Need opinions on eight horse kohler rebuild.

[red56turbo]

I'm working on my 86's motor for a winter project. I bought it with the understanding it needed a carb rebuild and it was getting gas into the oil. I'm gonna need a new carb eventually, but it ran pretty good with no smoke. Had alot of oil leaks, governor, crank seals, etc. I'm pulling it apart to replace the seals and fix oil leaks. When taking the breather apart, I noticed the PO put in the plate with the thin piece of metal backwards so when it ran, it put pressure against the hole. I read that this would build up pressure in the block and can cause oil to be forced out of seals. My question is, the front and rear crank seals leaked alittle and may be worn, but also could have leaked due to pressure. I don't really want to pull the crank, can I get by, by not changing the crank seals, or should I pull the crank? Don't really want to pull the crank and worry about timing, etc. Hopefully the breather had something to do with it. Opinions?? Sorry about length!! PS, I drained out 2-3 quarts of thin oil!!!!!

Red56

[Paul B]

Are you saying you drained out 2 to 3 quarts of thin oil? Did it smell like it had gasoline in it? The engine is only suppose to have 2-1/2 pints of oil in it. I would replace the seals on the crank, and it can be done without pulling the crank, but it may be easier with the crank out. Just pay attention to the timing marks on the crank and cam gear. If you don't have engine manual, it can be downloaded for free from the Kohler web site http://www.kohler.com . Just follow the links to engines, classic engines, Kseries

[red56turbo]

PaulB,

The oil did smell of gasoline. How hard is it to pull the flywheel and front pulley off. This is the first kohler I've had apart. I do have a manual and just skimmed through it. It talked about timing marks on the crank, cam, and idler gears. Guess I will check into it and read the manual closer. Have just heard horror stories about timing marks. Thanks.

Red56