16 hp. kohler

KENIND

Member
I have a problem, I have a k341 thats knocking. I shut her down before the rod went through the block. I know she is old but shes got a ton of sentimental values to me. Are parts still readily acvailible foe these old girls? I am sure I'll need a rod and piston and aal the gaskets to frebuild her. Am I talking a ton of money? It's been a loooong time since I had to buy parts for an engine. Shes in a 1650 Cub Cadet. This is the first cadet Dad bought. So I reallywant to get her going again..... Kenny
 
I think the parts are available both thru Kohler and aftermarket. With a new piston, connecting rod, rings and gaskets you are probably going to be between $150 and & $200 for parts. I don't remember what the machine shop cost would be to boil the block, bore the cylinder, regrind the rod journal on the crank. You just as well have them grind or replace the valves and grind the seats if possible or put new seats in.
Parts are available on ebay thru numerous stores.
I am sure someone will have more accurate numbers than me. If you do the wrenching yourself, you can save some money. Service manual is available to download from Kohler if you want to see how big of a job it is.
 
Parts for any Kohler K or M Series engine are readily available through any authorized Kohler dealer or from aftermarket suppliers on e-Bay for much less money than OEM.

Rebuilding your engine is the smart thing to do because it keeps the tractor original and it is the least expensive way to restore the power it once had. It is also the least labour intensive method as well.

If you are capable of removing the engine from the tractor and at least stripping off all the sheet metal, starter, coil and flywheel; the local machine shop can take it from there.

I can understand the logic behind boiling the block of an engine with water cooling passages and oil galleries used in pressure lubrication but these engines are air cooled and splash lubricated. Perhaps I am missing something here on this issue. If so, then please explain.

The engine needs to be torn down first and measured to see what needs to be done. Most likely, the cylinder will need to be bored due to being out of round as well as having a slight taper to it. That work should be performed first to see whether a 10, 20 or 30 thou oversize piston and ring set is needed.

The throw on the crankshaft must also be checked and if there is wear, then it will have to be ground undersize and the appropriate sized connecting rod purchased. Again, this work should be performed first to make sure the crank throw cleans up as expected.

New valves, valve guides and valve springs are often needed if the engine hours are high. A new governor gear is a must because these often fail on rebuilt engines when ignored during the rebuilding process. The balance gears should either be replaced with brand new ones or discarded totally because if an old balance gear lets go, then kiss your engine goodbye.

The camshaft should be profiled to make sure the lobes are in spec and that it is not twisted. The cylinder head should be checked for warpage and milled flat if needed and the cylinder deck (top of block) should also be checked in order to avoid head gasket issues. The crank end bearings rarely fail but they should be examined for any signs of damage due to lack of lubrication. Of course, new seals and gaskets are also needed. Quite often, new head bolts are a good idea because old head bolts loose their tensile strength due to age and heat cycles.

If the rebuild is performed properly, then you can expect another 2000 plus hours of use from this engine if you change the oil every 25 hours MAX and stick with straight 30 weight oil. These old Kohlers are torque monsters that can easily compete with much higher HP modern OHV twin engines for raw power.

Find a competent machine shop that is skilled in rebuilding the Kohler K and M engines and then work with them closely. Be sure to get references from people they have done work for such as local lawnmower shops that do not have in-house machine shop facilities. The quality of the rebuild is only as good as the person who is performing the work.
 
Parts prices from Kohler will make you think twice about rebuilding it. I have been using the aftermarket kits brought in by Rotary and sold by a host of retailers and have had zero problems with them save one.Do not order the kit until you know what size piston you need and if you need and undersized rod. The oversize pistons are just a smigeon smaller than OEM. It's no big deal, just don't have the block bored until your machinist has the piston in his hands. A complete lit with piston, rod, valves and misc needed items is $120 on ebay.
 
As long as the crank isn't to far gone I'd rebuild it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ENGINE-REBUILD-KIT-for-KOHLER-16HP-K341-and-M16-with-an-actual-16hp-rod-not-12hp-/121321472437?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3f52c1b5

I've used the above seller several times on K301 and K321 engines. For $113 with gaskets, rod, piston and rings you can't do much better. The parts kits are mix of Kohler and Stens. I'd take it apart an send it to the machine shop first so you know if you need an undersized rod or oversized piston. You also might check - if this has the plastic governor gears (most likely) I'd replace them too. He also has kits that include the valves - much cheaper in the kti than ordering them seperately.
 
I just built a K241. (12 hp.)
$45 grind crank .020
$100 bore cylinder .010
$45 .020 aftermarket rod.
Approx $125 Ebay overhaul kit. (Stens/Rotary brand)
$45 Ebay main crank bearings
Approx $150 bearings/spacers for the counterweights and condenser and one head stud.
About $510 not counting labor.



I did an Magnum16 about two years ago and the parts bill was about $800 with all genuine Kohler stuff, used std crank and did not bore the engine, but it got a new starter and a new camshaft. Just the starter and cam were over $300 of that total.

I don't want to discourage you from building your engine, just be aware of the costs involved.
 
You may be able to find a new short block that's what I installed on a JD 140 in 1981. The new short block was $300.00. Hal
PS: You will need all those numbers off the fan shroud.
 
A lot of that depends on your machine shop. I can usually get a bore and grind job done for about $75. The overhaul kit sounds high for not having the rod.

The other issue is while $510 sounds high - check out a replacement engine - if you can find one. Add another $1000 to $1400 depending on the engine.
 
Why on earth would you throw the balance gears out. I put a 10 hp Kohler with no balance gears on a log splitter and it vibrated like the dickens. I pulled it off and put balance gears in it and it was a different engine. I seems like it surely would not be the best to having a vibrating engine on his tractor. They're a little rattily alright but I surely think it's worth it. JMHO
Irv.
 

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