Cub Cadet 1811 - Need Advice Removing Engine

[NormL]

Next time I have some shop time I'll open up the other cylinder and see if any clues present themselves. The sudden loss of power while one cylinder could not possibly be contributing any bothers me. If I see more trouble in there it will mean a total rebuild is needed - a possible game changer, at least for this season.

 

[NormL]

I followed through with the previous post's agenda and found the #1 side as healthy as could be expected for the hours on it. Now here's a "brain bomb" I had yesterday! See what you folks think: I showed the pix of the damage and broken bits to a friend who is pretty small engine savvy and when I showed him that small item beside the con-rod in the photo, he thought it could possibly be related to the governor assembly. Now that makes some sense to me on a couple of fronts: first is that once I was able to get the engine running half decently without any load, it sounded like it was actually over-revving a bit. Secondly, when I engaged the deck, the engine died, which it would do if the governor can't compensate by opening the throttle. This theory does not explain how or why that item came to separate itself from wherever it belongs but it may have done that some time after the con-rod broke. That had to have happened before the tractor was parked for the ten or so years before it was given to me. I'm thinking it happened when my grandson was mowing their yard. If this is indeed how it happened, I'm impressed by how well that engine worked with only one cylinder firing
. BTW, if you look at the photo of that rusty cylinder it would appear that the water entered via the intake valve which could have been sitting slightly open.

 

[NormL]

This project has shifted focus from repair to replace with the acquisition of a lightly used 16hp Briggs and Stratton. I have been taking my time and carefully fitting attachments from the the Kohler to the Briggs: the PTO electric clutch on the output end of the crankshaft, and the hydro-static driveshaft for the transmission and hydraulics on the flywheel end of the crankshaft. I'm told there are conversion kits to be found for this but I've adapted what was on the Kohler and it should work just fine. The Briggs came without starter or charging system so I cannibalized an old and worn out 18hp Briggs vertical I have in the shop for both of those bits. I'm nearly to the point where it's ready to fire up and test the operation of the electric clutch and the hydro-static drive. Once everything is connected and functioning as it should I can reinstall the grill and hood. The mower deck needs some maintenance before it goes back under the tractor; one of the spindles won't take grease and since I have it off, now is the best time to deal with it.

 

[NormL]

Many thanks go out to those who offered the advice I requested when I opened this thread. Though I initially expected to be able to repair and re-install the Kohler, it soon became obvious that if an appropriate replacement engine could be found I would be time and money ahead going that route instead. I was able to source a Briggs and Stratton 16hp that fits the engine bay nicely and have it all reassembled. I took it for a short drive today and am pleased with the outcome. One glitch I'm hoping is just a simple wiring issue is the electric clutch does not engage the mower deck. I reused a butt connector instead of chopping it out and looking for a fresh one. Tomorrow!!

 

[NormL]

Looks like I'm not done with the engine swap just yet!! Something is not right with the hookup to the charging coils. I looked everywhere on the tractor the 18hp Briggs came out of for a regulator but was unable to locate it so I used the one from the Kohler. When I have that wired in and turn the key, the ammeter flips to deep discharge for a moment and then back to zero. That's the fuse blowing and now I know how it happens. What I need to find out is why so I can correct the problem. I doubt charge coils are just wired directly in because the current produced is alternating. I'll be doing some checking for a dead short somewhere including the regulator out of the Kohler. Though unlikely, it could be defective or more likely incompatible with the Briggs. Anyone have experience/wisdom to share?

 

[NormL]

That fuse blowing short was the leads coming off the coils reversed. One of those is grounded to the engine and the way I had it connected shorted the fuse. Easy fix but still not sure its charging. On to the next issue: when the mower deck is engaged the engine stalls. I suspect something in the electric clutch is not operating freely, causing the stall. That's tomorrow's project!! One of these days I've got to mow some weeds! With the drought conditions we have here, that seems to be all that's growing. Walk across the lawn and you can hear the crunch, crunch of every step you take in the dried out grass (I never water the lawn. The grass comes back when it rains).

 

[NormL]

Today I managed to mow those weeds I mentioned yesterday!! It was indeed the electric clutch causing problems. One of the differences between the 18hp Kohler and the 16hp Briggs and Stratton is the output shaft size: Kohler - 1.125", B&S - 1". To accommodate the difference in diameters I took some DOM left over from an old project (a mini backhoe I built ten+ years ago) and because it was 1" diameter all I needed to do was shave the outside diameter down to 1.125". That took quite a bit of lathe time and resulted in a shocking pile of "steel wool"!! The sleeve fits well but a half inch longer would have been better. During assembly the first time around I didn't have enough of the adapter sleeve inserted inside the part of the clutch that is keyed to the output shaft which caused it to run less than "true" and allowed it to rub against something. When I opened it up this afternoon I realized what I had done wrong, moved the adapter sleeve a little farther down the output shaft and problem solved. The other concern; the charging system, I have yet to do all the tests but after running the mower for about half an hour the battery showed 12.5 volts on my VOM so I'm cautiously optimistic.