joel_400 59 #1 Posted July 14, 2012 A guy I know recently had problems with his 857. So he bought an engine off of craigslist for 250. He wanted the original engine rebuilt though. So he used the replacement for a month or so while his other was being rebuilt. He called me yesterday to tell me he got the original back and the replacement is for sale. He has to have $250 for it. I asked him what he had in the original. $1300 was his answer! I understand that kohler brand parts are expensive and certain parts of rebuilding one can be somewhat costly but where does 1300 go into one? Even including the carb and starter/generator? Maybe I'm just too cheap? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B-100 Dan 7 #2 Posted July 14, 2012 The B/S 5 HP on my wood spliter broke the rod a couple of years ago. One of the cap bolts came loose. It cost more for a new rod and piston, crank was OK, than a new 51/2 Hp OHV moter cost to replace it. Go figure !!! I don't know where they come up with some of these prices. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fourwheels0 191 #3 Posted July 14, 2012 he got robbed for $1300. i rebuilt an 8hp last year. the complete rebuild kit was i think $79. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken B 3,164 #4 Posted July 15, 2012 How do you know that Genuine Kohler parts were used? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,124 #5 Posted July 15, 2012 How much of that $1300 was for labor Joel? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VinsRJ 721 #7 Posted July 15, 2012 he got robbed for $1300. i rebuilt an 8hp last year. the complete rebuild kit was i think $79. Thats not a Kohler kit for $79. $1300 may be a tad high though..... I rebiult a K161 with ALL new Kolher parts... head, rod, piston, cam shaft, ect... did all of the work my self... and that still ran $700. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #8 Posted July 15, 2012 Must have been gold plated! The guy must have gotten a new short block and the guys labor to do all the switch over. I wounder what kind of warranty it has? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 993 #10 Posted July 15, 2012 i was once qouted 1500 to rebuild a kohler,that was for a complete rebuild with kohler parts ,bearings,new tappets,valves,bore,turn crank,grind valve ports,surface head,labour,if you add it up thats what a complete rebuild could cost,yes i have rebuilt kohlers for alot less and had good sucess with it,aftermarket rebuild kit,bore,polish crank,paint for about 350 bucks if you do it your self and have the tools to do it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 650 #11 Posted July 15, 2012 $1300? He got robbed! Matt :flags-texas: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkPalmer 81 #12 Posted July 15, 2012 To have a Kohler K single professionally and completely rebuilt including all machining work with Kohler factory parts can run around $800-1k at a typical mower engine shop. The more one can do themself, the less expense. Virtually anyone with mechanical skill can strip a Kohler down to the short block and bring new piston/rod/rings and valves to an engine machine shop and have them do the work to that point which will save tons of money. The fellows afraid to touch a wrench who have to pay someone else to do the entire job commonly faint when they get the bill. -Mark- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joel_400 59 #13 Posted July 15, 2012 I'm not sure of all the numbers on it I just know what he told me. I thought I'd share with you guys because I thought it was way too high. I'm glad I'm cheap and do as much as I can myself though. I do kinda feel bad for the guy...he could have bought a couple more running tractors for that...real nice ones too. Joel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #14 Posted July 15, 2012 My .02c.... $1300 is a lot of money, but without knowing what was replaced, what parts went in and what machining was done I dont think you can say "he was robbed". Genuine Kohler parts are expensive. But the quality is there, and there are a ton of 40 year old engines still running on their original parts out there. The cheapy import parts are attractive because of their cost, but I'm betting they wont last 40 or 50 years. Your $80 rebuild kit contains piston, rod, rings and gaskets. Its very possible that the engine needed a lot more stuff than just that -valves, guides, lifters. governor gears, crankshaft bearings? Machining costs add up too. Boring, crankgrind, cam grind, valve seats etc. And maybe the crank was too worn to clean up at .010" under? Even a weld up and remachine is reasonably expensive. Same goes for the cam, and maybe the block needed sleeving? I couldnt spend $1300 on a rebuild, but I do believe it is quite possible to do it if you are paying someone to do it. By the way, you can get a new K-181 for just under $1300: http://www.smallenginewarehouse.com/product.asp?PN=K181-30538&desc=Kohler Sounds like this guy was wanting to keep everything original, so he chose to rebuild his original engine. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forest Road 594 #15 Posted July 15, 2012 Maybe your friends sees it as $1300 well spent. What your friend and I would do are two seperate things. To each, his own. It lasted 30+ years from the factory. Here's to another 30! I just hope he's happy with his decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dyt4000 2 #16 Posted July 27, 2012 Of course, he had a good running replacement for $250... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6wheeler 603 #17 Posted July 28, 2012 For that price I would have made it a diesel. OOPS, you said original, I'm sorry. I don't have any thing original..... I got stuff, I'll make it fit . Hmmmm, seems I never get one of these only as good as the paper its written on. (In my experience). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkPalmer 81 #18 Posted July 30, 2012 I've got a person right now I'm talking to who is more than willing to spend $2300 for a brand new KT17-SII plus a hundred bucks for me to install it in his 1980 Cub Cadet that he bought new to get another 30+ years out of the tractor. His thought is he can't get nearly as good a new tractor for that price today, and I agree with him. Sometimes people don't mind spending some bucks when its something that matters to them. I wouldn't spend $1300 to rebuild a K181 when a NOS, un-fired complete K181 just sold on Fleabay for $380.00 though. NOS Kohler K's still come out of the woodwork every now and then, I mean they built bazillions of them. -Mark- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fordiesel69 259 #19 Posted July 30, 2012 That was a tad high for a professional rebuilt, but is he happy? If you snag the old spare for $250, that would be a good deal in my book. Of course there are cheaper ones out there but often require you to buy the entire tractor just to get the engine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adsm08 1,999 #20 Posted November 11, 2021 On 7/14/2012 at 7:18 PM, B-100 Dan said: The B/S 5 HP on my wood spliter broke the rod a couple of years ago. One of the cap bolts came loose. It cost more for a new rod and piston, crank was OK, than a new 51/2 Hp OHV moter cost to replace it. Go figure !!! I don't know where they come up with some of these prices. A few months ago I was working on a truck from NY that broke a valve spring. The bolts for the valve cover were so rotted that I had to replace them too. Bolts, gaskets, and misc seals for the valve cover, $150. New valve cover that comes with all that stuff, $120. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
