd laugh! Then, if it was wrong I'd think I'd won the New Seat contest.

 

[drglinski]

Update on the 147: Blew everything out with compressed air, tank, bowl, etc. Reinstalled the fuel tank the correct way, sediment bowl is reinstalled (and is level; once it was screwed on the whole way it was level) new rubber fuel line is installed, and the plug wire routed and looks decent, considering the space constraints with the different engine/shroud. (sorry no pic today, maybe tomorrow.) Engine runs great and doesn't have any fuel problems. Once I turned on the pet cock fuel flowed freely into the bowl quickly and it wasn't doing that yesterday when it was plugged.

I'm very pleased it's running good again. (knock on wood.) I can't thank everyone enough that helped me out with my issues. Thanks again.

Up next; repair of the PTO clutch. I should have parts for it this weekend, hopefully.

 

[hydroharry]

Dan G - sounds like you've had some good success. Anxious to see the pics of how you worked everything out. Now, I noticed your signature line and I'm hoping you'll be changing that. You found this site and we're helping. These Cubs are great to work on and I'm certain after you've gone thru a few things you'll be changing your tune and post about how easy it really was.

 

[rbowman]

I hope this is the right place to post my question. I have a 72 Cub 129 hyrdo that the motor is dying on. I bought a spare Kohler K301 which the previous owner said it needed rebuilt cause it smoked. When I pulled it apart I found it was a standard bore and looked like it had very little wear. So I check the specs on the cylinder and piston all looked to be within spec. I honed the cylinder installed rings properly (gaps staggered), replace the valves and set clearance along with new gaskets. I put it all back together and starting mowing with it. It had plenty of power and ran fine for about half of my 1 a.c. lot but then started to blow a little out of the crank case breather on the side. By the time I was done it was smoking out the muffler again. The grass was tall so I was working it hard. I'm trying to figure out why the rings burnt so soon... that couple with the fact it had little wear and was burning when I got it. I think it has a rebuild kit in it because the rod bolts were metric. Also I read somewhere that the oil ring groove in the piston has holes in it and that the principal was that oil is slung through these holes to lube the cylinder (not sure how accurate that is. My point being is I do not remember the piston having any holes in this groove. Could the piston be a cheap design? Sorry for being long winded. I've rebuilt several motors before and this is the first time I couldn't get it to last 1 mow. I'm trying to figure it out before wasting money on new rings again. Any help is appreciated.

 

[jlgordon]

hello dose any one have the spec / demntions for the sleve hich bracket and the lift arms that go to the top link on the 3 point hich for a nf cub. i had
bought a cheap brinly plow from an old man he use to own a tractor dealership if some one could help find the specs for the mount that whould be great thanks

 

[dtanner]

Rick Bowman

There are oil holes on the end of the connecting rod on the crank end. That oil hole is to face the cam. Smoking out the breather is normal I found on my 125 when the oil gets hot, I had just a light smoke come out.I don`t think with new rings you should have worked your tractor so hard before the rings had a chance to seat in the bore. Its possible you have overheated them and removed the temper in them and they will need to be replaced.When I broke my rebuild 129 engine in I did not work it hard at first run. I just drove it around for a few minutes and then would shut it down to cool off. I think I had 10 hrs on it before I pulled my stone drag ,stopping often to let it cool down.You did check to make sure you installed the rings with the mark up ? I would re ring it and try again. Don`t work the new rings so hard for a few hrs and you should be good after that . my .02

 

[dtanner]

Frank A. Currier(Northern Maine)

(Don T.: Hey, Leaky - what's the chance that your crankcase breather (the part closest to the engine) is "upside down" - i.e. the little weep hole isn't on the bottom? I'd laugh! Then, if it was wrong I'd think I'd won the New Seat contest.)

