Hustler Kohler engine problems

[kunzmm137]

I recently purchased a hustler with the 16 hp Kohler engine. The engine had not been run for at least a few years. I have gotten it to run, but it runs a bit erratic, and does not rev up very easily, usually sputters a bit. Once it is at full throttle, it will run fine, but may backfire while slowing down. It seems to idle ok, but stalls easy when I give it throttle. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

[Mike]

If you haven't already change the fuel, fuel filter, fuel lines, spark plugs, air filter...a basic tune-up. Then if that doesn't help, try cleaning the carb. I'm sure the problem is a gunked up fuel system somewhere. A good tune-up won't hurt anyway and isn't very expensive. Good luck.

[jpswift1]

Do everything that Mike said, and check around on ebay for parts if you need. The Kohler K341 is a great motor and it is very common among the guys that restore old tractors and tractor pullers too. I hear that you can build those motors up to 25HP pretty easily too.

[argohunter]

You can download an engine manual from the Kohler site which is a great resource. Follow Mike's advice. Don't overlook the condenser. It can cause some of the symptoms you mentioned. Also if the condenser has a bad connection wire or poor contact at the connection, it can also act up. This is assuming you don't have CDI ignition.

[jpswift1]

Hey Argohunter, good idea! I believe the K341 is a points/condenser engine. Here is the manual:

http://www.kohlerengines.com/common/resources/tp_1346_c_all.pdf

[argohunter]

sixbysix4me,

Yeah it is but some folks have converted to breakerless ignition and it was also offered by Kohler in some applications.

[jpswift1]

Argohunter, that would probably make cold starts easier I would imagine. That is a good idea for an upgrade for sure.

[argohunter]

Yes cold starts would be easier but it's still cheaper to maintain than converting to CDI I think. Suprisingly I have only had to replace a condensor twice on a 1985 Kohler and I am still running the original points in one of my JD tractors that gets a lot of hard use. I like the cast iron K-series. I wish they still made them.

[kunzmm137]

Thanks for the tips

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I have already changed the spark plug, condenser, checked the points, using new fuel and oil, and cleaned the carb once. I think I will tear down the carb and fuel pump one more time and give them a cleaning, and try to readjust the carb needles. I will try a few things this evening, and see how it turns out. I will post the results tonight. Thanks again for the advice, Mike

[kunzmm137]

getting better

I just got done for the night messing with the engine. While cleaning the carb I found that the needle that is operated by the float was a little sticky. I got this freed up and put it back together. It is running better, but still not perfect. It seems to want a little choke in order to rev up quickly. I tried to richen the mixture. This helps it rev from idle, but it kills the top end of the rpm range. Also, no matter where the mixture is set, the exhaust will start to glow orange after a minute of full throttle. If anyone has more advice or comments, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks, Mike

[6X6]

Hmm, if your exaust is glowing after a short run, you may be a bit lean on the top end. If it still does it when you open the needle more that would lead me to believe there is another obstruction somewhere. If it's blocked off more than the needle should be, you can't richen it up untill it's unblocked. Did you make sure to open all the little passages everywhere? A piece of High strength (THICK!)MONO fishing line works great at cleaning passages withoug damaging the surface and changing the size of critical jet and needle openings. Also make sure all the gaskets are good. An airleak can cause some of the worst tuning problems.

[Amphiman1]

kohler

might be sticky rings too?

[kunzmm137]

still working on it

After a little more messing around with the engine, I think the mechanical fuel pump may be weak. It runs better if I hold the fuel jug higher in the air, thus giving more fuel pressure using gravity. But this still did not help the exhaust from glowing after only a short run of full throttle. I removed the muffler to check if it was plugged, and it was not. I started the engine without the muffler, and it had 3 to 4 inch blue flames firing out the pipe, with an occasional large flame that came out with a backfire. This explains the exhaust getting so hot, but I don't know what is causing these flames. I put the muffler back on and ran it, and looking into the exhaust outlet, you can see the inside of the muffler completely filled with flames. I am not exactly sure what to look for next.

[kunzmm137]

is timing adjustable?

Does anyone know if the timing is adjustable on this engine, I think it may be too far retarded, which could be causing the exhaust to overheat.

[kunzmm137]

Got it running

I finally figured out the engine problem with my Kohler engine. The screw to adjust the points gap had vibrated loose, so it was getting intermittent spark. I fixed this, and it runs great now. Thanks to everybody who posted suggestions, it was very much appreciated. I am very happy to bring this old Hustler back to life.