Kohler Command Blown Head Gasket Repair 

good video....just an fyi for those doing this at home 1. a flat piece of 2x4 on top of valve cover and a tap with mallet is much better than using a screwdriver to pry! 2. do NOT use so much gasket sealant when reinstalling valve cover, 1/16" bead is proper

I’ve always had good luck with Kohler engines!

You should run a tap into those exhaust manifold threads. Before re-installing, put a bit of ANTISIEZE on the bolts.

Very helpful video, especially torque values. I also encourage others to check cooling fins. My CV15S ran hot one spring and I discovered a family of mice had set up housekeeping. They also chewed the coil wire, I guess I was lucky not to have had a fire. I keep my mower in an outside shed.

Mu favorite channel on YT. I don’t even work on stuff. Just satisfying to watch. Thanks for the content.

Some of the lawn tractors I get free from our town's transfer station cost a lot of money but had zero maintenance done like the JD 105 I'm currently bringing back. The deck mounts had broken off from the vibration caused by loose blades. It only has 198 hours on it.

i think this is the last of your old videos i have watched as yet...now ive watched them all...we need more lol

Thank you. Damn, that sounded like a new engine when it started up!

I will be tackling this project before spring.

When you first pulled off the cooling tins I expected to see a mouse nest under the tins, then as the video ran along and you said the fins were filled with grass clippings it all made sense to me, that inadequate cooling was the culprit, just that it had already been cleaned. I drove up a very steep road with my pentastar and it finally overheated and I immediately stopped and came home before any damage occurred. I had replaced the thermostat last spring but it was an aftermarket job and cracked while installing it. Must get another.

Great Video, I have an LT155 and having the same problem. This video make it easy to work on!! Thanks.

Great video man! I'm having the similair issues with my old mower, thank you!!

Good instructional video on this head gasket replacement, you made it very easy for the average DIYr to follow along. I have this exact engine on my Snapper ZT18440kh mower and noticed fumes coming out of the oil dipstick tube recently so may be doing this procedure myself. Looks pretty straight forward from your video; glad you took all the “re-torque” guess work out of the procedure, one less thing to look up online:-) This is the first small engine I have come across in a long time that has self adjusting valves.

Great video! I'm about to tackle this on my LT150. It's really helpful to see what's entailed before I jump in. Thanks! 👍

My gt225 with Kohler CV15S motor began sputtering, then stalling, then hard to start, then backfiring. After watching videos, I serviced the carb to no success so I decided to replace the head gasket. It looked exactly like your video. Cleaned the cooling fins well, reassembled, started. After a short period, the popping, backfiring, and stalling started again. Replaced the carb and coil. It ran much better, but not perfect. It was popping slightly til it warmed up, and then the engine kept wanting to race although I could throttle it down. I took it out and mowed several rows. Then it died and wouldn't start again. So, that's where I'm at. I rebuilt VW Bug engines for 20 years and, therefore, thought this would be a breeze as it was in your video. Haven't drained the gas, but my cars, mower, and snowblower run from the same batches of fuel without a problem. And, it seems I've done about everything that RU-vid videos have to offer. Do you have any other ideas. I want to believe that this is still fixable.

If the only problem you had is a blown gasket, you got lucky. I was working on a Briggs and stratton, it had some serious problems. The intake valve guide moved towards the valve head and held the valve open. I thought it just needed a valve job. WRONG , I took it to a machine shop, he removed the guide, knurled the guide, and replaced the guide. Heated the head with a propane torch to remove and replace. Then ground the valves, and seats. It was in pretty bad shape. I doubt it could have been lapped in, the seats were in really bad shape. It runs great now. One thing I might have done differently, is I used 150 grit sandpaper on a flat smooth surface and resurfaced the head, and the block to have a good flat mounting head and block. I did that with the Briggs. I don't know If it helps or not but in my mind a flat service will help.

