proper governor hook up

[JUSS10 250]

i need some help to get my governor hooked up correctly on my 704. the previous owner did this:

can i get a picture of how its supposed to go? i have the kohler service manual but i don't quite get how it works. thanks

[pfrederi 18,696]

The throttle cable should hook to the speed control disk that is around the governor shaft where it enters the engine. See page 6-27 in the manual. The throttle bracket is mounted wrong. It should go behind the speed control disk. On your set up they have bent it and put it under a head bolt. Too late for picture today. will try tomorrow.

[JUSS10 250]

is there anything i need to know about removing the governor arm to mount the bracket correctly?

[linen beige 15]

Go to this link.. http://www.kohlerengines.com/manuals/landing.htm

Fill in the boxes for finding manuals and click on "service" for the K161 engine. That opens a PDF file of the service manual. The throttle connection is covered at 6.41.

I may be able to get you a pic or two of my 704 in the next couple days if you still need some help.

[Buzz 502]

Click here for the manual: http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/tp_2379.pdf

The section on the governor starts on page 6-26.

[katwoman012 0]

I'm having governor problems too. I have a 416-8 riding mower and I had no idea the wheelhorse was so. . . collectible?? Anyhow, the throttle knob where I control engine speed won't stay up, and I keep getting rising and falling rpms. I tried to clean up as far as I could reach without taking everything apart, and I did get the mower to start but in order to use it, I have to hold the throttle control knob up. Which doesn't sound like its too good for the engine. I know next to nothing about the mechanics of my Horse, but I'm willing to try to figure it out.

[JUSS10 250]

anybody get a chance to take a picture yet? thanks

[linen beige 15]

I was out of town most of today, but will try to get some pics in the (monday) morning, before I go out of town for the day.

[JUSS10 250]

sounds great thanks

[pfrederi 18,696]

Angle of the mounting controls top end speed.

Click Thumbnail for full size

[JUSS10 250]

thanks, thats how i got mine hooked up now. still doesn't feel like it kicks in but its tough to tell without a good load on it. thanks for the picture!

[Duff 206]

I'm having governor problems too. I have a 416-8 riding mower and I had no idea the wheelhorse was so. . . collectible?? Anyhow, the throttle knob where I control engine speed won't stay up, and I keep getting rising and falling rpms. I tried to clean up as far as I could reach without taking everything apart, and I did get the mower to start but in order to use it, I have to hold the throttle control knob up. Which doesn't sound like its too good for the engine. I know next to nothing about the mechanics of my Horse, but I'm willing to try to figure it out.

katwoman, first ! Glad to have you aboard!

I think your question may have gotten lost in this post, so I might suggest you start your own thread titled something like "Help with 416-8 throttle/governor problems?", and resubmit what you did in this post.

Although many (most?) of us try to read everything that gets posted here at RS, if we get busy we may focus more on the machines we have some knowledge about. I'll bet someone will spot your heading and come along to try to help you out fairly soon! Just from what you posted, it sounds more like a loose linkage issue more than a governor problem. While you are holding the throttle in one position with the machine running does the engine rise and fall, or just when you let go of the throttle and it sinks back down and you pull it back up again?

You've got yourself a really fine machine - well worth working on and solving the problem(s). Wheel Horses are not only collectible, they are as tough as nails and more reliable than just about anything built today.

Duff :D

[linen beige 15]

Sorry for the delays. The wife had our camera in her purse, and she was out of town all day too. <_<

Here's some pics of the governor set up on my 704.

Ignore the cobwebs I think I last started it in the spring of '08.

This pic's for Lord Helmutt. See, I told you I have a 706!

[katwoman012 0]

DUFF, thanks for your input. The throttle won't stay up without being held in place, and if I let go, it slides down and the engine wants to stall before it's even halfway down. If I hold it in place at the very top in second, my horse runs but feels like its not going 100%. If I put it in third holding the throttle up, she will take first place at Kentucky Downs and darn near throw me, while I'm holding the wheel with one hand. Sorry, its taking me awhile to figure out how to maneuver in here. Kat

[rickv1957 75]

Hello and Kat,I think the tension can be tightened on throttle to fix that,if your motor does not run properly it may need a tune up and/or a carb cleaning to get it up in shape, Rick

[katwoman012 0]

Rick, thanks for the encouragement. I sure hope all the combined knowledge I see on this site can help my horse. I took off the air filter (I'm flying blind here) and followed the rod from the throttle knob. There's a screw where a small rocker arm goes up or down, in conjunction with the up/down move of the throttle knob, which moves another arm to the side, moving another rod at the front by the large spring, where the line doubles back to the throttle. Everything seems to be moving freely but when I let go of the knob, the part I see slipping back is the lower rod under the throttle knob where the whole thing reconnects to the throttle knob. My apologies for not knowing the terminology, but I don't have any original paperwork and the local lawn & garden repair guy is telling me the machine is too old to do anything with. I don't agree. I will figure it out if it can be explained to me.

[rickv1957 75]

Kat,I looked at my 417 which has the same thottle lever as your 416,at the pivit point of throttle lever just behind dash(this is where you have lost tension) try to compress pivit with a pair of vice grips to restore tension,if that wont do it,replace that part,Rick

[Duff 206]

.....the local lawn & garden repair guy is telling me the machine is too old to do anything with. I don't agree.

Katwoman, first, kudos to you for trying to work through this hopefully minor problem. I think Rick's suggestion is a good one.

And as to that lawn & garden guy.....since this is a family site and we generally frown on bashing other people here, I'll keep my thoughts on that....individual.... to myself!

Duff :wh:

[katwoman012 0]

Finally a day without rain that coincides with not having to go to work!!! Before I turn any screws or move someting that might cause more problems, I took a hard look at Linen Beige's 704 pics, and even though the machines are different, it looks like the end result may be based on the same principle. So I am starting small. At the front of my horse, there's a spring, very very old and rusty. It seems to be the pivot point (halfway mark?) from where the initial connection to the throttle knob turns back around and runs back to the throttle arm, where it's attached to the throttle directly under the first connection. WOW, I hope everyone has a sense of humor. Just wait until I try installing support jacks in the basement!!

Anyway, that coil spring looks like the ends which are hooked into those sliding arms will break right off if/when I try to remove the coil spring. The coil spring itself is about 2" long, about a half inch in diameter, & from the point where each end of the coil spring is hooked into one of those sliding arms, the spring measures 2 1/2". Armed with No schematics and foolish determination, I am thinking I'll try to replace that spring first, before I try to figure out what is adjustable. The only thing that looks like it can be moved, turned or changed is that one screw right next to that 1" metal piece that moves in an up-to-sideways position, & when in a layingsideways position, moves one of the arms side to side. Am I at least on the right track or wasting my time. :D

[linen beige 15]

Just wait until I try installing support jacks in the basement!!

Let Jack out of that basement, and tell him to get a job and support himself!

But seriously, Rick's advice to pinch the pivot on the throttle lever itself should solve your problem. There should be some resistance to the lever when you move it up and down.