I`am sure I have the breather put together as the manual had directions,That was not my problem .I checked last night and I don`t have oil under the tractor so I think I have found my leak.Funny thing though I had fire to the plug last time and now I don`t,I think I will have to look at the points and see if some oil got on them. Might have to replace them.I have a dreaded dental appointment this am and will get at the 125 Friday morning and get it running.I have plans to use my new Cub storage building to paint my parts.I want to install a fan on the back wall and hang plastic so I can keep the area clean.I have bought wire to add lights and plugs run off my shop . I do have an air dryer for my air line and will install it in the cub shed to get water free air to paint.bought some filters for the fan so the paint won`t get out of the Cub shed and land on my fifth wheel camper. So all I need now is some dry weather and I can geterdone lol. We have got lots of rain these last few days and IF you don`t mind, Please stop sending that water down here, you can have it lol.

my 125 will soon run !

 

[jchamberlin]

Rick
You're posting in the right place. I don't know the best way to break-in a Kohler, but I'm sure you're aware that the first few minutes are critical to the success of a rebuild.

From what you're saying about the rod bolts, in addition to Don's information about the oil hole, I think you need to open it up again.

There are plenty of people on this site who know EXACTLY how a Kohler should be put together and run-in and most of them have no problem sharing their wisdom. I'm curious to hear what they have to say, because I expect to be opening up my 14 HP K321 in the near future.

I expect we'll hear from the experts soon.

 

[dschwandt]

I'm in the same boat here as I'm going to be looking at a rebuild here in the near future for my 1250 as she is smoking big time and drinking the oil like a Wino. I checked with a local small engine shop and he's saying $500-$700 for an O/H.

I tried looking for an engine service manual for that model on line but the Kohler site says they have been "retired"??

Dave Schwandt

 

[stanner]

David,

The FAQ's are a beautiful thing...

FAQ #6

https://www.ihcubcadet.com/IHCCFAQ/BooksManualsParts.htm

http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/productMatrix.htm

 

[dfrisk]

DON T. - Hope you get that leak on your K301 died up completely this time.

One word of advice if you have to pull the engine again.... Leave the grill & hood attached. A K301 is light enough that even I can pull it out and set it on a bench or stool.

SON & I pulled the Onan B48G out of the 982 Tuesday. In the 12 yrs I've owned the 982 I'd NEVER pulled the engine. But the starter shaft was dirty and wouldn't engage the the ring gear on the flywheel. SON borrowed an engine hoist, the B48G is a LOT heavier than a Kohler. Took about an hour to remove the gas tank, center frame cover, disconnect the drive shaft, engine, & controls/wires, lift the engine a bit, slide forward, remove driveshaft, raise engine and wheel it away. WITH the grill & hood still in tact. Had to remove the big blower housing over the flywheel to get to the two starter bolts, fixed the starter in about ten minutes. Bet we screwed around trying to get the bolts back in the blower housing longer than it took to remove AND install the engine. The good news is the Onan started right up and SON mowed his lawn when we were done.

What surprised SON the most was how much small 1/4" hardware we found down around the engine that I'd dropped over the 12 yrs of ownership, even found a 3/8" combination wrench down on the engine plate I dropped 3-4 yrs ago. LOTS of dust & dirt accumulated on the frame, engine plate & oil pan over the years, but it's nice & clean now!

So don't you guys ever complain about your starter/generator problems any more. In about FIVE minutes you can have a S/G out sitting on your work bench without even opening the hood if your careful. SON & I worked about six hours on that 982 including all the clean-up work.

 

[dschwandt]

Scott: That's the route I took but the K models are all listed a "retired" what ever that means and the site just runs you around in circles.

Unless my 67 year old brain ain't doing something right here, Nhaaa, couldn't be that!!

 

[dtanner]

Dennis Frisk

You are so luck to have someone to help you with your tractors. I`am not so lucky and have problems lifting anything heavy. I was starting to worry what had become of you since there seemed to be a lull in your postings lately.The dentist took $$ from me today, I think I could buy a Cub at the prices they charge.

 

[jdiederichs]

David,
Check your email

 

[sblunier]

Denny,

For the 3 min. it takes to unhook the headlight wire and remove 4 bolts, I'll pull the grill housing off. 10x easier to pull the engine right out over the front of the frame than it is to wrestle it out the side with the grill housing still on.....and, no sheet metal to potentially scratch up.

