K181 camshaft

[Tom. 70]

Hi all,

 

Been looking at my 856 with a kohler k181s engine on it and I took the head off and saw that the inlet valve was stuck down so I took the engine off and took the sump of which had numerous parts of metal inside of it and I found that something on the camshaft had shattered causing one of the cams not to move which was the inlet valve. I have attached the pictures because you can see what I mean better. What will I need to fix this? I'm presuming I'll need to remove the camshaft, how is this done?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Tom.

[chazm 413]

From the looks of the cam its time for a rebuild. You can find a cam on flee-bay, or one of the guys will chime in if somebody has one.

Rebuild kits are on flee-bay too, around $75 -$100

 

Chasm 

[MarkPalmer 81]

The cam broke in half and will have to be replaced.  This usually happens because there is too much rod bearing to crankpin clearance, allowing the edge of the one rod bolt to hit the cam and fracture it.  K series single cylinder service manuals are available as free downloads from several sources that will tell you how to disassemble it.  The piston/rod and crankshaft have to be removed to get the cam out.  The engine likely needs a full rebuild as chasm mentioned. 

 

-Mark-

[Stigian 1,234]

Ouch Tom.. You have a pm..

[Tom. 70]

hi guys,

thanks for your help, a full rebuild it is then! Do I need a camshaft specific to a K181S?

Thanks

Tom

EDIT: Also to add is there a reason the conrod bolt hit the camshaft? Was something setup wrong?

[Anglo Traction 761]

That's a shame Tom, but there is usually always a mechanical reason why these old WHs get put away and stored for years in outbuildings.

 

Mark Palmer explained in his post what the likely cause was.

 

Certainly a full rebuild will be the best way to go, not good news on your first one, but you will have the best learning curve ever and you'll know it will be a good one in the end.

 

Complete strip down and inspection is the way to go. The rebuild kits from the US are good and reasonable considering Duty and charges, would be good to keep the original Engine.

 

Finding another good engine may be difficult. Finding a Cam in good condition may be easier, but you need to make sure you don't get a worn one ( the lobes on your broken Cam look pretty good, so take measurements from it and use them to check any replacement you find). 

 

Not familiar with K181 part numbers and if they're interchangeable, but will have a look for you if you post the Spec and Serial number from the plate

These K181 Engines are common on UK Garden Machinery, so it should not be a problem....I'll see what I can find for you. 

 

If you have any trouble finding Service/Parts Manuals online, I can E-mail you copies, just drop me a PM if required. We're all here to help each other out.

     

Regards    

 

 

 

           

[MarkPalmer 81]

You will want cam # 230155-S, this is the ACR cam used in the K181, 161, and 141. 

 

-Mark-

[Tom. 70]

Hi all,

 

I know I am reviving an old thread however on a well known auction site a K181 camshaft has appeared out of the blue and I'm considering rebuilding the engine purely to gain experience in engine rebuilds as it's something I'd like to learn about as my future career will hopefully include engine rebuilds(much bigger engines though!!)

 

I know I am going to have all of the internals out to replace the camshaft however there is one thing that is puzzling me, forgive me if it is a silly question! How will I time it up bearing it mind it will have a new camshaft in it? I have read a few threads about people installing cams but they have all re-installed the same cam and therefore have marked it but I can't do this obviously because I'm replacing it.

 

Thanks,

Tom

[oldredrider 2,553]

All Kohler cam gears are marked. Just line up that mark with crankshaft gear mark.

[woodchuckfarmer 333]

Better change the shaft the cam runs on. It maybe bent,......Wayne