You sure do know a lot about engines,at such a young age! I'm so glad to see that you're not just playing video like all the youngsters I know! Good for you
I'm impressed such a young feller knows so much about small engines. I sure hope you charged more than 40 bucks. I would have charged about 300 for that job. You did what I would call a professional job.
Awesome video! A very common problem on these Kohler Courage motors. If the bolts back out far enough it can crack the case or twist the shear key off when the catch the underside of the flywheel. Love seeing the younger generation tackling a project like this. You sir have earned a new subscriber! 👍
My Kohler Courage 20 began to knock a few days ago and so I parked it immediately, fearing the worst. Today I navigated to RUclips, typed "Kohler Courage Knocking" in the search field and hit enter with hopes of finding videos which might aid me in diagnosing the issue. Your video was at the top of the resulting list and so I selected it and began to watch. After watching the entire video I turned my attention to the engine. I removed the top cover and began to test the top plate's bolts for proper torque. The three bolts nearest the head were loose enough to be turned with my fingers while the rest seemed to be properly torqued. I torqued down the loose bolts, replaced the top cover and started the engine. The knock was gone. Thank you for your video, it was very useful to me. You have a new subscriber.
GREAT video with lots of tips and good advice/info! Thank you sir! My mom's 12yr old craftsman has a 22hp Kohler courage motor on it. I think after this mowing season is over, I'll pull the cover off and check those bolts.
I had the same engine and when I took it apart I found the bold going thru the center of the counter weight had sheared and popped up thru the top engine cover. The counter weight came apart and destroyed the engine. Apparently Kohler was aware of the problem. They made the part # on the counter weight bold obsolete. I got real lucky.....they gave me a new short block. Man I enjoy your videos. You might be young but, you have a lot of knowledge/experience and give great details on your work. You do need to charge a little more. Don't just charge for what you do....throw in a little extra for what you know because knowledge ain't cheap. Great job and keep up the good work.
I just got one of these engines and was told it has a knock. I found the balancing weight bumping the crankcase. I guess its that same bolt you spoke of. What do you mean they gave yoj a short block? Did kohler give you a replacement engine?
@@mechanicalking can you tell me 2 things, what is the little black plastic tube in the bottom inside the engine,and is it important, also how much oil goes inside this engine?
Dude.. thank you! You mentioned about it being something simple and maybe the motor mount bolts shook loose? Made me think and that's exactly what was causing my knocking noise on my JD. Nailed it and saved me time/money. KEEP IT SIMPLE! THANKS AGAIN
I have a feeling I have the same issue with my sv530. But it's been discontinued and parts are hard to find but I found a website that has them. And still to this day your video is the only one I can find the close enough resembles the same engine and diagnosis. I do find this video helpful. Thank you for posting it
It was a design flaw on this engine. They didn't use any lock tite on the bolts and they end up working loose and getting caught in the flywheel which wrecks the engine. If you catch them early, you can put lock tite on them and tighten them down and it will usually be fine
Holy moly I knew a common problem on these engines, the top cover bolts will shake loose, then flywheel will shear them then it will rod knock or something like that, but you are lucky to have caught it in time, those engines are referred to as the “Bucket Engine” It’s got a lot of common problems
The long nut on the bolts with allen set screws of the rocker arm is call a molly locks. They have been around for years under different names. Just saying fella. VF
I have this same engine on a cub cadet and it blew apart, crank balancer almost went out the back of the block. I was wondering if a opposed cylinder briggs engine would work with the crankshaft length and dia. on this tracker?
These engines aren't worth rebuilding, a kohler courage is a boat anchor of an engine. The crankcase bolts at top, they were not installed with a thread locking sealant at factory. These engines are known for their tendency to vibrate a lot. As a comment said, the vibration causes bolts loosen, striking flywheel and causing broken flywheel key or busted block.
The old Courage 19.5 single in my grandma's Cub Cadet is getting ready to let loose as is the rest of the mower, soon enough though she'll sell the Cub Cadet and what it sells for is what I'll sell her my old Agco 1614VH for, has around 300 hours on it, engine looks new inside and the mower itself rides and cuts like new
So, what was the main problem? My lawn tractor just did the same exact thing you described this one did. You didn't have to replace any parts? Things just needed tightened up cleaned and adjusted?
I have a question for you, I have an engine just like this only mine is Troybilt Colt rtz zero turn, the engine and everything is off the frame due to needing mounting holes fixed..It has hydrostatic transmission and I was going to roll it off car ramps and it will not move it is locked I pulled the 2 bars on each side to push it manually and it will not roll, can you help me and tell me how to unlock it.. a video I watched said you could push or turn the thing on the inside of the hydro but mine springs back I have yet to find a video on here like what I need they are all different mine is troybilt rtz zero turn Kohler courage engine sv590-0024. the manuel says nothing about them only the 2 levers that you pull well its still not moving manually, I mean those worked before I can't figure out what to do? THANKS
When in doubt always run a can of seafoam aerosol through the air intake before you rip the engine apart. It will clean the valve in the piston head almost perfectly in one can.
That seafoam is a j o k e ! It does nothing to clean carbon of the valves or the piston . A fine mist of antifreeze mixed with water sprayed in the carb while it's running will do a much better job of cleaning the carbon. I would remove the head and valves to clean it properly. But in this situation what the heck 😮
Is there anything that pulls throttle back when you pull the handle down ? I did the same thing , rebuild the whole engine but now when i start it i cant lower the rpms down with a handle i think there was something that broke when i was dismantling it ...
it would have been about 400$ or more here I'd be afraid to say what they would charge, this one place said I burned the clutch out which I don't think I did , it was still under warranty that was $382 ten years ago
I have a Kohler Courage engine,,12 years old,,it's always run fine but this season the lower crank seal started leaking,, a new seal and it leaks worse :( talked to a local expert and he was shocked it lasted this long,, he said bent crank :( and told me these engines had an annoying habit of Exploding :( told me I could go to Nothern tool (don't tell his boss,LOL ) and replace it with a Brigs,,cost lest then 600$, less ten half the price of a Kohler short block,,bolted right into place
Yeah I normally buy used rotating assemblies on ebay. I've made 600+ on mowers with broken rods. They are still running to date. Rotating assemblies for briggs go for ~$50 I dont know about kohler
I don't remember but im sure if you pry under it and unthread the nut a couple threads and place a socket on the nut and smack the socket with a hammer it will come off
$40?????????I have the same motor and my T15 star on the exhaust I don't know if its stripped or to tight what do I need to do to loosen it, It messed up 2 star bits, I'm so worried its gonna cost me a fortune to fix plus no one much around my small town that works on them , engine is a Kohler courage 19 twin cam, 521 hours... I sure wished you could rebuild mine..LOL, I'm also hearing a noise but don't think its the bad knocking, I've already checked the bolts are tight, already knew they are known to come loose.. :(
Go by impact Starbits at your local O'Reilly's and be careful. The engines are pretty loud if it doesn't get worse, don't worry about it unless you want to take it apart and check the rough clearances with a dial Caliper or micrometer
Somehow my 2012 Kohler head bolts have never backed out. I feel like I’m the minority here in that regard. Seems like everyone’s do that. I’ve added checking that to my monthly maintenance during mowing season.
Hey I got the same engine and it has too much compression to start. Had good starter good battery, should I just set the exhaust valve to .002 or what?
@@mechanicalking thx for quick reply. New batt at 13v. It turned over fine couple days ago and now compression is so much that it's really hard to turn it with both my hands. So the specs call for 0.007 on the exhaust, so I'll try 0.004 first. I'm just worried about causing damage with tighter valves
@@DougDimadome um.. 4 thou is smaller than 7 thou but You can crank the valve down as Tight as you want, but if it's too tight, it won't have any compression at all. If it's too loose, it won't start.
Typically intake is about .004 and the exhaust .006. The exhaust is more because it gets much hotter and therefore the valve expands more, needing more clearance.
OMG, SERIOUS????????? You only charged him $40.00? OMG, SERIOUS ???? You did a great job by the way, but $40.00 is NOTHING !!! I would have charge him like $125.00 - $150.00 for Engine Rebuilt / Taken Apart and Clean! LOL
I'm purchasing a Kohler twin 20hp engine ($643) to replace my bad 19hp engine on my 14 year old Craftsman. The rest of the tractor is well maintained. One day when I do finally buy a new tractor, I'll shelf this 20HP as a SPARE. I would have to be sure that the new tractor's ENGINE can be swapped with my 20hp SPARE engine one day, if need be.
