smoking kohler

[plotthound]

my friend has a toro riding mower with a 20 hp kohler courage engine.after the machine sits for a few days it smokes like crazy on startup.lots of blue smoke then it will clear up.i had a similar problem with my briggs engine and it turned out to be a head gasket.im guesing the kohler is having the same issue but have not even thrown a compression test on it.do yyou guys think I'm on the right track or could there be a simpler issue?

thanks

[hanz63]

The more common issue on the Courage singles seems to be that oil leaks from the valve cover and on to the muffler below. Once the muffler heats up they smoke the oil off and all seems pretty normal. It may be best to eliminate that first.

[bgsengine]

first verify you are losing oil and where it is going. Check oil level, is it a little overfull and/or smell like gas? then you got a carb leak causing oil overflow and breather venting to carb.. Second, look for oil dripping off the valve cover onto muffler (I assume it is a single cylinder bucket engine) - their valve cover gaskets are absolutely notorious for that and the oil collected on muffler will then heat up and burn off.. then you may wish to do a leakdown it very well could also be a leaking head gasket but actually if it is the single cylinder courage bucket engine with the V-shaped valve cover, then head gasket is unlikely to cause that issue unless it blows at the oil passage (where it feeds oil to the valves) - but as noted with so many possibilities, you really should do leak down test first before tear down.

[KE4AVB]

The more common issue on the Courage singles seems to be that oil leaks from the valve cover and on to the muffler below. Once the muffler heats up they smoke the oil off and all seems pretty normal. It may be best to eliminate that first.

Check oil level, is it a little overfull and/or smell like gas? then you got a carb leak causing oil overflow and breather venting to carb.

I second these if single cylinder setup as the cork gasket tends to leak and even using RTV sealant are to get to stay leak free. If your familiar with old automobile engines it is same problem. The Courage is known for float valve leakage.

This very first things I would check on these Courage engines.

As said both these problems are two of more common problems on these Courages. Kohler supposedly changed the valve cover to fix this problem but it basically the same cover with RTV sealant and there is float valve repair kit available to fix the leaky float valve seat.

[plotthound]

thanks guys,my bud is gonna drop it off this weekend.then I can take a look at it any time through the winter.

[Walt 2002]

I got my Kohler Command several years ago. It took spells of smoking sometimes so much I was ashamed to be seem in the yard with it. I had a friend order new rings, seals etc. They are still sitting in the original packages on my work bench. It used hardly any oil and does not always smoke. A dealer I worked for found that some new Commands did this from a crankcase breather problem. The smoke comes out the muffler, not off of it. I have and use a fuel shut off valve plus always check the oil before using so not a leaking float needle.

Walt Conner

[Fulltilt]

thanks guys,my bud is gonna drop it off this weekend.then I can take a look at it any time through the winter.

As has been mentioned, you should do a cylinder leakdown test, much better for pinpointing what is going on than a compression test.

Get a service manual here :https://power.kohler.com/na-en/engines/manuals

[hanz63]

Yep, the twins had some earlier breather issues. Coupled with a revised oil fill level.

[wristpin]

What is the value of a compression test on an engine with automatic compression release unless it can be rotated above the point where the ACR becomes inoperative? Possibly ok on a twin pot engine to compare cylinder values but otherwise fairly meaningless I would say.

[bgsengine]

What is the value of a compression test on an engine with automatic compression release unless it can be rotated above the point where the ACR becomes inoperative? Possibly ok on a twin pot engine to compare cylinder values but otherwise fairly meaningless I would say.

None other than a quicker way to see if there's any *major* leakage (or if the piston is moving) which is why everyone is recommending the leakdown test I dont see where anyone recommended or suggested a compression test