dart451 wrote:Thank you KE4AVB! I think the newness of the engine and tiller has thrown me off! I couldn't imagine anything being worn out with such a new looking machine! But, the "NO OIL" should have been a dead giveaway! Just out of curiosity, how much would your labor be on a slant OHV engine like this? I've rebuilt L- Heads but not an OHV... KE4AVB, curious...how will I see any damage by taking the head off?
Been busy and missed this.
Sometimes you can't see the damage easily but with calipers and taking at two measurements at the top, middle, and bottom of the stroke you should notice if there is considerable wear. As for labor it about the same as a L-head rebuild; same work just on a different engine.
I am working on Kawasaki that has bite me. At first it looked good at a glance (I didn't measure it) and with rocker arm locator pins broken I was thinking a case of them being broken. The customer said he loan his mower out and it came back not running; never mention it smoking before hand. It is smoking like a freight train now with the new heads. After further check I found oil in #2 cylinder so I pull the engine again. Upon pulling the head and measuring I found has minimum wear of .012 at the top of the stroke. Strange that I can't feel a wear ridge so going double check myself this morning. Any way I do know the ring end gap is way pass max specs and with the engine coming in with only 8 ounces in it and oil in the exhaust I should done a better job checking things. I assumed they just drain the oil due to leaky float valve with I did find. That I get for assuming things.
This makes the second engine in the month that has got me. The other is a Kohler that been sitting a while. The it would run as long they were putting into the intake. The fuel solenoid wires were gone, the wiring harness cut back. With this Kohler it had one those must have solenoids as the main jet is part of it. Well after getting the solenoid, cleaning the carb, and removing a half gallon of water from the fuel tank I got it started to only find that the governor is shot. This wanted only wanted the engine to run. Well it does as long as I cripple the governor to prevent extreme run away.
Boy I hate the customer keeps bring in junkers ie ones that been sitting for years because they don't to buy a new mower.
The truest measure of society is the how it treats its elderly, its pets, and its prisoners.