Need some advice on Kohler Courage 22hp engine!

[kebo]

My parents have a Craftsman mower that痴 about 3yrs old, and I bet the motor doesn稚 have 120 hrs on it. It has a 22hp Kohler Courage series engine, which is a single piston engine. This past summer was EXTREMELY wet for SC, which means that the grass grew like crazy, faster than we could keep up with it because I could only get up there on weekends to do it. My dad is 82 and mom doesn稚 like him to run the mower when I知 not there, so it only got cut once a week. Well, by the time I would get up there on Saturday, the grass would be a foot tall, and usually in the mornings it痴 still wet from the dewfall. That meant that every time we cut it, the deck would just clog up to the point that I had to rig a bungee cord to hold up the discharge chute just so it could spit out the huge clumps of wet grass. Still, if you weren稚 careful, it would clog up and choke the mower down. That痴 just how bad it was almost the whole summer!!

So all that background info leads to the issue. When we were cutting the grass like that, it was lugging the engine a lot, which isn稚 good for it. I noticed the last time I used it a couple weeks ago, after shutting the motor off, and while it was spinning down, it had a terrible knock to it!! Paying closer attention, you can hear it when it痴 running, but it痴 not as noticeable, but probably because of the exhaust and blade noise.

This leads me to the question?. should I go ahead and take it to a repair shop this winter and let them tear into it and see what exactly has worn?? I suspect it痴 the bearing on the connecting rod and maybe the wrist pin too. That one big piston has a lot of mass, and coupled with the down pressure from the firing stroke, it was probably beating the heck of that bearing. It doesn稚 smoke or use any oil now, but I know if I keep running it like this, eventually something will come through the side of the block.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation before? If so, what was the damage to the engine? Thanks for your comments.

 

[shallowwatersailor]

Sorry to say but the word from repair shops is that the Kohler Courage is a throw-away engine. I don't own one but one shop even told me that they recommend not even changing the oil.

 

[HillStreet]

I have a Cub Cadet with the same engine. The machine has about 50 hours on it now and I worry that The thing wont last to 200 hours. Without trying to start an argument, American made goods are showing a real decline, in my opinion. Sold my 2 year old Troy-Bilt mower and 1 year old NordicTrack treadmill for about 40 cents on the dollar because they broke with normal use and required expensive repairs. In the past few years I have only bought Stihl, Kubota, Toyota, Bosch, and Makita products.

I have heard the same thing about the Kohler Courage engines and it makes me mad to think that some company would actually design, build, and sell an engine knowing that it won't last long. Lower standards to save a few cents on parts and pocket the profit.

 

[BHD]

to my under standing the Kohler courage line is a Chinese's made import,

Kohler Engines: About
2002-Today

The Courage engine entered the market in 2002 with new features including an inverted crankcase for leak-proof operation, dual-camshaft for superior cooling, a ported power intake for better power and combustion, and a cross-flow cylinder head for greater air-flow and cooler operation. Most recently in September of 2004 Kohler announced higher horsepower offerings, up to 31 horsepower available on its liquid-cooled Aegis engines.

Kohler Engines unveiled its powerful 34-38 hp Command PRO engines line, in 2005. These high horsepower gasoline engines not only provide more power to accommodate larger and more sophisticated applications, but offer a new design that provides unmatched serviceability and extended maintenance intervals.

2007 brought two distinct opportunities for Kohler Engines to expand its product portfolio and international presence. First, Kohler-YinXiang Ltd., a joint-venture company between Kohler Engines and YinXiang Ltd. in Chongqing, China was formed. This joint venture was created to develop, manufacture, market, sell and distribute general-purpose gasoline engines. As part of this joint venture, Kohler Engines launched their first engine for the walk-behind lawnmower market in October 2007, with the XT-Series. This engine line would further develop, in the coming years, into engines that are used in lawn and garden, power generation, welding and recreation applications.

Later that year, Kohler Co. purchased Lombardini Srl, an 85 year-old engine manufacturer headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Kohler Co.'s acquisition of Lombardini allows each brand to serve the needs of commercial and consumer customers worldwide, with both gasoline and diesel engines.

In 2008, Kohler Engines announced its product offering would expand to include gasoline and diesel engines from 4 to 65 horsepower. Kohler also announced that all of its Command PRO and Aegis twin-cylinder engines would come standard with electronic fuel injection (EFI), for more fuel-efficiency and reduced emissions.

the one I bought had made in china on the box 9smaller engine)

 

[RandyT]

The Courage single is made in China at the Kohler plant there. I believe the courage twin is made in the US.

 

[sox3]

Sounds like it could be the Counter Balance assembly bolt or link is loose. Bearings for the Counter Balance could be worn.

 

[Bob77064]

We have two riding mowers, one with a 23hp courage twin with just over 400 hours and the other with a 20hp courage twin with about 80 hours. I change the oil, oil filters, air filters and and fuel filters once a year. Neither engine has had any problems.

 

[Bird]

We have two riding mowers, one with a 23hp courage twin with just over 400 hours and the other with a 20hp courage twin with about 80 hours. I change the oil, oil filters, air filters and and fuel filters once a year. Neither engine has had any problems.

My little Toro ZTR has an even smaller engine; 15 hp Courage, and I, too, change oil & filter once a year. Of course, after two and a half years, I've only got 80 hours on it.

 

[Pitch1]

I have a 20 hp Courage on a Husqvarna. Bit over 300 hours. I'm thinking that it bent a pushrod. Ended up cracking the block and spewing oil all over. Highly disappointed in this machine. Was advertised as an 800 hour engine

 

[Fixin4fun]

I'd start with the basics and make sure the 4 bolts mounting the engine to the frame haven't backed out and allowing the motor to shift under power pulses. If that's not it, then Id say go ahead and open it up to see what has gone wrong.