Just wondering if others had similar experiences that I just went through. A few years ago I purchased a zero turn mower, and while I thought I got a great deal at the time, I found out otherwise after investigating a fairly significant oil leak on the Kohler engine. I knew it was leaking roughly 1/3 of a quart every time I went to mow, but just dismissed it to a gasket needing replaced. Thinking I would do a little internet search to see if others had similar (it was difficult to determine where the actual leak was) I ran into some horror stories regarding these engines (Kohler Courage). Everything from crankshaft counterweights thrown through the sides of the block, to bolts coming loose, to compression release coming apart, and cracked blocks. When I read about the compression release issue it struck a nerve, as my engine exhibited some of the same symptoms which I dismissed as a battery going bad. Upon cleaning my engine up and looking closer I discovered a small crack running from the top of the block down approx 3 inches. Not trying to scare anyone that has one of these, but just a heads up if someone has one of these engines with hard starting, or oil leaks. I suppose this engine could have been repaired, however after having the last 3 mowers with significant quality issues I opted to suck it up and take my beating and trade it for a commercial grade mower. If this one does not hold up I may have to hire someone to mow my grass. I bent over backward to avoid buying MTD products, but ended up buying a Toro with similar quality issues (this one had a deck bearing failure, idler pulley failure, and ultimately engine failure).