BBELL94 25 #1 Posted April 29, 2020 Just got around to changing the fluids on my new to me 417-A. Transmission fluid looked fine but when I changed the engine oil it looked like chocolate milk and smelled like gas. Previous owner claimed he changed the oil last year, but also claimed had the carburetor rebuilt last year. So the gas could have been in the crankcase from last year. Anyways, I put fresh SAE30 in and I'm gonna keep a close eye on it. But if the gasoline shows up again, what would the culprit be? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,406 #2 Posted April 29, 2020 My Onan with the fuel pump mounted on top of the engine developed a pin hole diaphragm leak, tank located on a higher elevation allowed gasoline to siphon into the crankcase. Where is the fuel pump located on your Kohler engine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZXT 2,401 #3 Posted April 29, 2020 (edited) Milky oil says water in the oil. Is the muffler pointed in such a way that it might catch rain water? Pin hole in the fuel pump diaphragm would likely be the cause of the fuel smell. I wouldn't run it much before I replaced it. Edited April 29, 2020 by ZXT 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 72,674 #4 Posted April 29, 2020 5 hours ago, BBELL94 said: gonna keep a close eye I'd run that for just a few minutes to heat things up and change it again immediately. Gas in oil is bad enough. Water is much worse. Do you keep it outside? Or the PO? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 60,007 #5 Posted April 29, 2020 7 hours ago, BBELL94 said: engine oil it looked like chocolate milk and smelled like gas. A couple of thoughts come to mind here. When the previous owner had the carburetor rebuilt last year it could have been because the needle valve wasn't working and the engine flooded allowing fuel into the oil. If he wasn't using ethanol-free gas the ethanol in the gas has an affinity for water and would have caused the milky color. That junk is also hard on the parts of a fuel system, only use non-ethanol gas. https://www.buyrealgas.com/ When the tractor has been sitting unused for a day or more do you have to crank it quite a bit to get it to start? The fuel pump is located on top of the engine and if it isn't working properly the gas will have tendency to flow back to the tank. If this is the case you could opt for a rebuild kit, http://www.then-now-auto.com/kohler-fuel-pumps-2/ or use an electric fuel pump. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBELL94 25 #6 Posted April 29, 2020 8 hours ago, ebinmaine said: I'd run that for just a few minutes to heat things up and change it again immediately. Gas in oil is bad enough. Water is much worse. Do you keep it outside? Or the PO? No, I keep it under roof and so did the PO. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBELL94 25 #7 Posted April 29, 2020 5 hours ago, 953 nut said: A couple of thoughts come to mind here. When the previous owner had the carburetor rebuilt last year it could have been because the needle valve wasn't working and the engine flooded allowing fuel into the oil. If he wasn't using ethanol-free gas the ethanol in the gas has an affinity for water and would have caused the milky color. That junk is also hard on the parts of a fuel system, only use non-ethanol gas. https://www.buyrealgas.com/ When the tractor has been sitting unused for a day or more do you have to crank it quite a bit to get it to start? The fuel pump is located on top of the engine and if it isn't working properly the gas will have tendency to flow back to the tank. If this is the case you could opt for a rebuild kit, http://www.then-now-auto.com/kohler-fuel-pumps-2/ or use an electric fuel pump. That's what I was thinking maybe the gas was in there from when the PO had the carburetor rebuilt. And no the tractor always fires right up no matter how long it sets. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBELL94 25 #8 Posted April 29, 2020 13 hours ago, bcgold said: My Onan with the fuel pump mounted on top of the engine developed a pin hole diaphragm leak, tank located on a higher elevation allowed gasoline to siphon into the crankcase. Where is the fuel pump located on your Kohler engine. The fuel pump is located on top of the engine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 60,007 #9 Posted April 29, 2020 4 hours ago, BBELL94 said: tractor always fires right up no matter how long it sets. Your fuel pump isn't a problem then. The gas probably had been there from the previous owner, just check it from time to time to reassure yourself that everything is OK. Be sure to use non-ethanol gas to avoid future problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBELL94 25 #10 Posted April 29, 2020 2 hours ago, 953 nut said: Your fuel pump isn't a problem then. The gas probably had been there from the previous owner, just check it from time to time to reassure yourself that everything is OK. Be sure to use non-ethanol gas to avoid future problems. Yes sir that's all I run is ethanol free. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