@@mechanicalking i have but the bolt to loosen for the valves the exhaust one is stuck ive tried 2 star keys and it damaged the key lord this will cost me a fortune was hoping to fix it myself
Very good video at first but then you fast forward all the main details when building the engine, would have liked to have seen the rebuild in regular time, if you would have done it that way ,this would have been one of the best how to on the Kohler courage SV600-0024 engine.. still good work.. But useless for a how to video..
The very first thing I hate about both Briggs & Kohler R them stupid paste on engine IDs some idiot thought it was a bright idea to paste the engine code and specs on the side of a plastic cover. Then there is no true way to get parts when it falls off. Unless ya find someone somewhere with the same engine and use that engine ID code and you R still rolling the dice especially with a Kohler. The Kohler engines almost all look the same but there subtle differences. With modern technology however I will tell folks t doesn't matter if ya buy a new machine or an old one. Take a picture if that tag is there on a used one and make a file also keep part numbers. Briggs is famous for changing part numbers so sometimes that back fires on ya...
There are no bearings in this so your kinda right because there isn't much to replace. However, it is still a rebuild since its being restored to factory condition. Its a "clean out"
I was looking for a video on a rebuild because I just bought a Kohler engine and the guy I bought it from was using a rag for a air cleaner so I already know it needs to be rebuilt so I was looking for a little help by watching videos yours was a little helpful but I want to see a total rebuild vid to get a idea on where and how to proceed
Tear it down just like I did in check and see how bad the cylinder is and if it's bad you can buy a cylinder hone at O'Reilly's and hone the rough spots out of a cylinder or buy a used block online. I did that on the other Kohler rebuild and it worked out fine.
You sure do know a lot about engines,at such a young age! I'm so glad to see that you're not just playing video like all the youngsters I know! Good for you
I'm impressed such a young feller knows so much about small engines. I sure hope you charged more than 40 bucks. I would have charged about 300 for that job. You did what I would call a professional job.
Thanks! It was a neighbor and he gave me a running riding mower in the past.
Awesome video! A very common problem on these Kohler Courage motors. If the bolts back out far enough it can crack the case or twist the shear key off when the catch the underside of the flywheel. Love seeing the younger generation tackling a project like this. You sir have earned a new subscriber! 👍
My Kohler Courage 20 began to knock a few days ago and so I parked it immediately, fearing the worst. Today I navigated to RUclips, typed "Kohler Courage Knocking" in the search field and hit enter with hopes of finding videos which might aid me in diagnosing the issue. Your video was at the top of the resulting list and so I selected it and began to watch. After watching the entire video I turned my attention to the engine. I removed the top cover and began to test the top plate's bolts for proper torque. The three bolts nearest the head were loose enough to be turned with my fingers while the rest seemed to be properly torqued. I torqued down the loose bolts, replaced the top cover and started the engine. The knock was gone. Thank you for your video, it was very useful to me. You have a new subscriber.
Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm glad I could help!
GREAT video with lots of tips and good advice/info! Thank you sir! My mom's 12yr old craftsman has a 22hp Kohler courage motor on it. I think after this mowing season is over, I'll pull the cover off and check those bolts.
I had the same engine and when I took it apart I found the bold going thru the center of the counter weight had sheared and popped up thru the top engine cover. The counter weight came apart and destroyed the engine. Apparently Kohler was aware of the problem. They made the part # on the counter weight bold obsolete. I got real lucky.....they gave me a new short block. Man I enjoy your videos. You might be young but, you have a lot of knowledge/experience and give great details on your work. You do need to charge a little more. Don't just charge for what you do....throw in a little extra for what you know because knowledge ain't cheap. Great job and keep up the good work.
I totally agree thanks!
mine did the same thing
I just got one of these engines and was told it has a knock. I found the balancing weight bumping the crankcase. I guess its that same bolt you spoke of.
What do you mean they gave yoj a short block? Did kohler give you a replacement engine?
@@mechanicalking can you tell me 2 things, what is the little black plastic tube in the bottom inside the engine,and is it important, also how much oil goes inside this engine?
