# Kohler SV590-0003



## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

My brother in laws mower cub cadet with 19hp Kohler. He done some work on his carb then was mowing and stopped to talk with a neighbor. The dealer says it dosent have any compression. I find that hard to believe because it was running and he after just turned it off. I pulled the plug and placed a finger over the hole and it seemed to have some compression. Then I hooked my compressuer tester to it and it didnt read any. Iwas wongering if the Automatic Compression release isnt working propperly. What do you think?


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Could be something with the valve train. I had a guy who was mowing, stopped to play baseball with his daughters, then tried restarting his mower and it wouldn't start. Turned out he was using old gas that had varnished up his intake valve pretty bad, causing it to set up when he turned it off. When he tried to restart it, he ended up breaking the plastic gear off the cam shaft. I had to soak the head in cleaner for a few days to get the valve loose again. I'm not saying that's exactly what happened in this case, but something could have caused one of the valves to stick open. Try pulling the valve cover off and check to see if the valves are closing. Perhaps it overheated and a valve guide let loose, causing the valve to not be able to close completely.


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## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

I pulled the valve cover off and every thing seems to be moving and working as it should be there. What is the Automatic Compression Release (ACR) and could it be releasing the compression all the time?


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

The compression release should only blip one valve open just before top dead center on the compression stroke. Once the engine fires and runs, the compression release no longer does anything. It is a flyweight assembly on the camshaft lobe for whatever valve is being opened to release the pressure. Once it gets up to speed, the flyweight swings the actuating tab out of the way and it stops doing anything. When the engine shuts off, it swings back into position to open the valve again. If anything, I have seen them fail in the disabled position, making it harder to crank over due to there being no compression release.


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## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

I found the problem I think! LOL The butterfly in the carb was stuck shut! After I got it unstuck I cranked it and it fired up. That leads me to another question. I checked the oil when I had the top plastic cover off the top of the engine and put the dip stick in backwards. It broke the long stick off and I'm assuming it's in the bottom of the crankcase. My quection is 
. Has anyone had the crankcase apart and can tell me if its ok to leave it and not tear down the engine to remove it. I can't see it with a flash light. I'm going to drain the oil to see if I can see it then.


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

If you can see it with the oil drained, try grabbing it with one of those wand things with the grippers on the end like this: General Tools and Instruments

The tube that the dipstick fits into is very short, and once through that, you have free movement about the crankcase. If you can't get it, you will have to remove the shroud, flywheel and sump cover (its under the flywheel instead of at the bottom of the engine). I'd definitely try fishing it out before I'd tear it all apart.


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## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

Do you think I could just leave it if I can't fish it out? Is There anything where its at that will grind it up?


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

The timing gears in that unit are at the top, so if it stays put and doesn't move, it will probably be fine. It would be better if you could get it out, but I don't think there is anything down there that could be destroyed by it, seeing as it is plastic. I can't guarantee that it _couldn't_ hurt anything, however. I had a Briggs engine that ate a steel pushrod on one cylinder through the oil drain-back hole and into the crankcase at 3500 RPM, and it didn't do any serious damage, so I don't think a plastic piece would either. How lucky do you feel?


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## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

Not very1 Lol My luck is usually bad. Like breaking that in the first place. Are there any special tools required to take the flywheel off?


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Well, you'll need a puller like this one to get the flywheel off. I sometimes cheat and use a prybar and a big hammer, but you really have to be careful and know what you are doing to use that method. If you strike it wrong, you can break the crankshaft or crack the flywheel, so I'd get the puller kit. Hook up your puller and tighten the center screw very tight. Then, strike the head of the screw you just tightened up sharply with a hammer. That will break the flywheel loose. Well, 99% of the time it will. I've had a few that I've had to heat with the torch to get off, but those are usually old engines with lots of rust. If you take the crankcase cover off, be warned that it has to be lined up exactly when you put it back on, and you will probably need a new gasket. The one I did was kind of a PITA to get lined back up. Just don't force the cover back on. You should be able to tap it with the heel of your hand and it should pop down if you have it right.

Head on over to www.kohlerplus.com and click the "Enter as Guest" link next to the login page. Search for your engine and download the service manual PDF file and read through that before you take anything apart.


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## cris2for (Jan 8, 2012)

Thank you so much you have been so helpful. Ill ge to work on it in the next few days. Also it seems the starter is dragging any thoughts on that? It has a new battery. I was told by the owner(brother-in-law) that it has been doin this for awhile. Do you think it may need new brushes in the starter? Any test on finding the problem?


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