You make great videos Norman!! I have three old case tractors!! Very glad to find your website and videos!! Clear concise and easy to understand! Much appreciated!
Thanks for the video! My K161 was not firing with a gap of 0.020. I tried setting the gap to 0.015 and was getting intermittent spark. Wound up replacing the coil, no change. Replaced the points and condenser, still no change. I was about to scrap the engine when I ran across this video. I checked the static timing and the ignition was advanced well before the 20 degree point even at 0.015 gap. I set the points per your instructions and my K161 is running strong! I checked the point gap and it ended up at 0.013. Evidently Kohler updated their engines at some point. Mine does not have adjustable valve tappets like most I've seen. I checked the manufacture date on my Troy Bilt Horse and it was assembled in 1983.
Hmmmm....I was thinking of pulling my flywheel and checking to see it hadn't shifted on its key way. On the 'S' flywheel mark on my K-161, the point gap is closed. Rotate a little further and the gap is .012. If I go by his instructions to set the point gap, the gap will be huge at some point after the "S'. I can't see how that would be correct. It's been running fine for yrs @.012 past the 'S'. I use the tiller commercially. If I try to set the point gap to .020 at it's largest opening, it will not run correctly. My blower housing has like a 'V' cut out of it and I assume the apex of the 'V' is my pointer. The K-161 as far as I know never had adjustable valves. I just did a complete valve job on mine. The end of the valve stems had to be shortened to get my clearances back after they got lapped well. I just need to get this point thing figured out once and for all.
I just got a Jacobson super chief hydro 1200 w/ original plow. Traded it for my motorized bike. It sounds good and plow works. I need a seat and it has some rattles,but hey with all original wheel weights too! I love my tank.just found this channel I like so I will contact you with any questions. I also got a non running Ford tractor with it!
I have the Jacobson that is identical to the ford. I have tons of power with the hydrostatic transmission. I restored it around twenty years ago and it's still a beast❤❤
Why did Kohler make such faint timing marks? Older Harley-Davidsons had a slot that you could catch with screwdriver so that you could do it in the dark if you had to.
Glad to see you start carrying Onan parts. They are getting harder and harder to find. I have several k series and 2 Onans that I'd like to keep running.
It is fine if U R preserving the thing as an antique but as far as using this antiquated bullshit its more headaches than it is worth. U admit about finding parts. I have 2 45 year old machines put money in the engine rebuild catagorey but the rest of finding king pins and diff bullshit is giving me the gray hair complex. I keep em when I need em but more modern machines do the jobs even better. As far using this antiquated bullshit for doing hard labor it's more worries than it is worth especially spending time U should be spending with family finding the parts... I have a local dealer he is like 300% mark up so It is my assumption he is billing me for the time he spends looking the crap up. When I have time for my antiques I use em light duty... Nothing more. Every now and then one of newer machines goes down and I jump on the old one. That is what it is there for why I keep em in pristine shape... Nothing I want to rely on...
I go out and buy a multi meter andthisbthing does not give out a tone whats with that i just wased another 20 bucks try to get this ting to start. Thanks for the infob.
You cost me 20 bucks norman. Why dont you inform people about multimeters yhat dont give off a tone. I set here with snow up to my ass and i cant get this thing started to check the timeing with a timing lite . So i listen to you and go buy a multi meter that don't give a tone that's cool . Now i set here with this thing i don't need being you didnt inform me about a meter that give off a tone. I have about had it with this. Yes i am pissed off.
If the points are set incorrectly, would that cause the engine to fire early? I have 1969 Cub Cadet with a K241 engine on it. I am getting spark during the intake stroke. Should I start with changing the points, or should I check the flywheel key? Thanks for the great video.
Point gap only adjusts ignition by a few degrees. If you're sparking on the wrong stroke there is something major. Did you recently rebuild you engine? Your camshaft timing may be way off
@@Isavetractors I figured it out. The points were bad. It wasn't just sparking during intake. Sometimes it would spark during the exhaust stroke. At other times, it would spark when it was supposed to. I put in a brand new set of points, and that cleared up the issue. Thanks for your quick reply.