Unfortunately I don't remember much of this
Dude.. thank you! You mentioned about it being something simple and maybe the motor mount bolts shook loose? Made me think and that's exactly what was causing my knocking noise on my JD. Nailed it and saved me time/money. KEEP IT SIMPLE! THANKS AGAIN
I have a feeling I have the same issue with my sv530. But it's been discontinued and parts are hard to find but I found a website that has them. And still to this day your video is the only one I can find the close enough resembles the same engine and diagnosis. I do find this video helpful. Thank you for posting it
Your welcome! :)
It was a design flaw on this engine. They didn't use any lock tite on the bolts and they end up working loose and getting caught in the flywheel which wrecks the engine. If you catch them early, you can put lock tite on them and tighten them down and it will usually be fine
Mine just cracked without the bolt to actually hit the flywheel lol, kohler did the repair for free.
great video thanks it was exactly same issue (loose bolts ) and fix i had on my 16 year old Husqvarna
Holy moly I knew a common problem on these engines, the top cover bolts will shake loose, then flywheel will shear them then it will rod knock or something like that, but you are lucky to have caught it in time, those engines are referred to as the “Bucket Engine” It’s got a lot of common problems
You helped me out with this video, very good job and straight forward. I subbed.
You just showing off LOL! Just playing, good job.
Thanks!
Mine was an obvious exhaust valve issue (that was the rod knocking noise). Lose bolts are common on this model.
The long nut on the bolts with allen set screws of the rocker arm is call a molly locks. They have been around for years under different names. Just saying fella. VF
Amazing and quality content and even better it's a younger person!!!! Going to do well in life, keep up the grind!
Well done. You did a magnificent job. Good on you !
Nice takes courage to work on a courage.
Its a common problem w crank case bolts comin loose.
Use locktight red on them if u can save it
Thanks
“Stator or rotor or whatever you want to call it.
Rotors rotate, stators stay. That should help you know which is which going forward.
👍
I have this same engine.and I've git it apart..but I cannot pull the crankshaft out...is there something I'm missing
I have this same engine on a cub cadet and it blew apart, crank balancer almost went out the back of the block. I was wondering if a opposed cylinder briggs engine would work with the crankshaft length and dia. on this tracker?
Problably if the tractors stock pully slides on.
mine did perfect fit! my Counterweight bolt must have been overtorqued because it snapped off at the threads and cracked my block too
These engines aren't worth rebuilding, a kohler courage is a boat anchor of an engine. The crankcase bolts at top, they were not installed with a thread locking sealant at factory. These engines are known for their tendency to vibrate a lot. As a comment said, the vibration causes bolts loosen, striking flywheel and causing broken flywheel key or busted block.
Yes its a self destructing model
Yes its a self destructing model
Yes its a self destructing model
The old Courage 19.5 single in my grandma's Cub Cadet is getting ready to let loose as is the rest of the mower, soon enough though she'll sell the Cub Cadet and what it sells for is what I'll sell her my old Agco 1614VH for, has around 300 hours on it, engine looks new inside and the mower itself rides and cuts like new
Metal shavings in the oil is not good. Good luck buddy. Good job.
Have a 26 hp kohler courage that has a knock when cranking, but runs good and quiet after it cranks. Any help appreciated.
Do you edit your video first did you look to see if the cam and crank to see if it already had marks
So, what was the main problem? My lawn tractor just did the same exact thing you described this one did. You didn't have to replace any parts? Things just needed tightened up cleaned and adjusted?
Yep just make sure it's super clean and you have good gaskets and all of the dowel pins are there plus you need to torque the bolts to spec
The specs can be found on the internet
I have a question for you, I have an engine just like this only mine is Troybilt Colt rtz zero turn, the engine and everything is off the frame due to needing mounting holes fixed..It has hydrostatic transmission and I was going to roll it off car ramps and it will not move it is locked I pulled the 2 bars on each side to push it manually and it will not roll, can you help me and tell me how to unlock it.. a video I watched said you could push or turn the thing on the inside of the hydro but mine springs back I have yet to find a video on here like what I need they are all different mine is troybilt rtz zero turn Kohler courage engine sv590-0024. the manuel says nothing about them only the 2 levers that you pull well its still not moving manually, I mean those worked before I can't figure out what to do? THANKS
If the disengagement levers don’t do anything then something is jammed.
