Hey guys - keep those details coming on the 12vs. 13 fin. Maybe we'll be able to figure something out here.
Calvin - I've never heard of a Kohler replacement engine being anything other than black. I'm fairly certain the short blocks and mini blocks would also be black. Additionally, with the intro of the Quiet Line series, all the engines were black, and I suspect came from Kohler that way, so any replacement engines would likely be black at that point (early 1975 if memory serves me correctly). Other details that would identify a replacement engine would also be the tags as you noted. At the time of the QL units Kohler had gone over to stickers instead of a metal tag and they moved the location of the sticker. So if you have a 169 and it has a sticker ID down on the level of the frame, it's almost certainly a replacement engine. If your basic block happens to be black but the flywheel shroud and other tin work is yellow then it's also most likely a replacement engine. As for engine failure, Kohler used the now infamous "balance gears" in the 12, 14 and 16hp engines. Many many on here have removed the balance gears from their engines since they are known to put windows in the blocks. I kept them in mine at the time of the rebuild (10 years ago) but if I was doing it now I would likely remove them and go with a balance option developed by Dave Kirk. It seems to be one of those issues that won't go away, and there is no definitive info that your engine will certainly blow up if you leave them in. Now, with regard to longevity of the various engines (8, 10, 12, 14, 16hp) based on appearance of what I know is around my guess would be the 10hp has the greatest longevity. It doesn't have balance gears either and is almost certainly the smoothest running. Next I would think is the 12hp, which I understand sometimes did not come with balance gears from Kohler (would be interesting to know if those were 12 or 13 fin). Next are the 14 and finally the 16 in my view at least. The 14 is a definite shaker, and I must say my 16 is fairly smooth in comparison to some 14s and 16s I've seen. I had understood Kohler actually changed the balance gears over time and had at least 3 different versions. So maybe it's the luck of the draw with longevity. I will say based on these engines being 35 to 40+ years old, the majority would have been rebuilt by now, or replaced. I had heard before that IH tested engines for 2000 hr of run time and Kohlers did well, B/S generally had valve problems. Not sure the time period for this, but 2000 hours would equate to between 20to30 years for most people in my view. If the engine was extremely well taken care of, and used less than 50hrs a year then it may still be running out there some place, and just now be getting ready for a rebuild. I don't know how anyone would have documented it and there aren't to many original owners to ask.
So, all in all, there still remains a mistique about 13 fin blocks. I wonder if that 1 extra fin allows for enough additional cooling surface to allow the heat transfer across that extra casting surface. Since there don't seem to be many 13fin K341s around it raises a big question to me. But it could be there were never many to begin with. So, the mystery and mistique will seem to continue. I'd still like to know what you guys have, whether they are 12 or 13 fin.
Don T (under edit) - "Only a Garden Tractor"? It really is more than that. Were you trying to get alot of comments posted? It's a tremendous tool to use for alot more things than just the lawn and garden. Based on their survival rate, they have to be a tremendously well designed and engineered and built tool. And besides all that, they are FUN!!! All that from a guy that doesn't even get to use his. My last one (169) sits in my garage under a blanket 363 days a year. About 2 days is all I have a chance to pull it out, run up and down the street, and they let her cool and put her back. On about 50 of the 363 days I do have a peak under the blanket and dream of smelling those Kohler fumes. So yes it's much more than a Garden Tractor. It's a love of life. An addiction. A dream of what once was bigger things. And besides all that, they are BEAUTIFUL machines.
Hydro Harry
Old Cubs Never Die (non-new replacement engines are available)
