swapping Kohler K341 on 316 Help!

[mikeknouse]

I have a 1978 John deere 316. it has a kohler K341 that is blown. I found a John deere 216 belt drive that has the same motor. Does anyone know if the K341 from a belt drive 216 can go into a 316 Hydro that has the K341 in it? I am guessing the motor is probably the same, but mounted sideways in the 216

 

[beenthere]

:welcome:
Hope there is someone to give you the answer.
If I understand, when you first say it "has the same motor", but later say you are "guessing the motor is probably the same".
What leads you to wonder?
??

 

[mikeknouse]

The 216 has the motor mounted sideways and is belt drive, the 316 has the shaft at the front. I cant see why kohler would produce 2 motors with the same #s on it but be too much different

 

[RandyT]

Kohler made several engines with the same model number but with different spec numbers which would indicate the different parts used on each. At one time and maybe still due, you could go to kohler and tell them you needed an engine with this horsepower, with this crankshaft, and that muffler, etc and they would say how many you need and you could say 5 and they would built 5 engines to your own specs with your own spec number, which could be different then any other engines with that same model number.

 

[smilindave]

So am i to understand that you would turn the new motor and try to mount it too the shaft that goes to the transmission? There is not much room for error in adjusting the shaft.

 

[Tenn_Blue]

You may have to use some of the hardware from your old motor, but it should work.

The 316 uses a pto shaft mounted on the flywheel side to drive the pto clutch/mower deck.Your belt drive motor probably doesn't have the flywheel pto - may need to use your old flywheel on the new motor. Also the 316 output shaft drives a driveshaft instead of a pulley..

The carburator linkages and muffler mounting may cause you trouble as well, but using the old engine's items would solve that.

Only other thing to check would be the output shaft diameter on both engines to make sure they are the same- I don't know if Kohler offered this engine with different size shafts, but they may have. Your new one needs to be the same diameter as the old one, or you will need to get new adapters for the new engine's shaft size.

Not dificult, just unbolting and rebolting pieces on the outside of the engine.

 

[buickanddeere]

Cheapest, fastest and least headaches is a drop in swap with one of these from smallenginewarehouse.com

Product No
Brand
Description Quantity
On Hand Our
Price
Engine
356447-JD314-R1 Briggs 18hp Horizontal Shaft, Conversion kit to fit John Deere 312, 314, & 316 with single cyl Kohler 1 $1,350.00
356447-JD314-R2 Briggs 18hp Horizontal Shaft, Conversion kit to fit John Deere 312, 314, & 316 with single cyl Kohler 11 $1,350.00

 

[mikeknouse]

ok now i have a new problem with my 2 316s im tryin to take the mower deck off my 1978 316 and trying to put it on my newer one i need some advice.

 

[Tenn_Blue]

Mikenouse - the early 316k and the later 316 onan had different frames. They take different mowers, or at least different draft arms and pulley assemblies.
So yo can't just swap decks between tractors without changing hardware. All the decks (38, 46, 50) except the 48" show different part numbers for the respective tractors. On the 48" there are different mounting kits that go on the deck to fit the appropriate tractor.