Any Kohler engine experts in here?
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: N. Mississippi
Any Kohler engine experts in here?
Reason I ask is this:
I have a Craftsman 42" riding mowere(DLT 3000) with a 20 hp Kohler Command Courage engine that sports dual cams, overhead valves and pressurized lubrication. The mower is approx 5 years old and has regular maintenance performed.
The engine has gone to "blowing" oil out of the breather tube on the valve cover. This in turn is pulled into the intake and burned producing smoke. Now it does not do this at regular intervals so I can't say as to what is causing it as far as me.
I have plugged the hole to the carb intake and routed the breather tube into a plastic bottle to catch the oil and just check the oil level after approx 30 minutes of mowing. It doesn't burn the oil, just blows it past the pushrods and into that valve area.
Any thoughts as to why this is happening? Engine runs fine otherwise.
Richard
I have a Craftsman 42" riding mowere(DLT 3000) with a 20 hp Kohler Command Courage engine that sports dual cams, overhead valves and pressurized lubrication. The mower is approx 5 years old and has regular maintenance performed.
The engine has gone to "blowing" oil out of the breather tube on the valve cover. This in turn is pulled into the intake and burned producing smoke. Now it does not do this at regular intervals so I can't say as to what is causing it as far as me.
I have plugged the hole to the carb intake and routed the breather tube into a plastic bottle to catch the oil and just check the oil level after approx 30 minutes of mowing. It doesn't burn the oil, just blows it past the pushrods and into that valve area.
Any thoughts as to why this is happening? Engine runs fine otherwise.
Richard
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,290
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From: Edgerton, WI
Its possible that one of the oil return ports is plugged (most likely only partially plugged) and the oil basically has nowhere to go and it just builds and builds.
You could tear the engine down and find out which one it is, but I think if it were me, I would just live with it.
Look at it this way, if it smokes a little bit, maybe that will keep the mosquito population down...
Im personally not much of a fan of Kohler engines. A few years back my parents bought a Sears garden tractor similar to your's and from day 1 the engine would smoke a little bit at startup. Sears replaced the first engine and after a little while the 2nd one started doing the same thing.
My brother has a similar Sears garden tractor (I think his is a GT-3000) and his does the same thing. Its just a little oil seeping past the valve seats, but its still BS.
You could tear the engine down and find out which one it is, but I think if it were me, I would just live with it.
Look at it this way, if it smokes a little bit, maybe that will keep the mosquito population down...
Im personally not much of a fan of Kohler engines. A few years back my parents bought a Sears garden tractor similar to your's and from day 1 the engine would smoke a little bit at startup. Sears replaced the first engine and after a little while the 2nd one started doing the same thing.
My brother has a similar Sears garden tractor (I think his is a GT-3000) and his does the same thing. Its just a little oil seeping past the valve seats, but its still BS.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
I am by no means an "expert", but, I have been learning about lawn mowers and such by repairing them. I would look at a clogged crankcase vent tube somewhere or the oil cap itself if it is vented.
Is it possible the baffle fell off inside the valve cover?
Have you done a compression test to rule out a ring problem?
Is it possible the baffle fell off inside the valve cover?
Have you done a compression test to rule out a ring problem?
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,476
Likes: 224
From: Frequently frozen MN
I think that the pressurized crankcase is is probably a real possibility. There is a vent, and it can get clogged.
http://www.perr.com/is the home page that leads to a good small engine forum. I remember that somewhere on that site there is a discussion on crankcase pressurization.
Don't know anything about the Command series. The older K series was considered pretty much tops at the time -- as I understand it.
Good Luck,
ford2go
http://www.perr.com/is the home page that leads to a good small engine forum. I remember that somewhere on that site there is a discussion on crankcase pressurization.
Don't know anything about the Command series. The older K series was considered pretty much tops at the time -- as I understand it.
Good Luck,
ford2go
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: N. Mississippi
The compression was checked by a neighbor who is a small engine mechanic and it read 140 psi which the local lawnmower repair shop confirms is a good reading.
I downloaded a service manual for this series engine and after reading through it, I see there is a "drainback valve" between the head and cylinder that can be accessed when the head is removed. I asumme this keeps oil from draining back to the crankcase? The manual is not real clear on this.
Thanks for the repiles!
I downloaded a service manual for this series engine and after reading through it, I see there is a "drainback valve" between the head and cylinder that can be accessed when the head is removed. I asumme this keeps oil from draining back to the crankcase? The manual is not real clear on this.
Thanks for the repiles!
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,971
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From: EDGEWOOD
follow the tube from the air cleaner to the plate on the block remove that plate and check the return port probabaly pluged I am expert certified with kohler start ther also are you runing 10w30 kohler has hyd lifters
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