Kohler K-241 question

[Ted Bush]

I just brought home a Cub 105. Looks to be complete with mower deck. I wanted to see if the engine would turn and pulled the spark plug and put some oil in the cylinder to lube it when i moved the piston. The engine turns freely but piece of metal just under the spark plug does not move. I am thinking this should be the piston and should move as the crankshaft turns, and it does not. i am thinking this is BAD. I will remove the head this week when i get time and see if i am right. Any input here is appreciated.
Thanks, TB

 

[lpalma]

You can not see the piston because the spark plug is not over it. Best way to check is pit your finger over the hole and turn the engine over backwards by hand.

 

[Ted Bush]

I was able to pull the engine with a rope and hold my finger over the spark plug hole and i can feel just a bit of back pressure from the piston, but not enough to call it compression, so i am guessing either a valve or ???.

 

[jkoenig]

They have compression release mechanisms, so you may be fine.

Why are we not trying to spin it with the S/G and hope it will fire?

If you really want to go through this before starting, here are a few items to check before turning that key:
Breaker Points (run a point file across them, and check the gap)
Fuel in tank (drain, flush, consider a source of clean fuel for its maidenfire as your tractor)
Other stuff in tank (rust, grass, cork, etc do not belong, and will require attention)
Carburetor, a peek inside the bowl may tell you how much it will need
Engine oil (sniff for gasoline aroma, observe cleanliness, change)
Hydrostat oil (HyTran) (Plan to change with OEM filter and HyTran)

How does that plug you took out look? I freaked out over one of the plugs in my 782, and it turned out to run pretty well.

 

[Ted Bush]

S/G Great idea. I connected my jump starter to it and turned the key and nothing. So I have that to address. We just got back from dinner and I realized that all of the Marvels oil I poured into the cylinder ran out of the engine onto my driveway. It has oil in the crankcase so I don't know. I was just trying to see if the engine was stuck or would turn. The plug actually looks fairly good considering it has been sitting for a while, 1 or 2 years. So probably 5.
The tractor itself doesn't look too bad after i pressure washed it.