What have I found?

What is it said:

-----IT's ALIVE!!-----

Thanks everyone for the help! You're a great bank of knowledge!

So here's what happened so far; I gave it a new battery. I removed the carburetor (not an easy task due to the position of the bolts) and cleaned it. The carb was a real dirty mess.
The float bowl was half full of tar. Carb cleaner, a tooth brush and a lot of persistence got that clean. More carb cleaner with compressed air through the jets and the rest of the carb body, and back on the block it goes.
Next was cleaning the fuel tank and flushing the lines with thinner. I drained the crank and gave it some new 10-30 oil. it was a cold oil change so I'll do it again after it's had a chance to get hot. I pulled the spark plug and put a shot of WD-40 down plug hole. With the spark plug on it's wire but resting on a head bolt, I cranked it. Absolutely no spark. A VOM told me I have 12 volts to the coil but no continuity at the points. I did the dollar bill trick on the points and it worked. With the plug sparking and back in the hole, a shot of ether down the throat (the engine's, not mine LOL), I hit the starter, fiddled with the choke and that beautiful piece of American history came to life. Even the light bulb I had plugged into it lite up. WOW, I love the sound of that engine!

The engine sounds tight and solid but it's surging. The governor is swinging back and forth so I played with the mixture screws. The main jet screw works as it should but the idle jet screw has no effect. I'm guessing I still have some gum in the carburetor. I see Amazon sells carb rebuild kits for that engine as well as some knock-off carbs. Unless you guys have other suggestions, I'll try an after market carb and see if that solves the surge.

Thanks again for the help. I'll keep you up to date--

Click to expand...

SidecarFlip said:

I have a K series Kohler cast iron (aluminum head) single on a Lincoln ac/dc welder I bought new in the 80's that I use once in a while. There is a downloadable PDF (large) from Kohler Engine that gives the entire break down as well as trouble shooting procedures for all K series engines, I suggest downloading it, very helpful.

I replaced my OEM carb with a carb from Amazon.com. Some of the carb's are emissions compliant, that is, the mixture screws are pre-set and not adjustable. My engine always 'hunted' (even when new). Once I replaced the carb with one that has adjustablility, I was able to smooth out the hunting, no problem. Hard to beat the sound of a K series engine idling. They have a beautiful sound that only a large displacement single makes, especially one with an internal balancer that is gear driven.

When I replaced my carb, I also replaced the head gasket, had a small weep. Parts Tree has all the genuine Kohler replacement parts. If you ever pull the head, be sure to properly torque the head bolts and do it in the correct sequence or you will crack the aluminum head. Valve adjustment is difficult. You set the lash by grinding the stem for clearance. Not an easy task. Thankfully, valve lash adjustment isn't a common thing.

With proper care, the motor and genny will outlast you and your kids....

Click to expand...

What is it said:

View attachment 39368View attachment 39369
I bought this generator from an elderly guy that wanted it out of his garage. He purchased it new many years ago and claims it has never been started. By looking at it, I believe him.
He told me he put gas in it about 25 years ago but with a dead battery, he never got it started. The gasoline in the tank smells like hell and has turned to varnish but not rusted at all. I can turn the crank by hand up to the compression stroke.

Other that cleaning the bad fuel out, is there anything else I should do before attempting to start this monster? I've searched online and can't find anything on this generator. Maybe I should give it to a museum.

Thanks for any info--

Click to expand...

ILENGINE said:

Most of the larger single K's that I have worked on had adjustable tappets so you didn't have to grind the valve stems. Also Kohler recommends replacing the head bolts on those due to a stretch factor of the bolt that is suppose to match the expansion and contraction of the aluminum and cast iron interface. Reuse of the bolts can cause temporary lose of torque when the engine heats up and leading to leaking head gaskets when the engine is hot.

Click to expand...