Continued engine problems with my 129

[three4rd]

That's the way I did it.

[budscub]

One thing about the Kohlers and the Battery based ignition, that people don't realize is they will run with a sheared or partly sheared key. The only way I know that the timing marks would not jive with the piston position would be a bad fly wheel key. Now with that being said, that would not change the relationship of the camshaft ( points action) to crankshaft position. It would make setting the point by using the marks impossible. I don't recall if you gave any history or past knowledge of this machine. I am going to look at the other threads.

[cubs-n-bxrs]

Did you use the flywheel key? If you did are you 100% sure it didn't get pushed out the back of the flywheel when it was reinstalled. That is the only way the flywheel could be so far out.

[three4rd]

Have no idea what happened to the key once I tightened up on the set screws and put the PTO back on. The engine ran well and I used it several times since.

[ironman]

Originally Posted by three4rd

Have no idea what happened to the key once I tightened up on the set screws and put the PTO back on. The engine ran well and I used it several times since.

What does the PTO have to do with the flywheel? One is on the front of the engine, the other is on the rear. I'm curious how you can tell the position of the piston unless you have the head off.

[three4rd]

Just going by what I can see through the spark plug hole.

[ironman]

Originally Posted by three4rd

Gary - yeah, you heard me right. I've rolled the flywheel over and over to make sure. That's what I mean when I say that something seems way off. My piston is at the top long before the S appears in the window. And yet it appears that the points start closing right as the power stroke begins - so the points must be staying open a long time as I mentioned. The thing is, I didn't do anything that would change the relationship between when the points open with respect to the rest of the engine. So if the timing is way off, it must have been that way for a long time. No way to be sure until I use a test light I suppose. Right now I have a .020 gap set where the points are open at their widest. I paid more attention to that then where the points were with respect to the flywheel marks. This all feels like a puzzle for which I don't seem to have all the pieces, though in my case I suppose I have them all but aren't sure where they all go...and now please no jokes about my not having all my marbles LOL

Yes, the points stay open most of the flywheel rotation. They only close and open again very quickly to send a burst of current through the coil, which at that instant amplifies the current to give the burst of spark across the plug electrodes. That's why it is important that the points close exactly on the "S" mark so that the spark occurs just slightly before the piston reaches TDC (which is the "T" mark). The spark occurs before TDC because the high speed of the engine rotation puts the piston just past TDC by the time the spark ignites the fuel.

The .020 setting is really more of a ballpark setting. You may find that after you get your test light and finally get everything set just right on the "S" that the points may measure more or less than .020.

[three4rd]

Originally Posted by ironman

What does the PTO have to do with the flywheel? One is on the front of the engine, the other is on the rear. I'm curious how you can tell the position of the piston unless you have the head off.

PTO has nothing to do with the wheel...I only took it off because I had to in order to get at a broken alternator bolt. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was pull off the PTO and pulley just to fix a bolt that had turned its way out and ground itself to bits against the pulley.

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by three4rd

One thing I forgot to ask in all the recent posts and threads, however, is: Can you effectively check the compression on these with a gauge, being that the ACR system is operating? I asked my IH service guy and he said that you can come up with a number but that, due to the exhaust valve being partially held open, you can't get an accurate reading. Wouldn't you have to either run the engine backwards and/or disconnect the ACR springs?

You could disconnect the springs. You could also adjust the exhaust valve to have a very wide gap. Wide enough it should stay closed. But, it's really not worth the effort. If your engine is losing oil... only two ways that is possible. It's either leaking it, or burning it. You never said it had any leaks.

Originally Posted by three4rd

Also...two more items...1) the condition of the battery is questionable. It's 6 years old. Once the engine is running, could inadequate voltage associated with the battery be contributing to poor engine performance?

No. Not unless the charging system is also not working. But you don't ever have to jump it correct?

Originally Posted by three4rd

2) When I try to start it and pull the choke, sometimes it barely wants to crank at all. It cranks better with the choke pushed in. Makes no sense (?)

Could be a bad battery with not enough voltage. More than likely a timing issue.

Originally Posted by three4rd

Something just doesn't seem right in that the piston is well on the way back down before the S appears in the flywheel window, and it's even farther down by the time the T appears. Should that be the case? If I'm correct, the points appear to be open during the entire intake and compression stroke.

$5 says you're seeing the exhaust valve move. You can't see the piston through the plug hole on a K series. At least not easily. Heard this story time and again on here how the piston is moving.... "newbies" always see the exhaust valve and mistake it for the piston.

[cubs-n-bxrs]

You obviously have the PTO clutch basket and the flywheel confused.