And so it continues .......
 

So have not yet got the DOA starting issue completely resolved yet , however...

While waiting for parts , I decided to look at the front electric clutch as I know

its been used A LOT ! Probably a good thing I did. After removal of the clutch

assy , I quickly noticed that the crank seal is in very crooked , like top is in the

opening about 1/4" the bottom is in about 7/16". So I've ordered a new seal

and will replace that ! So I guess lesson here is don't stop looking !

Since some of us here don't follow everyone's post's, what might you be working on?:bigthink:

I'm sorry I should put in a sig line.

SGT 1872 w/ M18 Kohler

Ok,
Make sure you set the seal just deep enough that the little location nubs on the electric clutch have room to go into the bore where the seal lives.:beerchug:

Thanks George !

I had to go back and look at the back of the plate , yea I see the 4 little "nubs" that make up the cheapo pilot. The seal thats in there now is in quite deep , I'm going to straighten it out and put the new one right in on top of it , plenty of depth there.

Thanks Again !

If you do that you will block the oil passage to the crankshaft, pull out the old one and put in the new one as Old man George instructed you to do.

May I suggest that you pry out the old seal, and install the new seal at the proper depth,also making sure to lube the lip of the seal where it rides on the crank.
The factory seals usually come with the grease already in the lip, but not all folks purchase factory seals.
If you don't know, the seal comes out pretty easily,if you drill a small hole in the metal that holds the lip, and twist in a sheet metal screw to allow something to easily pull the seal out.
On a more difficult seal, 2 screws work well. :beerchug:

Thanks George ...... I do a lot of seal replacement in my job , I mean A LOT. In most all cases I would pull the old seal , however I'm guessing that this engine may be coming out next winter for a rebuild anyway. So i'll stack them up this go round , in lieu of (even with a left hand drill) getting any metal in the crankcase.
I use a good o-ring lube on any seals I install.Where it is specifically designed for use on rubber.
I know the history of this tractor , as far as where its been its whole life but not its maintenance history. I don't think its been religiously maintained. So after I get some run time on it I'll know a bit better as to the engines condition.

Thanks Again , don't stop the good idea ........

If you do seal work then you know how to remove it without drilling.
As far as chips, that front cover comes off easily without removing the engine if you feel that is a problem, but that area does not lead directly to the crankcase to allow this.
The crank pto main journal is lubed/flooded under pressure through a hole in the main bearing surface behind that seal, all the lube it then removed through a drain back hole on bottom of that seal bore area.
If that drain back hole is obstructed by anything
( silly cone comes to mind) it will blow the lip of that seal out
but not the seal, as it is retained by the pto clutch locating nubs
Install the seal OD. dry, no sealer/silly cone.
Apologies if you know this.
When cold those engines can and do reach #80 oil pressure but settle to #20 @ idle on a worn/warm engine.
The kohler service manual (avail here free to down load) gives pix's of lube system and crankcase cover.
On a side note, if the cover originally has a gasket, reinstall one, if sealer is used instead of a gasket, use sealer, if for some reason you remove the crankcase cover.:beerchug: