2185 oil use WAY up this year

[Ford tractor]

Hi,

My 2185 mower was bought new in 1999 or so. It has been a good machine for cutting about 2 acres of lawn. But...

This year it started using oil. It will give a bit of blue smoke when throttling down or up, but does not smoke when running or even smell like burning oil. Can't find a leak. Never did it before, but now it is down about 1/2 to 2/3 of a QT after each mowing. I check that stuff before each mow and have been scratching my head over it. It just started. The service manual for the Kohler engine shows that the vent line may be clogged, but it flows brake cleaner easily. ( tested right before oil change / new filter)


What else to check? What else to do?

A new mower is out of the $$ question thanks to being one of the Obama-unemployed. So this one has to be fixed and hopefully for little $$.

Thanks

 

[Gator6x4]

I am afraid the time has come to put new rings in the engine. New rings, a gasket kit, which contains all gasket needed along with new valve stems seals and the front and rear crankcase seals. Kohler also recommends a new governor be installed. You will need a tube of red RTV to use as gasket material for the front crankcase cover. If you are lucky and do not need a piston or rod your out of pocket will be some wheres around $250.00 if you do the work. You can go to the Kohler web site and download a manual for your engine. The manual will provide how-to-do-it and torque specs. HF has a cheap cylinder glaze buster, piston ring compressor and a valve spring compressor if you do not have these items.

 

[highboy1975]

i would at least attempt to do the job yourself first. at least you will have tried, and it wont cost you anymore money. just have to be very organized. also, you more than likely lost your job, as did i, due to the aftermath of the horrible republican trade policies. they want to tell us we live in a global economy, then they shouldnt be able to use wages and cost of living differences against us.

 

[JTKub]

Which model engine are we talking about? If it still runs strong and isn't a mosquito fogger 100% of the time, I'd switch to 15w40 or even a 20w50 engine oil to see if that helps. It won't hurt a thing.

Joel

 

[Ford tractor]

Which model engine are we talking about? If it still runs strong and isn't a mosquito fogger 100% of the time, I'd switch to 15w40 or even a 20w50 engine oil to see if that helps. It won't hurt a thing.

Joel

18 horse kohler. I could look at the tag in the AM if that matters. Will try some diesel oil. It is running as good as ever. Never bogs down even when it's full of wet grass wads in the 48" deck. Never even slows down, and only smokes as I said when idling down or throttling up.

How many hours should these Kohlers provide? It has 400ish and I would expected a great deal more. But, the other engines were all Brigg's or Tecumseh.

also, you more than likely lost your job, as did i, due to the aftermath of the horrible republican trade policies

No, Demoncrat NAFTA from Clinton and Obama's taxes have made it" more favorable to move operations elsewhere ". Headcount shedding prior to the 800B tax whack from health care "reform" and the projected 300% increase in the cost of health insurance. But, I don't want to turn this into a politics curmudgeon session - I think both major parties stink and should be kicked out and replaced with some "tea".

Hope your back on your feet soon!

I am afraid the time has come to put new rings in the engine. New rings, a gasket kit, which contains all gasket needed along with new valve stems seals and the front and rear crankcase seals. Kohler also recommends a new governor be installed. You will need a tube of red RTV to use as gasket material for the front crankcase cover. If you are lucky and do not need a piston or rod your out of pocket will be some wheres around $250.00 if you do the work.

Good Lord! $250 for rings and gaskets for 2 cylinders? :confused2: I can do a whole flipp'n small block ford or chev for that ! At least I used to back in the '90s when last I rebuilt one. Oh well.

 

[highboy1975]

well, if you could do a whole smallblock ford or chev for that price, put one of those in. i have over 2500 in my 390 without a carb and i didnt even touch the bottome end. and that was a few years ago, if the motor has only 400 some hrs on it, i wouldnt assume its time for a rebuild. have you checked the oil drain plug to make sure it isnt leaking? i think a compression test is in order to see where the rings are at. i would do a compression check (i dont know what the compression numbers should be for this motor), and go from there. as far as nafta, that was heavily republican pushed, although signed in by clinton, it wouldnt have been able to be stopped by him. i agree with you about both parties stinking, but obama was put in charge of a sinking ship. i accept the global economy, but if a china man can live on 2$ a day, i should be able to as well. i would accept a huge pay cut if i could still live on it, but i cant, so i won't. this is where the problem comes into play. but anyway, get a compression test done, and recomendations can be made from there. i would think your losing oil somewhere else at this point. the compression numbers will tell the whole story of the engines life.

 

[highboy1975]

i race go-karts, with 5hp briggs motors, and they always ran best right before they blew up. as far as the politics goes, if we must accept a global economy, and a global wage, we should also accept a global standard of living cost, and a global health care rate. like i said prior, do a compression test, and we'll go from there.

 

[Ford tractor]

well, if you could do a whole smallblock ford or chev for that price, put one of those in. i have over 2500 in my 390 without a carb and i didnt even touch the bottome end. .

Just rings and gasket set. Rings were like 50-60 bucks for 10 over and gaskets were about the same.

Just checked JEGS and a 4.000 moly ring std set can be had for under 40 bucks. Cast rings are cheaper at $29.99. That's the price for a set for 8 pistons. Compression rings and oil rings.

 

[SHUNKSTER]

I would try the 10W40 oil, Term Limits, and try some Riselone engine treatment, incumbments must go, and before , Tea Party Good, I tear the engine apart, It woun't cost , unlike Obama, much to try.

 

[ToadHill]

I'd check all the breathers on any engine that uses oil. I've had more than one engine start to use oil when breathers get dirty or almost blocked with crud.