To rebuild or not rebuild?

[Drano78 0]

I have a B-100 that my grandpa recently gave me he had stashed away. The motor knocks really bad and was thinking of having it rebuilt. It is either a 12 or 14 hp Kohler(I'm not at home to check right now). I know its been rebuilt once, so I'm wondering how much life it would have left in it. I found a guy locally that said he can do a complete rebuild for a maximum of 480.00 (depending on what all it needs once he gets into it). I want to restore this and use it as my go-to mower if it's feasible. Thanks guys.

[Kelly 1,033]

Welcome, and if the orig. engine it will be a 10hp, under $500 is not bad for a good complete rebuild, if done right with quality parts.

[condo630 7]

To rebuild or not rebuild?

I don't have a ton of experience rebuilding motors, but I'd say as long as the block is not cracked, go for it!

Personally, I'd look for another motor or rebuild myself. $480 seems like a lot, but I am rather cheap. I would think you could probably get a decent motor for that. Although, you might save money by rebuilding yourself, depending on what machine work is needed. A quick search is showing the rebuild kit is available for under $100, but you may also need the crank ground if it is knocking and you may want the cylinder re-bored.

I don't know your Grandpa, but mine would have loved seeing me rebuild one of his machines. :hide:

[tunahead72 2,546]

I haven't personally rebuilt any engine since shop class in high school, and that was a way long time ago, so please keep that in mind as I give you my 2 cents worth here.

From my point of view as a long-time Kohler owner, one of the great beauties of these engines is that they CAN be rebuilt, more than once if desired. They can typically be bored up to .030" over the original bore, parts and kits are still readily available (either genuine Kohler or aftermarket, your choice), and they're pretty straightforward to work on. If your particular engine has only been rebuilt once, it's quite possible it could be done again.

If you decide to have somebody else do it, make sure you're comfortable with the guy you hire. Ask a lot of questions up front about what work needs to be done, what kind of parts he's planning to use, what that $480 will cover, what might cost extra, anything you can think of. Try to get references from him, ask him if he works on Kohlers on any kind of regular basis, look around his shop and see what else he's working on. And if you don't get complete answers that make you feel good about the whole thing, consider walking away from the situation for a while, maybe try to find somebody else.

I personally lean toward having these engines rebuilt when I can, which usually means when time and money allow. I agree with both Kelly and condo630, $480 is a lot of money, but it's probably a fair price IF you're getting a "good complete rebuild, done right with quality parts".

I've had three Kohlers rebuilt over the years -- the first two were done by a guy who spent most of his working life servicing Wheel Horses, and I would hire him in an instant if he hadn't retired and simply refuses (can't blame him for that, I hope to be able to do the same thing when the time comes ).

The last rebuild ... didn't work out so well.

Which leads me to suggest another option for you. If you have time, and mechanical skills, you could consider rebuilding the engine yourself -- it's what I hope to do next time. You might save some money, but don't count on it unless you're really disciplined. And I wouldn't take this decision lightly, especially if you honestly don't have the time or skills to make it work. But you can download a service manual from the Kohler web site, and there's lots of helpful guys on this forum willing to help you along if you decide to take that route. For me, the knowledge gained, and personal satisfaction, will be huge factors -- you'll have to make your own call, just puttin' it out there.

Another piece of advice (I'm just full of it tonight...) -- try to keep your overall goal in sight as you work on this tractor. You mentioned you want to "restore" it and make it your "go-to" mower, both admirable qualities, and quite feasible. You can make it really pretty, a worker, both, or anything in between. Try to decide on a direction early, stick to it if you can, but be flexible, you never know what you're going to find!

Good luck, hope it all works out for you, and your grandpa!

[Coadster32 793]

Alot of good advice already. Kohlers K-series are difinatly worth rebuilding. If you are a bit handy, the manuals are avail. on-line for free. I'd say, give it a whirl. You'll appreciate it much better, and save a bunch of money. If you wait untill it really breaks, it'll cost you more. Of course, you have to give of your time, scratch your head, and get some dirty hands in the process. Either way, good luck.

[rmaynard 16,333]

Like Kelly said, the stock engine should be a K241S, 10HP. Many of the K241S engines were built using K301 (12HP) blocks.

If the engine rebuilder is competent, I would agree that $450 is not a bad price for a good rebuild with quality parts. I recently rebuilt a K241S and my cost was about $325.00 using mostly aftermarket parts. I did all the labor except machine work myself.

I'd say go for it. The B-100 is a great tractor.

[VinsRJ 723]

:hide:

If you measure the bore you may be able to get away with just a hone, which you can do yourself and save some cash. Not to mention you can re-use the piston. Make sure to measure the crank and crank end of the rod prior to re-using those parts. The only thing that may stop you from completing the entire rebiuld yourself are the valves should the seats need to be re-cut. Good luck.

[can whlvr 994]

i too agree that 480 isnt really too much cash,will he garantee it for any amount of time,what exactly is he going to do,i assume a total rebuild,i just did a 241 when rmanard did his and ive got about 400 into mine and i did it my self,so i dont get any warranty

[DoctorHfuhruhurr 137]

Personally I'd swap in a 10hp Chinese diesel or find another similar tractor with a good used engine and use one for parts. The fuel savings on a diesel will be substantial over time.

[shorts 182]

If it's a restoration you have to decide is it a true restoration or is it a worker to keep and use. if it has sentimental value and you decide to keep it original rebuild the engine, have it bored oversize if necessary if not then a good hone job and new rings will work for the cylinder, replace the rod their known to break and that's probably the knock problem, have the valves done including guides snd seats if necessary and reassemble it your self, take your time use the factory manual and keep everything clean. if you get your hands dirty while assembleing the engine it's not clean.

If it's a user a replacement engine might be the answer, maybe even a diesel conversion. you are the one that has to be happy with the end result :hide:

[Drano78 0]

Thanks for the replies. The diesel conversion sounds interesting, I'm going to do some looking in to that. Unfortunately this project is going to have to go on the backburner for a while...I live in Joplin,MO & as you can guess have my hands full with clean-up, etc....

[Duff 206]

Thanks for the replies. The diesel conversion sounds interesting, I'm going to do some looking in to that. Unfortunately this project is going to have to go on the backburner for a while...I live in Joplin,MO & as you can guess have my hands full with clean-up, etc....

Oh, man - my heart goes out to you folks! You got clobbered bad! Prayers sent from New Hampshire.....

Duff :hide:

[tunahead72 2,546]

Unfortunately this project is going to have to go on the backburner for a while...I live in Joplin,MO & as you can guess have my hands full with clean-up, etc....

Yeah, I would guess so.

Take care of your home/family/whatever, your Wheel Horse will be there when you're ready ... and we'll be waiting, too!

Good luck!

[416/520 0]

If you measure the bore you may be able to get away with just a hone, which you can do yourself and save some cash. Not to mention you can re-use the piston. Make sure to measure the crank and crank end of the rod prior to re-using those parts. The only thing that may stop you from completing the entire rebiuld yourself are the valves should the seats need to be re-cut. Good luck.

So, is the piston bore gauge something you have to buy,or can it be borrowed or rented from an auto supply store?. I located an awesome rebuild thread for the Onan twins,and it looks like I need to evaluate things before just plunging in.

At least I have a reliable substitute engine in the tractor,so mowing can continue..