For the hard to loosen head bolts I have an aluminum bar or rod I have. Put it on the bolt and give two heavy love tapes. This helps brake any electrolysis between the aluminum block and the metal bolts.

I have the same tractor and experienced a blown head gasket. I will be more dutiful blowing out the grass clippings. Starting a GoFundME for a new pair of Levi's for you.

Very helpful. Thank you 👍

I had a neighbor bring me one with a clearly blown head gasket. They tried a mechanic in a bottle head gasket fix. Yeah you know what I"m talking about... for liquid cooled engines. Dumped it in with the oil. I don't know how many quarts the engine held but I know I captured more than two out of the drain. It played hell on the bearings. Think it had some sort of fiber of varying sizes in it. Machine sat in their back yard for as long as I lived there. I finally understood why there is so much common sense verbiage on labels.

I have this same engine, so thanks for a great video.

Used on of these motors for 15 years to cut a couple of acres of grass every week March - October. Never missed a beat and I never blew out the cooling fins, and I don't recall a service requirement to so. Good engine.

I got the same engine on my GT225. Just rebuilt it with a new head not too long ago and did a video on it. Not as good a editing job as you but Im happy with the result!

Nice, My John Deere is 31 years old lx 188 Kawasaki water cooled still going strong never been rebuilt...

great video.

Very nice video!

Those CV4xx series engines are among the best on the market

Great video!

I just replaced the head gasket on a cv12.5 s kohler command it only had 25 lbs compression after I replaced gasket it now has 125 lbs compression.

I have a CH23 and this confirms my thoughts. I have hard starting, black spark plug on that side (after 30 minutes new), and a very loud exhaust sound after 20 minutes into mowing. Took valve covers off and it looks good. Ordered new valve cover gaskets and a head gasket kit from Kohler site with my units numbers. $36 total all parts. Going to fix this soon. Also...136 PSI compression on good cylinder side and 0 on bad side. In fact it shoots up to 80 very quickly then down to zero within a millisecond and will not get or hold above 30 PSI after that with needle always falling to zero. Compression relief? Don’t think so due to other side holding 136. Good video and going to perform my fix soon.

Koehler builds a nice motor, but their head gaskets are crap! No flame ring around cylinder. Always blow at the bottom where the get saturated with gas. There should be a recall!

I have a 22 hp Courage, twin cylinder. The replacement head gasket has a thin metal strip on one side. The strip runs around the cylinder and valve ports. I watched closely, and I think your replacement gasket also had a strip and you put it out, against the head, not the block. Am I right? This is a detail that might be added to clarify. Thanks.

Parts purchased. Off to San Diego for the weekend then back home to tackle the head gasket. I was able to float a ping pong ball on the air coming from the dipstick opening...is that bad? lol Thanks for the step by step.

Very helpful. Was your oil mixed with fuel? Even in the base of mine the oil is mixed with gas. My cooling fins were 100 percent blocked.

I have the same engine except it’s in a craftsman platform tractor. I’m curious as at the end of the video you cranked it for a few seconds without the choke. Then the second time you choked it to start. Does this help with starting easier? I have noticed that it takes multiple cranks with choke to fire mine up also.

Another master piece. Thanks James. I wonder if Loctite handles heat for us, page 11:30. I saw others use heat to soften Loctite in disassembling. Your advice?

This is one of the best repair videos on YT and I've watched many! One question...I have a Kohler Command CV13 in a John Deere ST38 (black deck). When attempting to put the push rods back in, there is a "guide plate" (Kohler part # 1214622S, per Jacks small engines) that I don't see on any other Kohler Command repair video. Other parts sites list it as a "spacer". This plate prevents me from be able to tighten the screws completely, so the push rods won't stay in place as the rockers are loose. Anyone else have this issue? I don't want to take it out since I'm sure it is there for a reason, but if the other Kohler engines in this family don't have it, and I can't reinstall my push rods, I may chance it. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Listen to how it sounded after he turned the key off.. I was just telling a guy in another channel that's how you can easily tell bad head gasket

great job but now you need to adjust that carb the engine is shunting up and down, not good carb may need a cleaning and check the governor

I am curious if the bolts stretch from over heating why not put new head bolts in ?

