How long is my rod

[Govlarry dale 34]

Hey guys, im rebuilding my 8hp,k181 i believe, but they want to know rod length. I am going 10 over on the piston so does that mean the connecting rod is the same 10 over? If Somoneone . smarter than i could help me i may get to mow with my new toy this year. Thanks

[TDF5G 2,072]

Ha ha!  Your post title is funny!   Not even gonna go there. 

 

You will need a rod that fits your crank.  If you have the crankshaft turned/reground undersized then you need the appropriate size rod, e.g. .010 under.  The length will be the same. 

Edited July 19, 2017 by TDF5G

[ACman 7,630]

.... but I definitely wasn't going to be the first to respond about the title either  .

[Govlarry dale 34]

Sounds like that should all be up to the machine shop.....thanks for clearing up my doubts and worries.....i dont want to end uo with a rod thats to short..

Thanks again

[rjg854 11,906]

Excuse me 

[19richie66 17,583]

Well imagine checking the "new content" posts and seeing these two come up in this order 

[EricF 589]

I never know what I'm going to find here...

[Sarge 3,464]

Any time an engine is going to get a full rebuild the measuring work should be done by the shop that is doing all the machine work - fitting/sizing a rod is a very specific machinist's job as well as fitting/boring the piston bore . If done correctly , the engine will last a very long time with no issues - if not , it won't last long at all and can potentially do a lot of damage or just plain blow up , rendering it junk for even a core . It takes a lot of experience to properly use micrometers and such tools - many novices make simple mistakes that cost a lot of money later . The added expense of having a proper machine shop do the work is sort of money towards a warranty - just make sure they are specifically geared toward rebulding small engines....that is important . I have a shop locally that specializes in rebuilding Kohler engines and stocks a huge supply of factory rebuild parts - no aftermarket parts are allowed in their rebuilds , but you do pay a premium for that although I have yet to ever hear of a failure of one of their rebuilds . You really do get what you pay for ....

 

Sarge

[CasualObserver 3,410]

just had to put these two posts back side by side 

[TDF5G 2,072]

  I'm laughing out loud at the replies here!  

 

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

It's funny how a bunch of old guys can take something so innocent and almost make it sound dirty. Good work.

I'm still laughing hard

[WHX?? 50,791]

You'll have to excuse the guys here Gov ... they're good fellas but they don't get out much and it doesn't take much to entertain them.

Hope you got your question answered!

[tunahead72 2,518]

5 hours ago, CasualObserver said:

just had to put these two posts back side by side 

 

How about this one Jason?

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/27060-how-do-you-measure-your-deck/

 

And what Jim just said is so true!

[TDF5G 2,072]

56 minutes ago, WHX11 said:

You'll have to excuse the guys here Gov ... they're good fellas but they don't get out much and it doesn't take much to entertain them.

Hope you got your question answered!

  It's like an episode of Blue Collar TV. 

[953 nut 58,065]

On 7/19/2017 at 9:45 AM, Govlarry dale said:

they want to know rod length.

             the information they are looking for is the center to center distance from the crankshaft center line to the wrist pin center line of the connecting rod, best to let them measure it.

The reason they need this information is that the K-181 block is the same as the K-161 which has a 1/4" shorter stroke and the K-161 rod is 1/8" longer to compensate for the shorter stroke.

As you have already figured out, we are very concerned with shorter strokes and longer Rods!           

       Thanks for giving us an enticing title to comment on!     

[Govlarry dale 34]

Thanks sarge....buy unfortunately thats my problem now just finding a good machine shop. I have a guy that done a lot motor cycle work for me but he wont do small engine work. So if anyone know of one around Kalamazoo Mi. Let me know.... And pictures well i dis just get started but heres one....thanks

[WHX?? 50,791]

Yes finding that good machine shop is always a problem. Seems no one wants to do small engines anymore.  @stevasaurus has one near him (north IL)  that he swears by and has good prices but you would have send it out which probably isn't too cheap..... unless you get the right flat rate box? Just thinkin out loud there.

[stevasaurus 23,089]

My guy in St. Charles, Ill. is about 4 hour drive from Kalamazoo...it might not be too bad to mail it.  I would get a hold of @Kelly in Charlotte, Mi. and see if he has one...maybe in Lansing.  Send him a PM. 

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

@Govlarry dale I did a post about machine shops in michigan. There is a shop here in michigan .THIS IS A QUOTE FROM IT.  Shannon's machine shop for any machining you need.  They are in Montrose, MI and are very reasonable, but I would recommend you have the replacement piston and rod in hand when you take the work in.

 

here is the post

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/62965-machine-shops/#comment-590494

[Govlarry dale 34]

Thing is i need mesurements before i can order parts

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

The machine shop can do all the measurements  and tell you what to order. That's what I'd do.

If you have a inside gage to measure the piston cylinder and micrometers to check crank and cam go for it. I don't have those tools so I would rely on them to tell me what I need to order.

[ericj 1,578]

is the old rod broken ? is that why you think you need a measurement ? 

 

 

 

 

eric j

[squonk 42,611]

9 hours ago, CasualObserver said:

just had to put these two posts back side by side 

Meanwhile, I put a post in the chatbox reminding Steve to aim for the right kind of ball while golfing and it gets removed! 

Edited July 20, 2017 by squonk

[WHX?? 50,791]

Family site here people... even tho I love good adult humor 

 

Yes Bob E is correct, the machine shop would/should take all the measurements and then tell you what to order. A really good shop would say "we'll get what you need" but in these days that's rare and you might pay more for it. 

Here's another thought, can you reach out to a member in your area who is versed in measuring.....use the member map and PM.

[ACman 7,630]

22 hours ago, squonk said:

Meanwhile, I put a post in the chatbox reminding Steve to aim for the right kind of ball while golfing and it gets removed! 

 

... @squonk I don't get it either ? When I seen the title for this thread I laughed and thought oh boy here we go . For sure I thought some sort of action would have been taken . Go figure !

 

I love the "play on words" intentional or not. Was I offended by it...NO ! I'm dirty minded , very sarcastic and joking around with my friends gets me through the day. I guess the answer is...we'll never no   . Now I just go with the flow .

 

@Govlarry dale as far as a good machine shop try going to your local garden tractor or agricultural dealer and see who they use . Also try your local Napa or CarQuest as some have machine shops too .

Edited July 21, 2017 by ACman