mrc 887 #1 Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) hi men, i gave my buddy harry a C161 hydro wh tractor many years ago. shaker mounted kohler. he uses it strictly for mowing. he loves it. he maintains it well.. finally the connecting rod broke. inside the piston it is stamped 'WALTER' inside the conncecting rod are the words 'SAINT BIRD' i wired wheeled the top of the piston. not much carbon buildup after all these years. looks like it is stamped .025 or just 025.. that seems odd as i always thought oversized pistons were in .010 inch increments. like .010, .020, .030 etc. also i measured piston just under bottom ring and it measures 3.750. i'm guessing the connecting rod and piston are aftermarket? harry reports cylinder looks great, no ridge at top. what is a good source for connecting rod? i should mention engine tag says: K341AS spec -n 71246a s/n 9516176 thank you in advance for any help mike in mass. Edited August 3, 2022 by mrc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 58,698 #2 Posted August 3, 2022 If you get lucky there could be a NOS rod on . @Ed Kennell has a batch of NOS Kohler parts and i Save Tractors is a good reliable source of aftermarket parts. https://isavetractors.com/blog/welcome-to-the-new-isavetractors-website/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuaiXBhCCARIsAKZLt3kvZT0otPHAQ49laVWFnmE5nH7-HYLilGZ9GiQRL9Vvoc9bzzGqBHkaArFlEALw_wcB 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,360 #3 Posted August 3, 2022 23 minutes ago, 953 nut said: i Save Tractors I'll second that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrc 887 #4 Posted August 3, 2022 my buddy harry is going to stop by tomorrow or friday and pickup a 1-2 inch mic. then he can measure the crank and we will be able to determine if the crank is original size or has already been turned down. thank you for the suggested places to look! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,176 #5 Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) Was just wondering about the crank, since you hadnt mentioned it, and that is where youre prolly gonna find your wear --- that rod didnt just break with out a good reason. I know there is a lotta badmouthing the import rebuild kits, but I have used several of them and had good luck, they are sure cheap enough. Edited August 4, 2022 by pacer 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 40,970 #6 Posted August 4, 2022 19 hours ago, 953 nut said: @Ed Kennell has a batch of NOS Kohler parts Here are the two NOS rods that I have. If interested, send me a PM for more info. @mrc 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrc 887 #7 Posted August 4, 2022 will do ed. my buddy harry is picking up the mic tomorrow. (friday) sending you a pm thank you mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bds1984 1,480 #8 Posted August 4, 2022 I've used a couple of the import kits on a few K301s over the years with zero issues. When the time came to refresh my K341 on my C165, I went with oem bits and an ALCOA connecting rod, but wouldn't be hesitant on using a rod and piston from an imported kit. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,360 #9 Posted August 5, 2022 1 hour ago, bds1984 said: refresh my K341 Were you able to source new balance gears or did you leave em out? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bds1984 1,480 #10 Posted August 6, 2022 On 8/4/2022 at 8:12 PM, ebinmaine said: Were you able to source new balance gears or did you leave em out? I never bothered to look and after all the horror stories here, I chucked the as far as I could throw them. My shaker mounts were almost new when I did that, however, now I have a couple that are failing which is letting the engine shake a decent amount at idle like an angry Boss 429; at anything over 2,000 RPM is fine though. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,360 #11 Posted August 6, 2022 28 minutes ago, bds1984 said: shake a decent amount at idle like an angry Boss 429 This is a good shake 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrc 887 #12 Posted August 21, 2022 hello men, here is an update and 2 questions. the crankshaft is at a machine shop. they are going to turn it .010 under. hopefully ready this week. i was informed that the new rod gets oriented in the engine with the oil hole facing forward. (thank you ed kennell) 2 questions: 1...there is a notch in the top of the piston. which direction does that go? 2...how to align crank vs. cam. are there timing marks? i'm assuming you line those up? any comments welcome thank you mike 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,360 #13 Posted August 21, 2022 5 hours ago, mrc said: ed kennell @Ed Kennell 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 43,013 #14 Posted August 21, 2022 (edited) Notch goes towards flywheel There will be timing marks. I don't have a picture of big block marks. They would be similar to these 8HP marks Edited August 21, 2022 by squonk 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrc 887 #15 Posted August 23, 2022 thank you squonk! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