Thanks for a great video. I will attempt this tomorrow. Few questions: 1. Did you use Permatex clear RTV sealant? 2. Did you use Permatex Blue Threadlocker? 3. Do you have John Deere Head gasket part number?

Absolutely found this an awesome video. The timing of titles and all. Pardon my technological innocence, but when tightening the rocker pivot bolts, does the piston or other engine component(s) need to be in a certain position?

Please, what was the torque? Nice job. Thanks

Impact drills make life so much easier. Turning ratchets sucks.. So true w cooling fins issue. See it alot. Head planar surface should be checked for .003 tolerance. DO A VALVE JOB while its open too. Machine shop only charge 30 or so to Resurface head and cut new valve seats if needed

Great video with torque specs. Where can I get the torque specs for Briggs and Stratton engine?

When I removed the head today I found one bolt (near the reed valve) with two areas of the threads covered in thread sealant. Do you know if that is normal?

I'm not sure if I should even use blue lock tight I'm thinking it will just burn off . I don't know but I'm going to use blue lock tight on my bolts anyway what do I have to lose 😁😁😁

Great video. Curious. Would a cylinder leakdown test have identified this head gasket condition?

On mine the the same bottom bolt was loose. In my case the engine smoked like crazy and also hard to start.

Would've been great if You included the replacement parts numbers in the description

What did you use in the drill to clean the metal on the cylinder and head .mounting surfaces. And how's it run since the video? Thanks!

Ya'll need red locktight for that high heat application there James. Not that head bolts need locktight or thread locker. But it can't hoit. It provides thread lubrication to produce a more even torque setting. Oh: I was expecting you to use either a pane of glass or flat thick steel backed by crockus cloth to smooth the head after that warpage and the crankcase flats also. I think you do a wonderful job James. I am just an old man mentioning things not criticizing your work which is probably way up to snuff. Not Squatch 253 or kt3406 level but highly recommended and well done. Good job

Great video. James, I noticed you cleaned up the engine block surface before putting things back together. Did you clean up the surface of the head, as well?

Hey James, are those valves adjustable? Hydraulic lifters? Fixed valves?

I loved your video it really helped with this old mower. Just a question of clarification, I have a cv13s would 100in lbs be the same for torquing the rocker bolts? I looked for valve lash clearance because I've never done this without setting a pre determined clearance. It kinda threw me off. Sorry if it's a dumb question I just wanted to be sure and you look plenty comfortable doing that. Thanks in advance!

I have a CV20s- 65597. It was used on a golf course for a decade before I got it. It was well serviced but I believe both head gaskets are blown. Is it worth the extra effort to pull the heads all the way off and hone and re-ring the cylinders while doing the head gasket. Anything else that you would recommend on a high hour engine while I have it apart?

Should there be that much oil in the valve cover? Also, what type of camera/audio do you use for your filming?

Mister James what attachment did you have in your drill for cleaning surfaces @ 9:40 in your video, please?

How do you adjust the clearance on these rocker arms with out an adjustable nut and set screw? My rocker arms are without any clearance at TDC. I’m experiencing a loud tapping.

Great video, thanks! Hey do you know the part # for the head gasket kit, I can’t find it anywhere thanks again

I have a 15.5 Kohler motor timing broke

I have the same exact mower and engine. Mine seems to putter and stutter a little and doesn’t seem to have the power it used to. It smokes a little black smoke on startup but clears up. Smells like burning rubber or something. I’m wondering if the rings are worn or the head gasket is going.

What web sight do you get your specs from for these engines

My gasket blew out on bottom also

What did you use on your drill to clean the surfaces

how do you set rocker arm adjustment?

