Kawasaki FH601V Compression Question

[Beau]

Well down here head gaskets are only $ 13 each so why not.
Push rof engnes are so easy to do head jobs on it is almost a crime not to.

Beat you to it. went ahead and pulled the head and here's some images of what I found. Not sure what a burnt valve is supposed to look like but since the exhaust valve is completely out of round, and i can see my flashlight all the way around it from the exhaust port when its in the valve seat, I guess this one is.

My question now is what should I do? Replace exhaust and intake valves on both cylinders and have the valve seats lapped? Since I'm not sure of the hours on the motor I hate to get into rebuilding the whole thing. Should I just do the valve and head work and see what happens?

Thanks

 

[bertsmobile1]

Yep that is exactly what a burned exhaust valve looks like.
Eventually it would make a V shaped crack in the middle of that flat spot.
It will need to be replaced.
If you have access to the tools, it is not a hard job.
If not take it to a mower repair shop, not a glass fronted mower retailer.
Most shops will replace the valve, clean the head & lap them in for a reasonable amount.
I charge 1/2 hour $ 30 + parts.
Not sure if yours has a seal on the inlet only or both inlet & exhaust.
If you want to do it yourself, buy a long 14mm x 1.25 bolt & a couple of nuts.
Thread the bolt through the spark plug hole & lock it with a nut either side
Then use this to hold the head in a vice while you attack the valves.
From the look of it something has dropped into the cylinder then got stuck under the head of the exhaust valve holding it open just a touch.
The actual damage looks exactly like what happens when a spark plug helicoil is used & the fitter loose the tang into the engine.
The next step is to get a new valve and feel how it fits in the guide.
It should rotate freely but not rock from side to side.

O small alloy heads like this one it is better to fit a sleeve in the guide than to replace the guide but either way that has to happen before the seat gets recut as the seat has to be true to the guide or the valve closes ( or rather doen't close ) at an angle and yo are back where you started.
Before you get too far, check the price of a new head.
Often the difference between a new head & a head job is marginal.

 

[Beau]

Yep that is exactly what a burned exhaust valve looks like.
Eventually it would make a V shaped crack in the middle of that flat spot.
It will need to be replaced.
If you have access to the tools, it is not a hard job.
If not take it to a mower repair shop, not a glass fronted mower retailer.
Most shops will replace the valve, clean the head & lap them in for a reasonable amount.
I charge 1/2 hour $ 30 + parts.
Not sure if yours has a seal on the inlet only or both inlet & exhaust.
If you want to do it yourself, buy a long 14mm x 1.25 bolt & a couple of nuts.
Thread the bolt through the spark plug hole & lock it with a nut either side
Then use this to hold the head in a vice while you attack the valves.
From the look of it something has dropped into the cylinder then got stuck under the head of the exhaust valve holding it open just a touch.
The actual damage looks exactly like what happens when a spark plug helicoil is used & the fitter loose the tang into the engine.
The next step is to get a new valve and feel how it fits in the guide.
It should rotate freely but not rock from side to side.

O small alloy heads like this one it is better to fit a sleeve in the guide than to replace the guide but either way that has to happen before the seat gets recut as the seat has to be true to the guide or the valve closes ( or rather doen't close ) at an angle and yo are back where you started.
Before you get too far, check the price of a new head.
Often the difference between a new head & a head job is marginal.

Thanks. Good advice on new vs rework. Around here small engine guys charge like attorneys so may end up being cheaper to go new.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Thanks. Good advice on new vs rework. Around here small engine guys charge like attorneys so may end up being cheaper to go new.

Check the repair only workshops and in particular owner operated ones.
Glass fronts generally just use the workshop to produce massive repair bills to convince customers to replace their mower.
Down here the independent shop up the road charges $ 90/hr and adsorbs sundry items like small bolts & R clips
In town the biggest shop charges $ 120 / hr and adds items like "cleaning products, workshop towels, solvents & adheasives" and charge for every nut bolt & washer.
The Stihl shop charges $ 150 / hr
The JD shop charges set fees so harder to work out their hourly charge but they are charging $ 375 for a basic service on a running machine ( I charge $ 120 ) and the scheduled rate is 2 hours.
Remember these are in $ Aus about 70% of the US $ .