USN_ED
06-02-2005, 08:27 PM
There’s been a lot of discussion on this forum and over at GW about Kohler engine smoking – specifically, the Kohler Command 25HP engine.
The problem with some of the engine smoking is that the engine doesn’t smoke long enough to truly establish the color of the smoke. Is it black or is it blue?
It’s my experience that much of the smoking is caused by over-choking the engine upon start-up - maybe as much as 95%. However, yesterday my Kohler Command 25HP engine in my GT5000 began smoking really bad. Here’s what led up to it:
“I had been mowing a portion of my lower-40 and was using the GT5000 to not only mow grass and saw grass but to run over sagebrush and chop it up too. Well, I ran over a sagebrush clump and a piece of sagebrush about 3-inches round by about 4-foot long came up under the mower deck and jammed itself up over all three blades. That bogged the mower and the engine quit. I turned off the PTO and the engine started right up. I drove the tractor to my shed and tried to clear the sagebrush but it was no go. I then jacked the left rear of the tractor about 28-inches in the air, reached under the deck and sawed the piece of sagebrush into pieces in order to clear it from the mower deck.” :fing20:
Here’s the kicker:
“While the tractor rear-end was jacked up so high, some oil evidently seeped into the engine and when I fired that puppy up it started smoking like the chimneys in a steel mill. Smoke was pouring everywhere and I couldn’t see squat. Well, I knew nothing had happened to the engine during my latest escapade so I shut the engine down, let it sit for 15-minutes, pulled the dipstick, and checked the oil. Sure enough the oil level was down to about the half way mark on the dipstick. I topped up the oil and fired off the engine and that sucker was still smoking like crazy. I drove the tractor for about half a mile up the road and back. The smoke stopped entirely before the end of the drive.”
Moral to the story or what’s my point:
DON’T PANIC!!!! As long as the engine appears to be running ok and there are no strange rattles, squeaks, whining, screaming, clanging, or whatever shut the engine down, ensure the oil level is correct, fire the engine back up, and drive the tractor to see if perhaps the smoking diminishes. I just wonder how many engines have been dismantled for no good reason.
I know you guys with a lot of experience realize this but some of the newer guys might not. I have watched some of the new guys panic ( :hide:) at the least little thing that happens to their tractors.
Just my nickle.
ED
:dancingpa
The problem with some of the engine smoking is that the engine doesn’t smoke long enough to truly establish the color of the smoke. Is it black or is it blue?
It’s my experience that much of the smoking is caused by over-choking the engine upon start-up - maybe as much as 95%. However, yesterday my Kohler Command 25HP engine in my GT5000 began smoking really bad. Here’s what led up to it:
“I had been mowing a portion of my lower-40 and was using the GT5000 to not only mow grass and saw grass but to run over sagebrush and chop it up too. Well, I ran over a sagebrush clump and a piece of sagebrush about 3-inches round by about 4-foot long came up under the mower deck and jammed itself up over all three blades. That bogged the mower and the engine quit. I turned off the PTO and the engine started right up. I drove the tractor to my shed and tried to clear the sagebrush but it was no go. I then jacked the left rear of the tractor about 28-inches in the air, reached under the deck and sawed the piece of sagebrush into pieces in order to clear it from the mower deck.” :fing20:
Here’s the kicker:
“While the tractor rear-end was jacked up so high, some oil evidently seeped into the engine and when I fired that puppy up it started smoking like the chimneys in a steel mill. Smoke was pouring everywhere and I couldn’t see squat. Well, I knew nothing had happened to the engine during my latest escapade so I shut the engine down, let it sit for 15-minutes, pulled the dipstick, and checked the oil. Sure enough the oil level was down to about the half way mark on the dipstick. I topped up the oil and fired off the engine and that sucker was still smoking like crazy. I drove the tractor for about half a mile up the road and back. The smoke stopped entirely before the end of the drive.”
Moral to the story or what’s my point:
DON’T PANIC!!!! As long as the engine appears to be running ok and there are no strange rattles, squeaks, whining, screaming, clanging, or whatever shut the engine down, ensure the oil level is correct, fire the engine back up, and drive the tractor to see if perhaps the smoking diminishes. I just wonder how many engines have been dismantled for no good reason.
I know you guys with a lot of experience realize this but some of the newer guys might not. I have watched some of the new guys panic ( :hide:) at the least little thing that happens to their tractors.
Just my nickle.
ED
:dancingpa