17 HP Kawasaki woes

the lawn guy

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May 14, 2011
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I have a 17HP FH500V Kawasaki on my 54 inch Bobcat mower. Lately it is spewing oil after about 30 minutes of use. I took off the rocker cover to the leaking head, and a small shaving of metal, and a circle shaped piece of metal were in the rocker cover,ouch! My local mower repairman said it could be part of the head and part of the valve guide. If so, do I have to buy a new head, or can this head be fixed? The repairman gave me the attitude that he could not be bothered. He even laughed a little at my problem.
Thanks for any help. The mower still runs good, other than the oil leaking!
 

BKBrown

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If the repair guy is not the owner, you need to talk to the owner about his attitude.
If he is the owner FIND ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP ! No mechanic needs to laugh at you when you ask about a repair ! :thumbdown: Laughing with you and laughing AT you are 2 different things !
 

KennyV

Lawn Pro
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If you still have "a small shaving of metal, and a circle shaped piece of metal"... post a picture, it may be remnants that can be identified.... :smile:KennyV
 

the lawn guy

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Thanks for the responses, I ended up replacing the head gasket. The old gasket was in nasty shape. I could see where it was leaking. Then I went out and cut a few lawns, no more leaking, and nice smooth power. For a few dollars in gaskets, and two hours of my time, it runs like new.
 
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