When in doubt always run a can of seafoam aerosol through the air intake before you rip the engine apart. It will clean the valve in the piston head almost perfectly in one can.
That seafoam is a j o k e ! It does nothing to clean carbon of the valves or the piston .
A fine mist of antifreeze mixed with water sprayed in the carb while it's running will do a much better job of cleaning the carbon.
I would remove the head and valves to clean it properly.
But in this situation what the heck 😮
Put some thread locker on those cover bolts and it solves the problem.
Is there anything that pulls throttle back when you pull the handle down ? I did the same thing , rebuild the whole engine but now when i start it i cant lower the rpms down with a handle i think there was something that broke when i was dismantling it ...
You need to check the governor for correct operation. Also if the governor is adjusted wrong it will cause over rpm that can cause engine damage.
You are absolutely unbelievable at that taking apart lawn mower engines I'm just curious how do you know so much about engines?
I took them apart and Research while slowly learning along the way.
@@mechanicalking That's the best way. The internet is a wonderful thing.
Good job, but worth way more than $40. $150 for sure at least and that's being a nice guy.
He was my neighbor and he had given me A riding mower, but I agree.
it would have been about 400$ or more here I'd be afraid to say what they would charge, this one place said I burned the clutch out which I don't think I did , it was still under warranty that was $382 ten years ago
U should replace the gaskets. Especially the head gasket.
I have a Kohler Courage engine,,12 years old,,it's always run fine but this season the lower crank seal started leaking,, a new seal and it leaks worse :( talked to a local expert and he was shocked it lasted this long,, he said bent crank :( and told me these engines had an annoying habit of Exploding :( told me I could go to Nothern tool (don't tell his boss,LOL ) and replace it with a Brigs,,cost lest then 600$, less ten half the price of a Kohler short block,,bolted right into place
Yeah I normally buy used rotating assemblies on ebay. I've made 600+ on mowers with broken rods. They are still running to date. Rotating assemblies for briggs go for ~$50 I dont know about kohler
How did you pull the flywheel off? Mine doesn't have bolt holes for the puller
I don't remember but im sure if you pry under it and unthread the nut a couple threads and place a socket on the nut and smack the socket with a hammer it will come off
Big plastic gears contact with metal gears ?
A disposable engine.
The manufacturer just wanted to sell you another one after the warrenty are over.
Mine is 10 years old, does 2 acres yard and field mowing, and still going strong. So i guess the plastic gears do the job.
Darrell Barton how many hours tho?
@@mariomartinez8645 The meter stopped at 351 couple years ago.
@@Xan2k why it stopped? you mean the meter broke or the engine?
@@Stantube1000 Meter, engine still runs 100%
$40?????????I have the same motor and my T15 star on the exhaust I don't know if its stripped or to tight what do I need to do to loosen it, It messed up 2 star bits, I'm so worried its gonna cost me a fortune to fix plus no one much around my small town that works on them , engine is a Kohler courage 19 twin cam, 521 hours... I sure wished you could rebuild mine..LOL, I'm also hearing a noise but don't think its the bad knocking, I've already checked the bolts are tight, already knew they are known to come loose.. :(
Go by impact Starbits at your local O'Reilly's and be careful. The engines are pretty loud if it doesn't get worse, don't worry about it unless you want to take it apart and check the rough clearances with a dial Caliper or micrometer
@@mechanicalking ok not gonna worry about it unless it gets worse thank you
Somehow my 2012 Kohler head bolts have never backed out. I feel like I’m the minority here in that regard. Seems like everyone’s do that. I’ve added checking that to my monthly maintenance during mowing season.
I could use some help with mine same sound and smokes intermittently
Hey I got the same engine and it has too much compression to start. Had good starter good battery, should I just set the exhaust valve to .002 or what?
Yes do that. They have compression release and also make sure your battery is big enough
@@mechanicalking thx for quick reply. New batt at 13v. It turned over fine couple days ago and now compression is so much that it's really hard to turn it with both my hands.
