Kohler 19courage rebuild

[weedwarrior]

Weekend warrior semi mechanic- question for anyone. My valve bent and caused my piston to jam up blow into pieces. I have gotten it apart and ordered a new piston with rings and new valves. During the piston Explosion it gauged the cylinder walls in a few places, some came out when honing it but one major one is still there. I’m not sure if I can continue to deglaze it down till it’s smooth, leave it be or try to Fill it in with a little JB weld And smooth it out? Not sure.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Can you hang a fingernail on it? i would assume so.. depending on how deep it is, I'm not sure how much bigger Kohler offers oversize rings for, most Mfger's go .010" .020" .030" thousandths of an inch oversize
Don't hone it down until smooth, a machine shop would have to PRECISELY rebore it oversize and use a oversize ringset and piston..
I trust JB Weld for quite a few things, but NOT in MY cylinder bore.

 

[weedwarrior]

I can run my nail over it and although my nail feels the grooves it doesnt get hung up on it. I have a feeling the rings would get caught up in it and cause the same problem all over again though. I'm trying to avoid taking completely off the frame and taking it anywhere... also I spent enough money on the new piston and rings, I'd hate to eat that costs and foot the bill for an oversized setup. I'd rather take the chances fixing what I have. I have went down the menu replacing a ton on this thing already, cant justify spending anymore on it. I'd rather go buy a new one at this point...lol I have had a hard time with this Kohler for sure.

 

[Rivets]

Having rebuilt more engines than most guys I’ll offer my OPINION. With that damage any money you throw at the engine will be short lived. You will be burning oil for sure unless the you remove the damage and use oversized piston and rings. Standard piston and rings will not last long. Second if you are glaze honing the cylinder, you need to disassemble the entire engine and wash EVERYTHING at this point. Every part now has small bits of metal and stone on them and without tearing it down they will ruin all your work with 10 hours of use. Only way to possibly get close to your money out of that engine is to do a full rebuild, using the proper oversized piston and rings, plus new gaskets. All that being said, the cost of repair will far exceed the value of the engine. Which route you go is up to you.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

I remember seeing that Briggs and Stratton 33R877 will replace the kohler courage 19, https://www.flgparts.com/product/19...urage-18-21-hp-engine-husqvarna-built-mowers/ or https://www.flgparts.com/product-category/cub-cadet-mtd-parts/
Although i might see an issue with the oil filter and frame clearance on that Briggs engine.

• 9 Amp Charging System
• Fuel Pump
• 1″ X 3-5/32 Crankshaft
• Manifold Pipe & Gasket

 

[weedwarrior]

Update, I filled it in with JB Weld and smoothed it out, didn’t take much. (I heard others use J.B. in the cylinder and as long as the prep was good the weld took and lasted the owners for years after the fix) I did take it apart, washed it out With dawn dish soap, got it real clean and put it back together. Rings were gapped according to specs which surprised me, maybe I didn’t take the cylinder down as much I was thinking. Problem I ran into was the piston did not go in at all, I used the ring compression sleeve and the sleeve was not fitting into the cylinder like every video shows. Every time I tried to knock the piston in it would get past the oil ring and guides but when it got to the bigger rings the sleeve wouldn't guide them in. Not sure what to do next. Anyone had same issue?

 

[Rivets]

When installing rings with an adjustable sleeve I do the following. First coat the piston and rings with assembly lube, don’t be cheap. Install sleeve over piston and tighten, Slowly tap the piston down with the butt of your small ball peen hammer. When the piston stops moving, use your hammer to lightly tap the sleeve tight to the block. Check to see that the rod end is not contacting any part of the crankshaft. Repeat tapping the piston down and if it stops, tap the sleeve down again. The sleeve likes to rise up so you must constantly check that it stays tight to the block. You may have to repeat steps multiple times. Forgot to say at the beginning you must make the piston and rod are in the correct direction before starting.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Did you use high heat jb weld?

 

[Mower King]

Update, I filled it in with JB Weld and smoothed it out, didn’t take much. (I heard others use J.B. in the cylinder and as long as the prep was good the weld took and lasted the owners for years after the fix) I did take it apart, washed it out With dawn dish soap, got it real clean and put it back together. Rings were gapped according to specs which surprised me, maybe I didn’t take the cylinder down as much I was thinking. Problem I ran into was the piston did not go in at all, I used the ring compression sleeve and the sleeve was not fitting into the cylinder like every video shows. Every time I tried to knock the piston in it would get past the oil ring and guides but when it got to the bigger rings the sleeve wouldn't guide them in. Not sure what to do next. Anyone had same issue?

The 1st thing to do when installing a new piston & rings in any engine is make sure the piston is the right size for the bore. You measure a piston at the bottom of the piston skirts, then measure your bore. If you can't measure it, at the very least, slide the piston (WITHOUT the rings) in the bore without the rod connected just to make sure it fits and has the correct clearance, then remove piston. Then install each ring, one at a time to make sure they fit and the ring ends don't butt together and have the correct ring-end gap. Now you know it will all fit in the bore, so install rod onto piston (don't forget circlips), all rings in the correct order. Now use ring compressor and install into bore. If you're new at this, it can take awhile to get the hang of it, as done wrong, a piston ring can be broken if hung up.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The region between the top of the fire rings and the top of the cylinder tends to build up carbon
This needs to be removed or the new rings will not be able to compress far enough to slip through it