Kohler 23 vs 25 - which would you take?

[tonyk72]

I have a Max IV with a Kohler 20 and have the opportunity to upgrade to either a Kohler 23 or 25. The 23 is a motor that came out of a 2003 Buffalo that I recently sold and getting it back as part of the deal. It ran fine and had no issues. My old Buffalo had no hour meter, but it had minimal use. I'd be surprised if it had over 200 hours. The new owner also has a 25 HP Kohler that was pulled out of a Max IV. He offered this up to me and said I could have this one if I'd like... He is guessing about 1300 hours on this engine and said it was well maintained and ran great. The side story is he converts these to electric and has no use for the gas engines.

Given this choice, what would you guys suggest I take? Both are the Command series engines...

[JoeMeg]

Hey Tony, I have a Command 20 and a 23. Don't really notice a huge difference between the two. I think either the 23 or the 25 would be a fine choice to re-power your Max. If your replacing a Magnum flat twin that has any life left in it,I would be very interested in acquiring it. I'll keep an eye on this thread. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[msafi65]

The 25 is about 50 CC larger and probably has a 1 1/8" crankshaft that takes the bigger clutch. I would take the lower hour engine as there isn't a great deal of difference in torque or horsepower.

[sasshoc]

Honestly I got the 25hp just because with that 2 extra hp I feel safer. I know there's no real difference but it makes me feel faster and more powerful than the 23hp

[tonyk72]

I ended up taking the 23 and need some help with electrical troubleshooting. I get no spark when I have the 3 prong wiring harness from the engine hooked up. The engine starts and runs for a few seconds when the harness is disconnected. My Max IV is '96 and I assume that the ignition is the same for this and a '03 Buffalo. What am I missing?

[ARGOJIM]

On the 03 if remembering correctly, one is fuel solenoid, one is mag ground and one is regulator. If your engine is a Magnum the wire position may be different.

[tonyk72]

Thanks for the reply, the engines are both Command series. I just double checked and I am definitely getting spark with the wiring harness disconnected and no spark when I have it connected. It has to be something simple. I'm going over wiring diagrams, but I might as well be reading Chinese.

[JoeMeg]

Perhaps a low oil pressure cutout switch that is not functioning?

[tonyk72]

Looking though the Kohler service manual, the oil sentry should be right next to the carb. It doesn't look like I have it.

Update

Could this be a fuse issue? I found the wiring diagram and it looks as if there should be a 30A fuse at the end of the wiring loom toward the motor - (my Max falls between SN 11998 and 12791). It looks as if somebody cut the fuse out and spliced the white wire together with a twist-on wire cap. This setup was working with my old motor, but I'll add a fuse to be safe. But could this be the problem?

[tonyk72]

I figured it out. The three prong wiring harness coming out of my old engine vs the new engine had the wires reversed. Specifically, the ignition kill (white wire) and carb solenoid (red) were flipped around. It fired right up after I made the correction. It was quite a learning process!

One of the things I came across was that the newer motor is actually a 22 horse. Does anybody know why its marketed as a 23?