So the specs call for 0.007 on the exhaust, so I'll try 0.004 first. I'm just worried about causing damage with tighter valves
@@DougDimadome um.. 4 thou is smaller than 7 thou but You can crank the valve down as Tight as you want, but if it's too tight, it won't have any compression at all. If it's too loose, it won't start.
Typically intake is about .004 and the exhaust .006. The exhaust is more because it gets much hotter and therefore the valve expands more, needing more clearance.
@@mechanicalking I believe the exaust valve needs to have contact with the seat to help it to cool. If it is adjusted to tight it will burn out.
OMG, SERIOUS????????? You only charged him $40.00? OMG, SERIOUS ???? You did a great job by the way, but $40.00 is NOTHING !!! I would have charge him like $125.00 - $150.00 for Engine Rebuilt / Taken Apart and Clean! LOL
He meant he spent $40 to rebuild it
Calm down with the OMG OMG!!! Little girl.
Same problem with my 19hp Kohler (knocking), Now, I'm wonder if parts are available and can be rebuilt?????
Yes go to ereplacementparts and type in your mowers model number
I'm purchasing a Kohler twin 20hp engine ($643) to replace my bad 19hp engine on my 14 year old Craftsman. The rest of the tractor is well maintained. One day when I do finally buy a new tractor, I'll shelf this 20HP as a SPARE. I would have to be sure that the new tractor's ENGINE can be swapped with my 20hp SPARE engine one day, if need be.
mine to something is rattling but not the valves? i have kohler courage 19 twin cam
Take your flywheel off and inspect bolts.
@@mechanicalking i have but the bolt to loosen for the valves the exhaust one is stuck ive tried 2 star keys and it damaged the key lord this will cost me a fortune was hoping to fix it myself
You didnt show yourself fixing the dowel pins.
Oops well I just put them back in and Loctited them, and torque the bolts down a little bit more
Garbage engines had one blew up after 105 hours because of those bolts
Ah the ole bucket engine failure
Very good video at first but then you fast forward all the main details when building the engine, would have liked to have seen the rebuild in regular time, if you would have done it that way ,this would have been one of the best how to on the Kohler courage SV600-0024 engine.. still good work.. But useless for a how to video..
Sorry about that. Thanks
$40??? That was $150 minimum.
Same thing but I'm not going that far.
basically, basically, basically........
Your welcome
The very first thing I hate about both Briggs & Kohler R them stupid paste on engine IDs some idiot thought it was a bright idea to paste the engine code and specs on the side of a plastic cover. Then there is no true way to get parts when it falls off. Unless ya find someone somewhere with the same engine and use that engine ID code and you R still rolling the dice especially with a Kohler. The Kohler engines almost all look the same but there subtle differences. With modern technology however I will tell folks t doesn't matter if ya buy a new machine or an old one. Take a picture if that tag is there on a used one and make a file also keep part numbers. Briggs is famous for changing part numbers so sometimes that back fires on ya...
It was the loose bokts
Junk engines these
The Kohler Courage is a junk motor the bolts come lose and hit the flywheel and crack the block
Yeah
Kohler Courage Engines are a POS !
Haha yes
Yep.
Hell, I love the SV engines. They've made me a lot of money. If everything were bulletproof, we'd make enough bread to feed the family.
40 bucks that like working for free
Thats $60 an hour
@@mechanicalking don't sell yourself short. My God Ford garage is like $250.00 an hour.
This is not a engine rebuild
There are no bearings in this so your kinda right because there isn't much to replace. However, it is still a rebuild since its being restored to factory condition. Its a "clean out"
I was looking for a video on a rebuild because I just bought a Kohler engine and the guy I bought it from was using a rag for a air cleaner so I already know it needs to be rebuilt so I was looking for a little help by watching videos yours was a little helpful but I want to see a total rebuild vid to get a idea on where and how to proceed
Tear it down just like I did in check and see how bad the cylinder is and if it's bad you can buy a cylinder hone at O'Reilly's and hone the rough spots out of a cylinder or buy a used block online. I did that on the other Kohler rebuild and it worked out fine.
And always remember that the cylinder is NOT supposed to be shiny inside. It's supposed to look like it's been deglazed by a cylinder hone.
I believe the governor is broken in side and needs replaced to it will not idle up when a load is placed on it
Get rid of it
Is he speaking English?
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