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Kohler 22 HP Dixie Chopper

B

bkent

New User
Hello!
I have a Dixie Chopper that has a 22 HP Kohler engine. Last weekend I mowed with it for 3 or 4 hours with no problems. This weekend I got ready to mow and found it sitting in a pool of oil. I couldn't tell where the oil came from. the bottom of the block had some oil on it. I thought maybe the valve covers were loose. I tighten them up (one bolt was kinda loose) put some oil in it and tried to start it. It wouldn't turn over. It acted like the battery was dead. I hit the key again and it turned over...crank a little longer the normal but it fired up and about 30 seconds and died. It cranked it again and it did the same thing. Then I notice it had been putting out a cloud of smoke. the barn was think with oil smoke and the was oil on the barn floor that looked like it had been spewing out the exhaust.
Any idea as to what has happened? Is the motor shot?

Barry in Indiana
 
Is the fuel tank higher than the engine? Sounds like the needle and seat in the carb is letting fuel by very slowly. It filled the carb and then went on to fill the crankcase. Pull the dipstick. I'm betting it is full of oil and fuel mixture. Too full.

Running it most likely caused a myriad of problems. Fuel doesn't make a very good lubricant for a running engine. Having too much liquid in the crankcase doesn't leave room for rotating parts, so they try to leave the best they know how.

The Dixie Choppers didn't use cheap engines (I thought) but it could also have suffered Kohler catastrophic failure. Look for a vertical crack in the block where the cylinder meets it.

If you find no crack, drain out the oil, fill it with new, and try it. What do you have to lose? You could even get to watch an engine blow apart - a fairly rare occurrence. When you get your new engine I would put a fuel shut off in the line and use it religiously. I would also check the oil every time I used it even if it only had 7 hours on it.
 
Hmmm as soon as I saw the pool of oil under it I checked the oil and it was barely showing on the dip stick. I added about a quart before I tried to start it.
The fuel tanks on a Dixie Chopper are not above the engine. The line comes out of the bottom of each one (one on each side of the seat) T's then run up to the fuel pump.
I will check for a crack in the block.

It doesn't sound good.

Thanks
Barry
 
Well it seems the crankcase was full of gas. The carb has a solenoid thats supposed to shut off the gas when the key is off. Guess that's not working. The Air filter assembley and carb are full of oily gas.
Do I.need a new carb or do I need the solenoid if I put a manual shut off valve on the has line and shut it.off afer each use? Carbs for this engine are expensive!

Barry
 
My understanding is that the solenoid is not to
interrupt flow to the carb bowl - it is a part of the
main jet to keep it from running on when you shut it
off. You can get a super cheap (a couple bucks) fuel
shut off at Home Depot or the like in the lawnmower
section. I have one old rider that I have to do that to.
The needle and seat has always leaked and it isn't
easy to replace that seat. I just turn off the gas each
time I shut it down.

It may have broken rings or blown out main seals.
You just won't know until you change the oil and fire
it up. Newer engines just aren't as robust as the old
ones, unfortunately.
 
If you have gas in the oil, you may have 2 problems:

The carburetor. And no, the solenoid is not a positive shutoff. If it was and the needle valve failed, as it sounds like yours has, the fuel would still come out the bowl vent which is connected to the carburetor throat in late model engines.

Has it ever backfired in the past? Maybe when you switch it off? I am wondering if you have a blown head gasket. That tends to happen when the engine backfires.

I had a Kohler in the shop that blew both head gaskets into the pushrod galley. was putting positive pressure in the crankcase and leaking everywhere.

For the oil leak you need to check the pto seal. also clean it up and maybe run it a bit and then look for an oil leak.
 
Well I mowed about an hour this evening with the Dixie Chopper.
I drained the oil, changed the filter and added new oil. I installed a fuel shut off valve in the fuel line. I cranked it over and it fired right up. Boy did the blue smoke fog out of it. I decided to mow a while and see what would happen. As the oil burned out of the muffler the smoke went away. It seems to be running good and has normal power. When I finished I shut the fuel valve off. I have more to mow when I get home tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Barry
 
I have owned several Dixie Choppers and the fuel tanks were above the carburetor on all of them.
 
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