3 Things You Can do to Keep Your Kohler K Engine Running Forever

Can your engine run forever? 

Yes, with some preventative maintenance your Kohler K engine will likely outlive you.

Here are 3 easy procedures to keep your engine running for another 100 years:

1. Keep your engine oil clean and change it every 25 hours of use. The engine oil in your Kohler K engine is the primary lubricant and method for cooling in your engine. The oil keeps metal parts out of direct contact with each other, and helps move the heat away from the parts. It's the lifeblood of your engine. Change it regularly and keep water out of it. In the summer run SAE 30 detergent oil and in the winter run 10W30 detergent oil.

Oil with a milky color indicates water is in the oil, and should be changed immediately. Clean oil is a clearish yellowish color, and dirty oil is black.

2. Change your air filter OFTEN. Your engine uses about 15 parts of air per 1 part of fuel to run. That's 15 times more air than fuel! A dirty air filter can cause your engine to run too rich which causes incomplete combustion and more carbon deposits in your engine. This in turn leads to premature wear and damage to your engine.

A damaged air filter can let in unfiltered air and damage your engine very quickly. Air with abrasive materials such as dirt, sand, and dust can quickly ruin your cylinder walls, intake valves, piston and piston rings. If you use your tractor in dusty conditions like we do in our horse pasture, replace them every month.

This is what a dirty air filter looks like.

3. Tune up your ignition every year. To ensure you have complete combustion replace your points, condenser and spark plug every season.

Incomplete combustion creates more carbon deposits in your combustion chamber. This can eventually lead to pre-ignition, damaged valve seats, rings, and more.

That's it! Very simple to keep your engine running forever!

Of course as you approach 100 years you will need to replace Rings, Seals, and Gaskets, but we will cover than in another entry.

Thank you for saving the Tractors!