When bottom head bolt had little torque on it- what happens is that the head is loose and engine displays symptoms of a blown head gasket(may smoke a lot)- all it may need is the head bolts re-torqued to 20 foot pounds. There is a great amount of vibration in these engines. Also- the rockers and pushrods don't need to be removed- they will come off with the cylinder head, the pushrods are made of different materials one is steel and one is aluminum don't get them mixed up- steel would be for the hot exhaust side.

I have same engine on l110. When it gets hot it miss and smoke. Wonder if this could be the issue

No valve adjustment right? Hydraulic lifters?

So your not supposed to adjust the valves?

Overheating like that can cause a warped head.

Good video but you should've checked the valve clearance while you were right there or did you forget to put that in the video.

I accidentally cranked the engine for about a second to 2 while doing this and there was no oil in the engine. The engine turns fine by hand and i dont hear and knock when I turn by hand. Can you blow the engine when you crank it?

I have the same engine on my tractor. It stalls after 15 minutes of mowing, smoke out of the oil stick and the air intake. When I start it up it puffs black smoke out. Am I correct in thinking that's also a blown head gasket? It happened out of nowhere so it's not related to fuel sitting in the carb

NOW you tell me!

The only assembly of the engine that was required by John Deere was bolting on their exhaust and making sure the gasket sealed properly and they couldn’t even do that right! Haha I hate green machines!

Hey I just did this on my stx38. And it looks like the timing is off? Didn’t do that before replacing the head gasket. When the engine cranks looks like the spark is delayed and turns on late making the engine spin the wrong way for a second every time the spark turns on. What could it be ?

Also what striped your lawn? It certainly wasn’t that JD

If it makes 5 years replace head gasket and sump gasket

Is it ok if I just remove the whole exhaust

Did I miss you checking the flatness on the head and block surface.

Puoi darmi anche informazioni sul carburatore, sul mio c'é scritto Walbro 6 ma non trovo nulla per eventuali ricambi sul tuo cosa c'é scritto grazie dell'aiuto. Can you also give me information on the carburetor, on mine it says Walbro 6 but I can't find anything for any spare parts on yours what is written thanks for the help.

need new stater

Great job with this video, it looks like I will be doing the same procedure on my Kohler Command. I have to ask what kind of drill attachment did you use to clean the carbon off the piston, valves and gasket surfaces on the engine? I sure could use one of those it would be a real time saver.

Ciao scusa, ti scrivo dall'Italia ho Anch'io un kohler command 15 hp cc.426, con carburatore Walbro 6, montato su uno snapper. Purtroppo le targhette di identificazione col sole si sono cancellate come posso fare per i ricambi? Ho solo questo dato su una targhetta ancora leggibile: family YKHXS.462GB Grazie se mi puoi aiutare. Hi sorry, I'm writing from Italy I too have a kohler command 15 hp cc.426, with Walbro 6 carburettor, mounted on a snapper. Unfortunately, the identification plates have been erased with the sun, how can I do for spare parts? I only have this data on a still legible tag: family YKHXS.462GB Thanks if you can help me.

Not that it means anything, but those rocker arms and pushrods look like they came from a Chevy V8. Curious.

Why don't you convert to ft/lb? 18 ft/lb is easier to set on some torque wrenches than 216 in/lb!

I would have gotten replacement head bolts.

Never a fan of the Command series. Liked the Kawasaki K series in Deeres much better

So I just did this repair and now I hear a screeching should every time it’s running, what is causing this

You have a good channel. I think you could have a great channel if you added some personality to it. Not that I could do better, LOL. Check out other small engine channels and learn from them. The mechanics are great but very dry content. I know, I watched some of AVE's early posts, not so great. He found himself. I believe you can too. Just be your self.

dude, I searched everywhere for that stupid manual that gives the specs...the hell you only give the specs for the exhaust and not the head bolts. the more important specs