1861 Governor Problem

[hdchevroletusa]

Our 1861 with the 18HP Kohler Courage engine has a governor failure.
We took the oil filler tube off and looked inside the engine.
We could see the gear and shaft for the governor had pulled out of it's mounting spot.
We saw a Technical Service Bulletin from Kohler advising to remove the gear shaft and install a pin into the shaft to prevent the shaft and gear from backing out.
Has anyone done this? I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing it. I hate to part the tractor out because it is really nice and has low hours.
Thanks for your help!

[West Valley G]

Your description of a governor failure can mean a whole lot
of things. Does it turn over? Do you suspect it is destroyed?
Whatever the case you are getting ready to open it up for a fix.
Do some looking around and let us know what you see.

Ken

[jsoluna]

Originally Posted by hdchevroletusa

Our 1861 with the 18HP Kohler Courage engine has a governor failure.
We took the oil filler tube off and looked inside the engine.
We could see the gear and shaft for the governor had pulled out of it's mounting spot.
We saw a Technical Service Bulletin from Kohler advising to remove the gear shaft and install a pin into the shaft to prevent the shaft and gear from backing out.
Has anyone done this? I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing it. I hate to part the tractor out because it is really nice and has low hours.
Thanks for your help!

The engine you have in that tractor is not a Courage. That is a Kohler Magnum. M18 is the model name of the engine, and yes they do have a technical service bulletin that advised pinning the governor shaft to prevent it from walking. If you can look down the filler neck and see the governor has let go, it's time to open up the engine and replace the governor assembly. Usually when they go, the engine will over speed and cause other damage as well.

Here is a link to a video my shop did on the governor shaft pinning, also for future reference. It won't help you now, unfortunately.

https://youtu.be/ddaWHLzUcyE

[hdchevroletusa]

Thanks for your support.
The engine runs but it races and won't idle.
Hopefully no other damage (yet!).
Does the engine have to been totally torn apart (crankcase split open)?

[ol'George]

If the governor gear needs replaced, the crankcase needs to be separated.
Best not to run it in the condition its in, as it could cause more damage.

[jsoluna]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Best not to run it in the condition its in, as it could cause more damage.

X2

Time to commit to a teardown or investigate other engine options. If there is no internal damage yet, you could do a teardown and refresh relatively inexpensively, depending on the condition of the cylinder walls and valve guides/valves. I would do a compression test and see what the engine is capable of before committing to a teardown. Once you get into rebores, pistons, valve guides and valves the cost to rebuild comes up significantly.

A lot of people like to repower with a Vanguard or Command rather than rebuild the Mag. I personally enjoy the Mag twins and would consider the teardown before a repower. It all depends on your skill set and overall needs with the tractor.

[hdchevroletusa]

Looks like I can't just repin the shaft from the top then.
George says I'll have to separate the crankcase.
That's probably more than I can handle.
Thanks.

[hdchevroletusa]

If my son and I do decide to try and fix it, (including splitting the crankcase open), where would I go to get information on the process? Would it be a Kohler Service Manual or is there good information on You Tube videos?
Thanks again!

[Ozcub]

I say have a go , its broke so you cannot broke it anymore but you can fix it
There are some very knowledgeable people on here who will share the knowledge with you , just ask
Take pictures as you go along so you know how to put it back together
Download the parts manual so you have some schematics to also help you
Try this site
https://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/we...abLaunch=false
Oz

[jsoluna]

Originally Posted by hdchevroletusa

If my son and I do decide to try and fix it, (including splitting the crankcase open), where would I go to get information on the process? Would it be a Kohler Service Manual or is there good information on You Tube videos?
Thanks again!

The service manual does a good job of walking you through the process. I find the Kohler manuals more thorough than the Briggs, and Kohler makes all service manuals available online through their website.

As far as a full teardown of the engine and splitting the case, we are working on a video that goes over that, but it won't be ready for a while.

If you have any questions, as mentioned just feel free to ask. Lots of helpful and knowledgeable people here.