got a kohler ????????????

[whitearrow]

whatsup fellas?i have a 10 year old craftsman lawn mower with a 16 hp kohler command engine in it.recently it has started, just on the first startup of the day,puffing a pretty good puff of smoke and then clearing but sounding real rough for about 10 mins or so.by rough i mean the engine ticks real loud for awhile then settles down and sounds good for the rest of the day.before anybody says it the oil level is at the full mark on the dipstick.i am running castrol gtx 5w30 in it as of right now and have for the whole 10 years and never a single tick at all until this year.i am thinking of trying a pure one oil filter and some rotella t syn 5w-40 in it to see if that helps out. what do y'all think is happening to my mower?

 

[Mamala Bay]

Maybe some bad fuel, do you have a fuel filter.

 

[whitearrow]

yeah it has an inline fuel filter.haven't changed it in a couple years maybe i need to.but,how would that explain the engine ticking until fully warmed up?

 

[bmwtechguy]

That Castrol 5w30 is far from what was recommended by Kohler in that engine. The oil that is recommended is basically a 10W-30 diesel-rated oil with higher anti-wear and detergent additive levels. As far as the ticking sound, that engine does have hydraulic lifters and could have an issue that is preventing quiet operation until good oil flow/pressure is established.

If it was my engine and I wanted to return it to a better state of health, I would probably put a couple ounces of Auto-Rx in it with some Rotella 5W-40 and run that for a while. It should eliminate your lifter ticking and startup smoke.

Before you ask what auto-rx is, go to their website to read. Stuff is safe and works. I have been using for years to restore older engines back to better running condition.

 

[JTK]

A common cause of excessive smoke on startup is parking nose down (on vert shaft OHV engine riders). Oil can seep from the sump into the combustion chamber very easily on these. Slightly overfilling the crankcase can also cause smoke, but it usually lasts longer than just startup. Even though Kohler recommends 10w30, I highly doubt 5w30 is an issue. The differences are too small.

Joel

 

[jorton]

If the smoke is blue, the sparkplug electrodes may be coated with deposits from the burned oil. Clean the air filter. Use Techron Concentrate in the fuel to clean deposits and change the oil to 0w-30 to clean the rings. Replace the sparkplug.

Start the mower in the dark and look for a leaking sparkplug wire.

 

[whitearrow]

thanks guys for all the great info.just to cover my a$$ here my owners manual calls for 10w-30 or 5w30.i chose the 5w30 for easier flow characteristics.i went by the auto parts store today and picked up a puralotor L10241 classic oil filter and a jug of rotella syn 5w-40.if anybody sees a problem wih this please post up before i change it to this.by the way the ticking isn't at every start up is just when i haven't started it up for a month or so.if i start it up once a week then no tick.i hope in changing the oil to a slightly thicker oil it will help it out some.

 

[dwendt44]

lifter leaking down?

 

[whitearrow]

dwendt44,what does a lifter leaking down mean?can it be fixed with a change of oil?
thanks

 

[SteveSRT8]

I've got the same engine in my old Craftsman mower. It will run forever with a bit of care, probably outlast the rest of the machine.

I vote AutoRX treatment, run with dino. And the heavier oil won't hurt anything. These are NOT high output finely tuned engines.

 

[whitearrow]

hey fellas thought you might like an update.after changing the oil and filter,rotella t syn. 5w-40 and purolator classic,the engine runs great.ticking is gone for the time being at least.only time will tell.still has a puff of smoke sometimes but only at first startup of the day.thanks for all the help fellas.