Noobie with a B80

[Sokniw 13]

So i decided with the extent of Google Searches i have been doing for weeks i caved and decided to join the Forums. 

 

My Situation, 

I have a old Wheel Horse B-80 I do not know the year i know they were made from 74-77, it has the K181S engine on it.  has all the snowblower attachments and such, and it was my wife's grandpas (who has passed), and she wants this thing running. 

What happened? well it blew a rod, I took it all apart, not a total tear down. But it didn't go through the Block and the cylinder wall is still in good condition. 

 

So were do i go from here?

I do not care to repower it, this is for basic use, snow blowin ( i have the attachments) Ive seen some posts about it possibly having a tiller?  I like the idea of the 8hp engine being more Economical and still having the power to get the job down. 

Any rebuild kit i find online is for the K181, is it the same as the K181S, and most of the time i have 3 different sizes to choose from. Standard, +.010, +.020,+.030..

 

So if i did an engine swap, what engines would find without minor to none Modifications my wife likes to keep things original, remember this is not a repower. I can't find any used running k181 engines either.

 

Hope I'm in the right place for this and put enough information. 

[russellmc301 600]

this is surly the right place some wheel horse pros will come to here 

[953 nut 51,721]

    I always love to hear that someone is eager to have Grandpa's  working again. The only difference between the K181 and K181S is the "S" has a starter. If the engine is in real good condition as you said, a rebuild kit should do the trick, your piston probably will have a "S" stamped in the top indicating Standard, if not it will need to be measured prior to ordering a kit. You could also consider the K241 (10 HP)  or K301 (12 HP) as direct replacements. There are several engine rebuild threads on this site that have a lot of great information.

 

One thing we expect from new members here,  

[rmaynard 14,898]

The K-181 is an incredibly strong little engine. All K-181's are basically the same on the inside. Most differences are in the output size of the crankshaft. The "S" designation means electric start. My recommendation is to pull the crankshaft and have it mic'd. If it needs to be ground to the next undersize, do it. Let the machinist tell you what size replacement rod you need, and put it all back together. A rebuilt K-181 is better than any replacement you can find in today's market.

[prondzy 3,867]

I agree with rmaynard, I have a thread up for building a k161 (basically the same) in the envies forum. With the cost of parts and machining i will have my 7hp kohler running like new for $200+ my time

[JC 1965 1,528]

Hello and  

[Ed Kennell 35,799]

I need to ask the question.  Do you need a new piston. Did it run with good power and no smoke before the rod broke.

I recently replaced the rod only ($27) in an 875 that was mowing when the rod broke.    I did need to clean and measure the crankshaft to confirm it was in spec, but was able to do this without removing the crank from the block. 

                                                                to 

[Sokniw 13]

Oh yeah it ran like a champ before the "Rod Blew"  i attached a picture of what happened, it was actually being used to mow when it happened.

 

So i was going to measure make sure i get the right rebuild kit and possibly dig into it, i was hoping to get a replacement engine swap it out. and rebuild one while we had a working one in it. 

[Ed Kennell 35,799]

  Here is the rod I replaced.

[Sokniw 13]

Maybe ill give that a shot, and just replace the rod, i still need to get the bottom half of the rod out of the block, it was getting cold when i started digging into this so it was kind of left over the winter. I dont mind doing an engine swap wouldn't mind getting a little more power out of it. Some of the things people do to these are pretty crazy and cool. 

 

[Ed Kennell 35,799]

You must make sure you get all the broken parts removed and remove all the aluminum that will be galled to the crank and measure to confirm it is in spec. There are many threads on here on cleaning the crank.  Some use acid and some use emery cloth as I did.

[Pullstart 59,733]

I found a K-181 on an air compressor that had a leaking tank.  It might be worth while searching through some construction type ads on craigslist or otherwise...  Best of luck!

[roadapples 6,981]

Good luck and  

[can whlvr 991]

not to be negative but that looks like a lot of blow by on the skirt of the piston,which means rings are worn,which usually means piston will be worn and the cylinder,I would rebuild it proper if you want it to be reliable and last,after all its 40 years old,she deserves that,and it was your wifes grandpas,so you get the go ahead to make it right,of coarse that's my opinion only,but rebuild kit for 100,and 150 machine shop makes for a cheap but amazing engine that will last along time

[Ed Kennell 35,799]

  I agree , the picture does indicate blow by.   That is why I asked if it ran good without smoke.  If you do use any of the existing old parts , I repeat, they must be cleaned properly and inspected carefully to determine if they are within specs.    One caution, If you do buy a new piston, do not machine the bore until you have the new piston in hand so  the bore can be machined  to match the piston.   New pistons are not always in spec... especially those from our friends on the other side of planet earth.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

@Sokniw 

 

I just had the same thing (rod broke) on a 16 hp tractor.

I cleaned the aluminum off of the crankshaft with 50% sodium hydroxide (caustic soda, lye) because the acid WILL eat into the steel and the sodium hydroxide won't.

Care must be taken with either product, as they both will burn you big time.....

 

[prondzy 3,867]

9 hours ago, ekennell said:

  Here is the rod I replaced.

I just wanted to point out, notice the vertical grooves just above your top ring. This is a sign that your bore is out of round and might be part of the reason your rod broke (too much rocking action in the bore). I would have deffinately machined that one. Not to say that it won't run with a new rod but the kohler manual shows pictures of this type of wear as an indicator of a worn piston and bore.

[Howie 882]

Some of that above the top ring is from carbon buildup on the cylinder wall.  I have seen a lot of these worn there and have no

marks on the skirt of the piston. There is still a good chance that the cylinder is out of spec.Need to check that good along 

with the crank pin diameter.

[rmaynard 14,898]

The vertical grooves above the top ring are from pre-ignition, indicating that your timing is off slightly. They are also thought to be caused by carbon build up in the combustion chamber, but I have seen them on pistons where there is little or no carbon. They will always be on the side closest to the spark plug. These grooves usually aren't serious enough to affect the performance of the engine.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2016 by rmaynard

[Sokniw 13]

Thanks for all the Help, Definitely a lot of useful information here, makes me feel like i'm in over my head. 

 

[953 nut 51,721]

3 minutes ago, Sokniw said:

feel like i'm in over my head.

Don't give up. This is all very doable. Rebuilding an engine is a series of tasks that all can be done by anyone with a bit of mechanical ability. You have already discovered that we will offer help and guidance as needed, feel free to ask. 

[Sokniw 13]

Just now, 953 nut said:

Don't give up. This is all very doable. Rebuilding an engine is a series of tasks that all can be done by anyone with a bit of mechanical ability. You have already discovered that we will offer help and guidance as needed, feel free to ask. 

 

Yeah i would like to think i'm Mechanically Inclined, I pretty much do all my own repairs on our vehicles unless its something easy the shop can do. Sometimes repairs can be hard because i work 2 full time jobs. 

[rmaynard 14,898]

4 minutes ago, Sokniw said:

...Sometimes repairs can be hard because i work 2 full time jobs. 

I understand that. My wife always says that I can use all that time that I waste sleeping...

[Jimf413 57]

Hi

Yes you do see them now and then and the Wheel Horse B 80's are a great little tractor, I have one B 80 and a regular 8 along with my bigger C160's but the 8's are fun to drive.

My B 80 has the K1819 engine. I happened on both of these tractors In Conn last summer and If i see more at a reasonable price I will buy them.

[Sokniw 13]

Now if im looking to get a replacement engine, do i need to match years or will any year k181 work for me, I found a 84 K181 runs great, but it has the bull start on it (that i dont want). 

 

Thanks for all the help guys!