njdpo 10 #1 Posted July 25, 2011 Hi all, I'm opening a new thread on a related issue I'm having with a K181S that I've been working on (Wheel Horse - Commando 800). KOHLER ENGINE / MODEL: K181S / SPEC: 30461D / SN: 4110321 Recently I replaced a cylinder head gasket and while doing so gave the block/piston/valves/head a very needed cleaning (carbon build up was very severe ). I noticed that the carbon deposits on the top most portion of cylinder wall was very heavy (where the rings did not touch), particularly on the valve side of the flat head motor. So heavy in fact - that it has worn the piston crown (nearest the valves) out of round. I do not recall seeing the blue smoke before cleaning up the heavy carbon deposits. I was able to scrape the heavy carbon ring off the cylinder wall and clean the engine up nicely. Since then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH nut 553 #2 Posted July 25, 2011 When you open it up, you will have to measure the cylinder bore and crank to make sure they are serviceable and what size you need for parts. If everything is STD size and with in specs you can just freshen it up. If not you will need some machince work. Dont over look the valves and quides. Now if you just want to replace the worn pistion, check size and order a kit with the correct size. Sterns has a kit for the K181 for about 75 bucks with everything you need plus the CD with the Kolher manual. This will not be a rebuild and it wont be factory new but it will get you by for many years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shorts 182 #3 Posted July 26, 2011 If you decide to open the engine up to freshen it up, find an automotive machine shop that can properly clean, measure and evaluate your engine parts and give you an expert evaluation and estimate for machine work, their should be no charge to measure and estimate costs if you have disassembled the engine yourself. If you need a new piston it would pe prudent to assume that you should bore the engine oversize and have a complete valvejob done including recondition/replace the valve guides, seats and valves as required, the crank may only need to be pollished but replace the connecting rod and main bearings just because you're in there. your complete rebuilt engine should be as good or better than new if you take your time and follow the manual step by step. engine manuals are available online @ kohler engines or in print from your local kohler engine dealer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
