Engine oil level service bulletin # 389

[Road-Track 39]

Looking at this service bulletin surprised me a little.

Wheel Horse Service Bulletins 1961 - 1990: #389

Issued: December 1985 Kohler Single Cylinder Engine Dipstick - Used on Wheel Horse Tractors - 1986 300/400 Series

It seems the later Kohler engines had a oil level sensor. It would fail sometimes when the oil level was within the marks and keep the tractor from starting.

The fix was a shorter dipstick with new marks or scribe new marks:

2.2 As a temporary measure, relocate the "ADD" and "FULL" marks on the longer 47-038- 16 dipstick (Fig. 2). Scribe a new "ADD" mark one (1) inch up the dipstick from the original "ADD" mark and a new "FULL" mark 7/8 inch up the dipstick from the original "FULL" mark. The engine oil "safe operating range" is between the newly scribed marks.

This changed the oil capacity from 2.0 quarts to 2.5 quarts

2.3 Add approximately one (1) additional pint of oil to bring oil level to full mark on dipstick. This additional oil brings the total engine oil capacity to 2 1/2 quarts (2.37 liters).

• Does this mean that kohler engines with the smaller "shaker" oil pan can take an extra pint (1.5 quarts to 2.0 quarts)?
  
• Does overfilling 1 pint hurt anything?
  
• Can this sensor be added to older engines
  

As you can tell I have run into the fatal low oil conditional in the past

ServiceBulletin_WH61-90_389_851200_Kohler_Dip_Stick_1986_300_400_single_cylinder.pdf

[MalMac 1,332]

To me this is a little confusing. On the ones with the smaller oil pans I think it would add too much oil. I would contact Kohler directly or even Toro, but now a days Toro is usually no help at all toward Wheel Horse questions. The sensor that I am aware of was on the magnums. Was threaded in the deep oil pans. They have had trouble with the sensor float coming apart and causing some engine problems. I know of this first hand. I myself will be taking the oil sensors out of mine. Now there may be another sensor that was used on the older K series that I don't know about. Only seen them on the Magnums. Thanks for bringing it up.

[fourwheels0 191]

i have a 1986 312-A with a kohler k series that has the oil sensor.

i can't get mine to start (no spark). maybe my sensor is bad also.

[can whlvr 994]

i was taught to check oil level every day of use,and more if you use the tractor for long periods of use,like snow blowing for several hours

[Duff 206]

I've got three Magnums (two 12's and a 10) and have taken the oil sensors out of all of them because of the problems I've read about here over the past few years. I run all three about 1/2 quart over the "full" mark because I have some slopes I have to climb with the tractors, and like Don says, I check the oil faithfully. With many hours of operation on all of them, I've had no problems with blow-by, leaks or other oil issues. JMHO.....

Duff :thumbs:

[Tankman 3,523]

i was taught to check oil level every day of use,and more if you use the tractor for long periods of use,like snow blowing for several hours

After using the tractor(s) the Grandson asks, "Why do you park the Horses in the barn with the hood open?"

"Reminds me to check the oil before I use it again." He gets it now. :-)