Kohler K341 Timing

[Clarence T. Nolley Jr 14]

Hello

i have a wheelhouse C160 with a K341 engine and would like to know how to time it with a test light, instead of the meters went on the forum recently and saw where a Gentleman had watch save tractor guy use this procedure, however i would need some help trying to use the light. help in this would be great, thanks in advance.

[ebinmaine 67,766]

I've been setting mine around .018 or .020 at the points. Been having good luck with that. I'll be curious to see what the answers are on the timing light.

[Clarence T. Nolley Jr 14]

Thanks for the info, i have heard of the same settings, and yes i would like someone to tell how this is done.as well. thanks.

[Gasaholic 224]

Some engines had a hole in the front bearing closure plate , typically filled with a metal clip-in plug (often it went missing, never replaced) through which one could view timing marks etched on the back side of flywheel, and some engines had that hole in the blower housing - either case if flywheel did not have timing marks (and/or the index pointer cast or formed into the bearing plate or blower housing) one could create their own timing marks by finding exact TDC of the engine, make your TDC mark and index pointer (Didn't even need hole in bearing plate or blower housing if there wasn't one, just use some tape or scratch awl on blower housing and rotating screen) and then take your degree wheel and find the timing (and/or advance points for the rare old engines that actually had timing advance mechanism, which were the engines usually equipped with aforementioned timing marks) and make your target timing marks , then simply hook up your timing light (battery power plus clipped to plug wire) and fire her up and adjust breaker points until your timing marks hit - in the case of those with timing advance mechanism, you'd have to run at specific RPM's for idle and high idle, so needed a tachometer. Usually .020 did the trick to get timing set , most kohlers did not have timing advance anyway. In a few cases where engine performance did not seem spot-on, I would more often than not adjust timing by the feel of it (or for those that can hear, by sound) because it was faster than setting up timing light stuff, but generally only worked after many engine services under the belt (You had to develop the ear or the feel for when things were just right)  many times after checking the final point gap was never more than .002" give or take from .020 standard. 

[Achto 27,639]

On 8/30/2024 at 7:25 AM, Clarence T. Nolley Jr said:

i have a wheelhouse C160 with a K341 engine and would like to know how to time it with a test light

 

I have had very good luck static timing my engines. I turned a pull your a?? off K91 into a 1 pull wonder using this method. No timing light required.

 

https://www.mgonitzke.net/cubcadet/tools/static_timing.pdf

[Clarence T. Nolley Jr 14]

Thanks so much for the pictures and the information,this is going to help me a lot with what i need to get my machine going thanks again. God Bless.

[953 nut 55,393]

          I prefer a test light rather than a meter for static timing. Your eye will react to a light coming on or off faster than a meter movement.

With the sparkplug removed so the engine can't start, disconnect the wire from the coil to points and the condenser wire, connect the test light lead to the wire from the points and touch the test light probe to the battery "+" terminal, the light should come on if the points are closed. As you rotate the flywheel in the clockwise direction the light will turn off as soon as the points begin to open. This is much easier to notice than looking at a meter dial.

[Handy Don 12,281]

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

          I prefer a test light rather than a meter for static timing. Your eye will react to a light coming on or off faster than a meter movement.

With the sparkplug removed so the engine can't start, disconnect the wire from the coil to points and the condenser wire, connect the test light lead to the wire from the points and touch the test light probe to the battery "+" terminal, the light should come on if the points are closed. As you rotate the flywheel in the clockwise direction the light will turn off as soon as the points begin to open. This is much easier to notice than looking at a meter dial.

Just to note that this is perfect for ACR engines. For the early K181’s (and possibly others?) that have a spark advance system, a different timing point is used and may not be visible on the flywheel. I have one of these and have given up the test light method and simply work with tweaking the point gap.

[squonk 41,171]

Almost every Kohler I end up setting the timing on I pull the flywheel, clean the "S" mark and then paint the line with bright white paint.