K 181 won’t start

[DavidL 2]

After I rebuilt the engine, fixed oil an gas leaks, it ran pretty well for a few days.   Then it stalled but started up again.  Yesterday it stalled again after running for about 5-10 minutes and wouldn’t start.  I got a new plug and the spark is good.  I sprayed starter fluid in the carb, which usually does the trick. But it won’t start.  I disconnected the fuel line into the carb. So it seems like the fuel pump is Ok.  
 

Any suggestions would be most welcome.  
 

Thanks very much 

 

David

 

 

[Pullstart 66,755]

Fuel, air, spark.  Air should be a gimme.  You covered fuel with the juice.  Spark.  Is your timing on?  Try between .018” and .020” to see what works best for you.  There is such a thing as static timing, but I haven’t needed to use that method yet.

[953 nut 60,013]

8 hours ago, DavidL said:

ran pretty well for a few days.

A freshly rebuilt Kohler should start and run excellently. Your ignition points adjustment also adjusts your ignition timing.

 

Ignition timing on Kohler engines.

 

Gapping the ignition points at .020 has always been the standard answer to how points should be set. That probably will get you into the ballpark where the engine will run, but with a bit of additional effort you can improve the engine’s power and performance.

The Kohler engine manual in the Red Square files section covers two methods for setting the ignition timing, Static Timing and using a Timing Light. This manual is a relatively new manual and it overlooks the fact that many of our engines were built prior to the ACR (automatic compression release) camshaft.

Earlier engines (mostly 1965 and earlier) had a Spark Advance camshaft that can not be timed using Static timing. At rest (and very low RPMs) the timing is retarded to fire slightly after TDC. The timing mark (SP) on your flywheel is at twenty degrees before top dead center but at rest the points on these engines break about ten degrees after top dead center. The only reliable way to check or set the timing on these engines is with a timing light.

There are a couple ways to determine what camshaft you have. Presuming the camshaft in your engine is the one it was born with the data plate on the engine has a suffix that can tell you what camshaft was used. The table below will tell you the suffix applicable to your engine. The other way to determine what camshaft you have is to remove the cam gear cover and take a look. If you see a mechanism attached to the cam gear it is the ACR cam.

 

 

The following engines have the spark advance camshaft;

K-141, Suffix prior to “C”

K-161, Suffix prior to “J”

K-181, Suffix prior to “D”

K-241, Suffix prior to “D”

[DavidL 2]

Thanks.  I will try to figure it out

[WHNJ701 4,165]

had a similar issue on briggs, flywheel key had a hairline crack

[DavidL 2]

On 6/7/2020 at 10:28 PM, pullstart said:

Fuel, air, spark.  Air should be a gimme.  You covered fuel with the juice.  Spark.  Is your timing on?  Try between .018” and .020” to see what works best for you.  There is such a thing as static timing, but I haven’t needed to use that method yet.

Thanks. I will take a look. But I sprayed starter fluid into the cylinder and it didn't make a difference.

[ET160 30]

I find most problems on small engines are related to the carburetor.  I start there.

[Pullstart 66,755]

10 hours ago, DavidL said:

Thanks. I will take a look. But I sprayed starter fluid into the cylinder and it didn't make a difference.

I can relate.  You’d think the fluid would ignite with any spark, but if the timing is off, it might be too far past top dead center to make any difference... 

 

check your points again, clean ‘em with a dollar bill and play with the gap (or try static timing or with a light as suggested, I’ve never tried those)