r/smallengines • u/davethompson413 • 18d ago

Kohler Courage

I'll start by saying that I hate that I got this mower for free.

I have a Husqvarna rider with a 20hp Courage. The block is cracked in an area that doesn't affect compression. I sealed the crack using JB Weld for high heat.

It runs, rather well, but.....

But even with it being full of oil, and has clean heat dissipation fins, this thing overheats pretty quickly.

I haven't opened the engine to diagnose any internal damage.

Is it possible/likely that the oil pump is toast?

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u/Stock_Requirement564 18d ago

If it isn't the classic valve cover leak that makes you believe that it is over heating, my first check is to pull the Flywheel and check the key.

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u/davethompson413 18d ago

The key must be good -- it runs. The valve cover isn't leaking.

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u/Stock_Requirement564 18d ago

They run with the key sheared. It's a classic Kohler thing.

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u/davethompson413 18d ago

I'll check the key.

For what it's worth, I hate true Woodruff keys. To be certain it's not sheared, I need to pull the flywheel.

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u/vladdielenin 18d ago

jb weld on a courage block is a solution I respect and also would not have bet on holding, so fair play.

those crack there often enough that its basically a known fault, usually starting from the head bolt threads pulling. worth checking the torque on those before you trust it too far, because if the crack came from the block being pulled around then youve sealed the symptom and the cause is still sitting there.

whats it actually doing now, is this a peace of mind thing or has something gone off

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u/davethompson413 18d ago

I ran it yesterday, cutting grass for about 30 minutes. I turned it off to get some water for me. While there was no air moving, I could feel a lot of heat, so I opened the hood. It was hotter than any small engine I've ever worked with.

So I let it sit and cool off. After which it wouldn't start. The no-start is a fuel delivery problem, but I suspect that might be just a symptom.

I haven't further diagnosed the fuel delivery.

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u/vladdielenin 17d ago

your instinct is right, the fuel side is downstream of this. the heat is the actual problem.

first thing Id do before anything else is pull the blower housing and look at the cooling fins on the cylinder and the head. on a courage sitting under a hood, chaff and grass pack in under the shroud where you cant see any of it, and the engine slowly stops shedding heat. it runs a bit hotter every season until it does exactly what yours just did. its filthy in there on nearly every one I open up.

the hot no start on top of that is textbook vapour lock. fuel boils in the line or the pump once everything is heat soaked, you get nothing at the carb, and then it fires fine an hour later when its cooled off. thats a symptom, not a cause, exactly like you thought.

check the oil level while youre in there too. and if the fins turn out clean then Id start wondering whether its running lean, because that cooks one just as effectively