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Super 2086 With 20 HP Kawasaki Oil Issue

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tbengal

Active member
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
29
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Tim Bengal
This garden tractor only has 440 hours and is a 1997 model.

The problem is the amount of oil that accumulates in the bottom of the air filter assembly. I have to soak it up with paper towels! The engine runs fine.

I am wondering if there is too much pressure internally that is forcing the oil into the filter area.

I have also noticed fresh oil on the filler tube by the valve cover. Maybe it is being forced out through the cap also?
 
It'll do that if the oil fill cap / dipstick is loose. I did that on the first oil change on my 2166 because I didn't get the stick in tight. It ruined a good air filter.
I've had a 20 Kaw liquid cooled engine sitting in a closet in the garage for 7 years now waiting for a "project" that never seems to come. Have you had any other problems with yours?
 
I have only owned the tractor for two summers and 100 hours of use. The PTO had to be replaced and also the solenoid for the carburetor.

I have now removed the cylinder heads based on a talk with a Cub dealer. He said it might have a bad head gasket. My gaskets looked OK.

I do plan on adjusting the valves (the book recommends this every 300 hours), they were at .012 and suppose to be .010.

I picked up new gaskets at a John Deere location because this engine is also used by Deere and the place is closer to me than the Cub dealer.

The mechanic there said that this Kawasaki sucks in alot of air and the filter needs to be cleaned or changed often. He recommeded cleaning every 5 hours in dusty conditions. If the filter is dirty, then the engine will start to suck air from the crankcase instead of air from outside of the air cleaner assembly, this would explain why I have lots of oil in the assembly.

The existing air filter has been in place for 60 hours with the foam precleaner cleaned once by me.

This oil situation occurred only during the last half of last summer. So maybe I just need to change the air filter every summer.

Changing air filters is alot easier than head gasket jobs. The minimum compression for this engine is 170 pounds! Mine had 180 & 190 before the replacements. But the Cub dealer said that even good compression does not always mean good there is no problem with a gasket somewhere.
 

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