CH18 vs CH18s
 

Hello
I recently purchased a Cub Cadet 1863 Model 144-664-100 Serial 854163
The engine is a Kohler Command 18hp CH18s Spec. 62588 Serial 3330412011

This was a Auction purchase, the tractor sat in a barn for a long time. It had been partially disassembled when I got it. It need a grill (broken), hood and fenders are just worn and very dirty. I put a new battery in the tractor and checked fluids then tried to turn the engine over. To my delight it turn over sounding great! It has a fuel problem though. So I ordered a cheap fuel pump with the valve cover already on it, I thought that would cure everything. It ran, just really rough. So I decided to rebuild the carb and run new fuel lines from the tank. I also drained the tank to get all old fuel out.
Here is my problem: Local small engine Cub Cadet dealer has the CH18S carb kit ( gasket, a couple of bolts and maybe 2 jet? ) for $110!!!! Not a carb but a carb kit! So checking online I found several that look just like that but the are for a CH18 not my CH18s. Does this make a difference? The kits look very similar and the online kit is $12 compared to $110 locally! I hate buying non factory stuff but WOW!
So I am very new to this and would love any opinions on what I should do!
Thanks in advance!

First, welcome to OCC....... :Welcome2:

The CH18S means the engine has Electric Start.

The correct Carb Repair Kit for the CH18S-62588 is.... 24 757 03-S (24-757-03-S or 2475703S)

You can do what you want, but........................

I've had a number of CH 18 carbs apart, cleaned them and put them back together with good results using all the original parts.

Two things to look closely at. The slow jet has a habit of filling up with dried gasoline and will cause a rough or no idle. Probe all the holes and passages with a wire and blow them out. The second thing is more obvious and that's the fuel shut off solenoid. Sometimes they stick shut or partially shut and cause running problems. But that's easy to see. Just clean them and put them back in.