Is this the same procedure for a K series twin?? I have a new condenser with breaker points from iSaveTractors ordered and coming soon! Thanks for helping me out, Anyways it has 2 cylinders obviously (mine being the K532 in particular) so I’m just wondering If there is a distributor in the system also?Im worried about setting the timing correctly.
You need to time a K532 twice. Once with a point gap of .020" and then one with a timing light down the top of the flywheel cover. We have the service manual that outlines the procedure on our website www.isavetractors.com
my john deere is like that but my cub has it threw the bearing plate .. i used a wire brush and a scotch bright pad too find the marks they were very hard to find they looked like a scratch but the letters were there .. i think if you clean with sandpaper you could loose your marks ,,i took a file and added a bit of depth to my marks on the flywheel and marked the grove with a paint stick ,,you can see it 10 feet away now ..
Great info and my question is related but not covered. I have a 1450 and am recently experiencing extended run over. When I throttle down and turn the ignition off the engine continues to try and run, spit and sputter. Any idea's would be appreciated. Thank you.
i had an early model dynamark with a teccy that had points and a ' brain box'. i cleaned and adjusted them , tractor would run for 15 mins n shut off, at that point i knew i needed new ones, but i ended up selling it before i could change them.
I just found your videos. I, my son, and grandson are trying to restore a JD 212. These videos are a wonderful aid and you do a good job explaining what your are doing. Could I ask that you find a way to illuminate the subject more. It was difficult to see some of what you were doing. That said, thank you for these. We already purchased an ignition kit from your eBay store.
Hey Norman - I have a Gravely 5665 with a K301 that suddenly just died in the middle of brush hogging. Cleaned plug, replaced condenser and points using the “easy” method and now trying this method. My multimeter would not beep with the points closed while doing this test, except it did randomly one time and worked as described in your video. And I’m not getting spark. Could something else electrical be going on??
If your meter wasnt beeping with the points closed try cleaning them with solvent and a folded dollar bill. If the beeping never happens look into replacing the points. Your points need to have continuity in order to fire the plug
Hey Norman . I’m having issues with my k321 . It hunts and surges , backfires etc . I’ve tried the carb including new ones but I can’t tune it to run right . I have it apart now and valves are good and set correctly. This is my 3rd set of points I’m trying and using this method I set it as you describe but when I test it after tightening the points it I am getting over .026 ? When I set it to 0.020 and rotate the engine around with the continuity test it doesn’t start opening until past the s almost to the t ? Am I doing something wrong ?
How do you change the actual timing tho? The points help create the spark but it's driven by a cam and a pushrod so where's the adjustment for that since there ain't no distributor?
You can adjust the ignition timing only by a few degrees by adjusting the point gap. Smaller gap is advancing ignition, bigger gap retards the ignition.
I have a 1970 Cub Cadet 127 with a 12hp Kohler K301. The engine usually backfires when I shut it off, and I was told by an engine guy to adjust the timing. The timing hole is on the opposite side from the one in your demonstration and has no mark to line up with. I assumed the S mark should be centered in the hole. I couldn't back the points off enough to get the meter to silence. I tried using the feeler gauge to set the points and can't get them to open enough to .020. The points are fairly new. Could the push rod be worn short? If this is the case, short of tearing the engine down and replacing the rod, would it work to epoxy a thin shim of phenolic to the plastic part of the points where the rod pushes to make up the difference?
Yes the S mark should be centered in the hole for the Cub Cadet Flywheel. If you can't get your points to the .020". I recommend removing the push rod and see if it is at least 1.5" long. You can take out the pushrod by simply removing the points bracket and pulling the plunger out. If the length is correct, then you may need to tear the engine down and examine your camshaft's points lobe for wear. I guess in theory your idea of epoxying material to the points would work, but it would be better in the long run to just replace the plunger if it is not the correct size. You may also want to look into your valve clearance and valve face and seat to cure the backfire problem. A backfire is typically caused by fuel leaking past the exhaust valve and hitting the hot exhaust. A good practice is also to bring your engine to a low idle for a few minutes before shut down to reduce engine backfire out the exhaust.
Wheres that hole on tthe tractor itself, never showed where it was, just picked up a Jacobsen 1200, will not fire at all, cranks and backfires even after a lil fuel in plug hole.....
Not Norman but seen no reply so far, so for you as well as others: Yes it moves "out" .020 (You said "up", but want to be careful wile answering on Normans page). I just bought the ignition bundle from him and used this video to set the timing cause points came with it. Did the whole deal with the continuity meter wile the "S" line was perfectly on it's mark, and when I set it to "T" line, I measured the points opening and it was .020 perfectly with the minimal drag.
The line....The "S" and the "T" just stand for "start" and "top'....The lines are when this is perfect. His looked just a smidge off in the video, but I'm sure that was just him trying to film and do the adjustment at the same time. It's delicate enough to get the engine turned "perfectly" so the lines match up without a camera in the way....Not hard...Just delicate...
Hi Norman I just purchased my first K241s. For some reason it idles high when idling, but as soon as I engage the deck the idle drops and doesn’t even sound like it’s cutting, but it does. I’ve never had an older mower like this before. And for some reason even when I try to lower the idle at idle it doesn’t change. Not sure what’s going on. Could the drop in power when engaging the deck have anything to do with the coil? But like I said as soon as I turn the deck off it goes back to a high idle. Can you please help? Or anyone? Thanks in advance. 🤝
You will want to take a look at your governor system. That is what controls your engine's response to load. See my video on 5 things you should do to your Kohler engine and it will show a procedure called the "static governor adjustment." Start with that.
Yea if you cant easily see the Mark's pull the shroud and use a scotchbright pad to clean up surface rust. When you find the Mark's mark them with a paint pen
I just went thru this today with mine...use krud kutter spray on the exposed flywheel...let it set for 20 mins then wipe off...should be clear to see then.
I have a 1974 IHCC 108 with a 12 horsepower engine in it. The tractor cranks and has a brand new spark plug in it, but it doesn't "catch" and start up. Even when I took off the air cleaner and sprayed ether inside the carb, it didn't catch even for a second. Any suggestions? Thanks man.
First confirm you have spark. Use an inline spark tester. Next check your valve clearances. You can download a free service manual for your engine on our website.
I tried this method with my 10hp Kohler IH Cub Cadet 105 and when checking the widest gap of the points I got close to .070". Adjusted so the points just open at the "S" mark. Does this mean someone has messed up the camshaft? Picked this up as a fixer-upper and just can't get it to run.
at 6:47 you state: "and when the points are open at their most open position..." did you omit to state to rotate the flywheel clockwise from the S mark towards to the T position where it would be at its most open position?
It doesnt have to be in the T position. If using a feeler gauge you can just open it to there widest open position. See our other video on setting point gap with a feeler gauge
@@Isavetractors ya, I used that before successfully. just tried using this method to see if it would run better. didn't :(. so to confirm, once you have the flywheel @ the S position, do I continue moving the flywheel clockwise until the points plunger is at its further out position...and THEN set the gap to .020?? appreciate your input.
If your engine is still running poorly check and confirm your condenser is installed correctly and still functioning. After that check valves, carburetor, fuel etc..
Just set them at 20 thousands with the flywheel on the T mark ( top dead center ) no need for all this multi meter stuff Norman knows better , this is not how you set points gap , it's just a another more difficult way to do it .
technically this is how the service manual calls for setting of static timing of k series kohlers. why set gap and hope the points breaking is spot on? its the points breaking that sets spark time, not the 20 thou gap... that and some engines just don't run 20 thou at tdc. my k's are timed spot on at the "s" mark but don't run 20 thou at tdc. besides, the multimeter method is actually easier in alot of ways, depending on ur access to ur points.
@@michael-dm2bv Maybe Kohler was confused and put that mark on the flywheel by mistake? Perhaps They didn't know what to do after it went into production so their 3 rd rate flunky engineers made up some shit about proper engine timing and then printed it in a million shop manuals to explain away their massive mistake?
