# Kohler K321 rebuild



## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

I am in the middle of a compleat tear down of my Ingersoll 444.[Check it out in the Ingersoll fourms. lots of pictures ] Part of that will be the rebuild of it's 14hp Kohler single. Hope to include some mods along the way to give her a tiny bit more umph. Here is a before shot of the motor, I just got out of the tractor.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well found my problem. Take a look........................


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Kinda suprised it ran as good as it did. Reast of the motor looks great. Bore is real good. After 700 hours, can still see a little crosshach. Valves are tight, and seats look good. Mostly I just have some carbon to remove. The intake valve has a bit of carbon, and the head/block to also. So I will not be doing a full rebuild. I am going to pull the valves to clean, and lap them, and also the pan, to just check it out in there. But other than that, only big thin is to mill the head a bit to clean it up.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

This is where I stand now.............


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

It's hard to tell in the pic, but it doesn't appear to be a blown head gasket. Are the bolts fatigued or the head warped?


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Oh ya, blown bad. I can see the all the carbon on the head, and the deck where it blew out. The bolts "looked" good, but I got to say, a few were not that tight. Only to bolts though, the rest were stud's. I will be replaceing them though. As for the head, it seems to be OK. May be just a little worped, with the few little lose bolts, just popped the gasket. I am going to heve the head cut anyway. Maybe get another piont of compression, for a tuch more hp.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Looks like that was robbing your compression.... are you still going to do a complete rebuild?


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Sorry just read that you are not doing a complete rebuild... bet you are happy about that:elephant:


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well, sent the head out to be cut. From what people have been telling me, to get good, usable power, cut the head .040-.050. Well, I did not want to go that far, so I had them take it to .020, and if it needs a little more,.030. Figure this will boost compression a tiny bit, but still leave anouther cutting if I do decide to build myself a "Killer K" for the tractor.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

By all means if .020 or .030 will be enough then you did the right thing that way it leaves you room to have it done again if need be.
Jody


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well, got the head back from the shop. .010 cleaned it up, but I had them go .020, just to give a little more psi. Looks nice, they beadblasted it, and got all the paint off, looks kinda cool. I think I will leave it unpainted. Probably help with cooling a bit, and heck, just look kinda cool.  

So getting about time to get to work on it agean. Still have to pull the valves to clean them up, and get some numbers off the motor, to get the gaskets orderd. MAN, I wish I could just take a month off, and get some of my stuff DONE!!!!


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

Paul,

Sounds like you're making progress. How about some pics of the head? 

If you had a month off...you'd be asking for 2 months! I'm busier and "behinder" since I retired than before! LOL

Greg

P.S. Congrats on your winning post.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well, after weeks, and weeks of just sitting there, I had some time to do a little work on it. Boy, you just don't know how LITTLE time you have, till you have a baby around.

Well, I got the valves out. All looks good. My spring compressur did not work, so I had to borrow one from a guy at work. Made the job a LOT easyer. Valves and seets look good. Today I will clean them all up, and give them a quick lap, then reassumble them. Spring is coming and I REALY got to get some of this stuff done.:dazed: :dazed: :dazed:


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

:clap: :clap: :clap: Well its about time Paul you going to have it ready for spring its not that far off you know. Keep us inform on the progress:tabletalk 
Jody


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## slipshod (Sep 19, 2003)

*Paul*

You are not the Lone Ranger. I have so many irons in the fire that the fire wants to go out. It would be nice if I could become one of those guys that do one project at a time, finish it and go on to the next. Working on old equipment, sometimes you have to wait for parts, figure things out, or step back and take a beak when it is not going well.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

*Re: Paul*



> _Originally posted by slipshod _
> *You are not the Lone Ranger. I have so many irons in the fire that the fire wants to go out. It would be nice if I could become one of those guys that do one project at a time, finish it and go on to the next. Working on old equipment, sometimes you have to wait for parts, figure things out, or step back and take a beak when it is not going well. *


Yup, and sometimes you get sick fighting with something, and move on to something else. Like today. Had to plow the drive, so did that first. I was going to check the charging system on the truck, becouse it is not that cold out, but have to get some wood cut. OK, so I run the saw out of gas, move to the splitter. split all the cut wood, and stack it. Well thats were I am now. Had to come in a dry out a bit. So now, do I cut wood, fix the charging system, clean the valves, or finish rebuilding the carb on the N, and taking the rest of the plow off? Hmmmm, guess we will see what way the wind blows.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I would run a compression check on the engine when you get her all back together just to verify the compression ratio. It may be more than you think it will be. If much more than 10:1 it will require you to run Aviation gas to keep it from detonating. May end up with a torqy hot rod Kohler.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

From what people tell me from the tractor pulling crowd, .050 cut will yeald a 1 point increase. I only went .020, so I should be fine.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Where do you mount the blower?:driving:


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stewart _
> *Where do you mount the blower?:driving: *


Blower? no. I WAS eye balling an old turbo at work on friday though


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well, spring is here and the motor STILL is not back together yet.   

Got around to cleaning the valves, but never lappad them, or installed them. That is on my list to do's for today. This is the tractor that runs the tiller, so REALY need it running in the next few weeks to get the garden ready. Called around on fri for a price on the PTO clutch shaft. Warn REAL bad, and need that before the motor can go in. 

Still amazies me that at over 700 hours, this motor looks like new inside.  Except for the blown head gasket, she was perfict.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Just be satisfied with the time you haveoff, and if any "extra" time comes along look at it as a bonus..... You will never have enough time to do what you really want to do. Trust me on that. I used to accomplish a lot of things before I retired, now that I have ample time on my hands, or so I thought, I can't seem to ever get caught up and I certainly am not taking on more things to do than I did before. I think that once you retire the hours actually become shorter to go along with the age or days off, but no one really ever tells you this.


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

*I think that once you retire*

What in the hell is happening to me? I am still lite years away from retirement and I am already tired with out eniugh time to get it all done plus fishing and smoking the wealthof the catch.


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto..what Chipmaker said.

Since I retired last September I seem to have more and more to do, and get less and less done. Sheesh!

Greg


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

Paul, 

Did you get everything done on your K321? Is there another thread on it? Would like to hear how things worked out and any pics.

Thanks,


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well auuhhhh no not yet. Just gotten so busy this summer everything got put on hold. Hoping to get going on it this weekend, I have the vac setup fot that tractor, and falls a coming.


BTW is case you dont have one, you can down load a manual from the Kohler web site.


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

I know what you mean...I need to get mine in the 140 repaired too for fall. Hoping the power flow bagger will work well on our leaves.

I did download the engine manual and I have 2 service manuals for the 140 that have good sections on overhauling the Kohler. I got the rings and head gasket set and valve guides in the "treasure box". 

Are you just fixing the engine and not doing a "restore", if you will, of the tractor?


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