Kohler k181 rebuild question

[scotty 252]

Hi i was trying to rebuild my k181 out of my b-80 and i have it all together but i put my hand over the exhaust and it has suction when i turn the engine by hand and my points plunger also isnt moving. Any ideas what i did wrong?

[moe1965 738]

?????? Are you rotating the flywheel the proper direction.   Not sure about the pounts

[953 nut 55,261]

 

The flywheel should turn in a clockwise direction, the PTO end of the crankshaft goes counterclockwise.The movement of the points plunger isn't noticeable without a set of points installed. Once the camshaft pushes the points pushrod out there isn't anything to push it back in without the points in place and it only moves once every two revolutions of the crankshaft. 

[rmaynard 15,483]

13 hours ago, scotty said:

 but i put my hand over the exhaust and it has suction when i turn the engine by hand 

That engine has ACR, automatic compression release. You may feel suction because until the engine reaches 600 rpm, the exhaust valve stays partially open.

[scotty 252]

You guys were right about the points. But i think i got the engine out of time my crankshaft didnt have any kind of timing mark and now the engine wont start. Is my best option to buy another crankshaft with a timing mark? It didnt have any kind of bump on the crank either to show timing

[scotty 252]

Hi i took my engine apart just want to check again is this bump on the crankshaft the timing mark on the k181?

[rmaynard 15,483]

The mark should be a little more distinct than that. I have a K181 crank out in the shop, but I can't get to it until tomorrow. I will take a picture.

[horseman with no horse 26]

I know there is two marks on the FLYWHEEL for timing, and you can use those to set the points gap/timing. There should be a timing mark on the crank right where the tip of my thumb sits.

[rmaynard 15,483]

Short of me pulling down the bin of K181 parts, the crank above is identical to mine, thus the mark is the same.

[horseman with no horse 26]

On 9/19/2023 at 6:24 PM, scotty said:

Hi i took my engine apart just want to check again is this bump on the crankshaft the timing mark on the k181?

That mark looks correct rotate the crank until the mark is directly in line with the cam. Look at the cam timing mark and make sure they line up to the exact TOOTH on both the crank and cam. If they are perfectly lined up the mechanical aspect of the engine is in time. Check your valve clearance and make sure you got good spark with the points set correctly. 

[scotty 252]

Just an update that is the timing mark. I must have missed it by a tooth. Running great!

[horseman with no horse 26]

That’s great!!