 

[stanner]

David,
If you click on the second link I posted, and scroll all the way down to the K series section, and find your engine model, and to the right of that there are 2 links for user and service manuals... click on those to download the PDF's


http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/tp_1346_c_all.pdf

http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/tp_2379.pdf

 

[dfrisk]

STEVE B - Without the engine hoist I don't think we would have muscled the Onan out. Plus I got to see a nice '63 Chevy II Nova painted 2150 RED with a little 555-CID Big Block Chevy that had run a 9.48 second quarter mile earlier the day we picked the hoist up. Not bad for the driver letting off the gas @ the 1000 ft mark and running E85 for gas. It's fully street legal too!, well, except it was running open headers this past weekend. While we were working on the 982 he kept texting SON, He was pulling the 9" Ford rearend out of it after running it again Sunday. Something about only ONE undamaged tooth left on the ring gear, not sure what the pinion looked like. His repair was going to cost a BUNCH more than us fixing the 982's starter!

You pull too many BIG parts off a CC like the hood & grill and you end up setting them places you shouldn't and end up working around them or moving them too many times, more chance of damage IMO. SON had the left side panel off already when I got there, When we were putting the 982 back together and getting it ready to mow he asked me where it was. I'd put it in the trunk of my car for safe keeping two days before! With the gas tank & firewall out the engine just lifted straight up an inch, we eased it forward to get the driveshaft out, then raised it up another foot and rolled the hoist/engine back out of the tractor. Hood & grill already lean forward out of the way, there was only six 1/4"-20 hex nuts and two short 3/8"-18 cap screws securing the firewall & gas tank.

A year ago when I replaced the clutch in the 72 I lifted the engine with a come-a-long tied to the loader arms on the M, only needed to raise the engine 6-8 inches to clear the frame rails, held it to the side with one hand, pulled the clutch & driveshaft out with all the wiring & control cables still attached, then let the engine rest until I was ready to reinstall the driveshaft.

Plus my 40+ yr streak of NEVER having pulled the grill casting off a CC is still intact.

DON T. - This is the first time SON & I both have worked on a CC since we finished dropping the K321 into the 72. Since I'm loaning SON the 982 to mow his yard this year I had to make a house call. He moved about 2/3rds of the way between my place and where Steve B lives 1-1/2 yrs ago. The rest of the 4 days I spent there were spent wiring his shop and insulating/drywalling it. When SON moved there a month ago his shop only had two 40W light bulbs, the ceiling and the back common wall to the house insulated & drywalled, now it's ALL insulated, ALL drywalled, has two 220V and 28 110V outlets, plus has 16 32W high efficiency neon light tubes in a 21 ft X 21 ft garage. It's a real nice place to work!

 

[rmcshane]

Dennis makes a good point here...I also have never pulled the front grill casting off to remove an engine out of a Cub Cadet, and Ive pulled quite a few engines in my short 6 years of Cub Cadet mechanics. I tend to use the simplest and fastest way for removing engines...since my shop is a lean to and my floor is dirt. I call it the manhandle method (yank the engine out, plop it right on the bench) It never fails!

 

[mgwin]

Went shopping yesterday and picked up a couple accessories for my cubs. I bought these from a real nice guy in Lexington.

Yea, I know, more stuff to fix up!

 

[rbowman]

Thanks Donald and Jeremiah for your input. I did put the rod and piston in so the oil whole in the rod faced the camshaft. And I installed the bevels on the rings as outlined in the manual. I think it was bevel up. But I didn't baby it to much.... maybe should have but unfortunately my grass was tall. I did fire it up and let it run at half throttle for 15 min and retorqued the head. Then the instructions I saw on another site said just work it normally by mowing. But I guess the grass was too tall.... I have my old motor back in now so I can control the grass (smokes like a chimney but it works) So I guess I will go for a re-ring job on the new motor and then swap it in after I have just mowed to give me a week to just putts around on it not working it too hard. I was concerned that there was something wrong with the piston and I would be wasting my money. Kohler rings are a little pricier than the after market. Thanks guys I'll let you know how I come out.