horseman with no horse 28 #1 Posted March 20, 2024 i recently re powered my wheel horse 855 with a Kohler ch18s v twin. its a great engine but i believe i have a blown head gasket. the part number for the kit is 24 841 01-S which is the older more prone to fail style gasket they do however make a revised version 24 841 03-S which i wanna buy because its the better version but it doesn't list my engine as compatible. i did look up the spec and the revised kit fits the bigger engines which in fact do have a bigger bore than mine but i was still wondering if i could use the better gasket without worrying about compatibility issues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horseman with no horse 28 #2 Posted March 20, 2024 i found nice copper gaskets on Midwest super cubs site, will they just drop in? or are they exclusively performance parts? https://mwsc.co/collections/kohler-command-engine-parts/products/command-head-gaskets Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyToro Jr. 1,779 #3 Posted March 21, 2024 3 hours ago, horseman with no horse said: i found nice copper gaskets on Midwest super cubs site, will they just drop in? or are they exclusively performance parts? https://mwsc.co/collections/kohler-command-engine-parts/products/command-head-gaskets Yes they will drop right in. I put them in my B-80 pulling tractor with a CH20 Twin if you go that route I would recommend getting a copper head gasket RVT to help it seal just a little more is what I did. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horseman with no horse 28 #4 Posted March 21, 2024 3 hours ago, TonyToro Jr. said: Yes they will drop right in. I put them in my B-80 pulling tractor with a CH20 Twin if you go that route I would recommend getting a copper head gasket RVT to help it seal just a little more is what I did. do you have any specific application pattern for the gasket maker? like just put a thin layer on both sides? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horseman with no horse 28 #5 Posted March 21, 2024 also should i go for the 31 thousandths and not the double thick one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyToro Jr. 1,779 #6 Posted March 21, 2024 6 hours ago, horseman with no horse said: do you have any specific application pattern for the gasket maker? like just put a thin layer on both sides? Nope just a thin layer just it help it seat a little better Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyToro Jr. 1,779 #7 Posted March 21, 2024 5 hours ago, horseman with no horse said: also should i go for the 31 thousandths and not the double thick one? 31 thousandths is what I did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Bill 633 867 #8 Posted March 21, 2024 (edited) The Kohler Command copper head gaskets from Midwest Super Cub come in 0.031" and 0.062" thicknesses. Measure the OEM head gasket and order thickness accordingly. The new Kohler head gaskets measure 0.058" thick at the compression ring. The copper gaskets are water jet so it does not hardened the material. The water jet edge is rough. Make sure the gasket is flat by sanding on a flat surface with fine emery. Make sure both the block deck and mating head surfaces are flat and free of burrs. Use copper coat gasket compound such as K&W. Follow the directions. I suggest installing new head bolts. I like to clean the threads in the block using ARP's thread cleaning chaser, because I want to clean the threads for a good torque readings rather than use a tap which made cut a new thread. I also like to use ARP's Ultra-Torque Fastener Assembly Lubricant which is designed to reduce tension pre-load scatter. Edited March 21, 2024 by Wild Bill 633 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horseman with no horse 28 #9 Posted March 22, 2024 i dont think its in the budget to have the block decked the most i can do is clean it up and try to resurface the heads with a piece of flat glass and sandpaper, would that be enough? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Bill 633 867 #10 Posted March 22, 2024 (edited) 9 hours ago, horseman with no horse said: i dont think its in the budget to have the block decked No need to have the block decked. Take something flat with some surface area, I use a honing stone, and wrap fine emery around it and just rub the deck surfaces to remove any burrs. I used copper head gaskets on my build, see Wild Bill's Hot Rod post in Customization. I have (2) other Commands and when the head gaskets go I am going to replace with copper. Edited March 22, 2024 by Wild Bill 633 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horseman with no horse 28 #11 Posted March 23, 2024 glorious mr bill that was the last thing i needed to know for sure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RED-Z06 2,479 #12 Posted March 23, 2024 Never really saw warping on the Kohlers, the heads were thick, problem was faulty gaskets with no fire-ring blowing out to the oil passages 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwell-8 4,366 #13 Posted March 24, 2024 thinner gasket will give you some more compression (more power!, but probably won't notice). Decking a block and head is good when doing a complete rebuild. In your case, just make sure it isn't looking warped. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
