Onan P216 Horsepower

[Bill D 1,932]

Hi,

 

I was reading another thread where someone stated that P220 was underrated and actually produced 28 HP on the dyno.  Is the same true of the P216?  Also, I may be trading this engine for a rebuilt K341. Which one do you guys prefer?  Thanks. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Bill D

[richmondred01 2,238]

K341 all day long.

as long as it was truly rebuilt and half smacked with a hone job and rings. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by richmondred01

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Oh my! 

I'm watching this from some distance... 

[clueless 3,011]

Go to the manual section here pull up the electrical system diagram for the P216, and the K341. No brainier for me K341, I hate electrical problems.  

[richmondred01 2,238]

The old Kohler k and magnum’s are like the UH1 helicopters.......you just can’t stop them with proper maintenance. 

[pfrederi 17,864]

parts are more available and cheaper for the K

[littleredrider 409]

Only real experience I have with a Kohler is an 8 horse I put in a lawn ranger. Throttle wasn’t hooked up right, but with a plow it would lift the front wheels. At about 1/4 throttle. I’d take a Kohler over an Onan.

[ericj 1,578]

I'm going against the grain here and say the onan, You just can't beat the twin power and growl. You generally either love them or hate them onan's. One thing you don't mention is the condition of the onan. the hours, smoke or not, and any noise, that could make a big difference.

 

 

 

 

eric j 

[Bill D 1,932]

The Onan on my tractor has about 627 hours and doesn't smoke, or make any unusual noises.

[cschannuth 3,816]

 I think it all depends. I’ve had two Onans and one Briggs and Stratton and none of them had to be rebuilt. I’ve had four Kohlers  and three of the four had to be rebuilt or replaced.  To be fair the Onans are only about 25 years old and the Briggs is only 40 years old so the Kohler’s were a little bit older.  The Kohler that has not been rebuilt is low hour and only 18 years old. Like I said, it all depends on the situation. 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,374]

On 3/26/2018 at 1:53 PM, richmondred01 said:

The old Kohler k and magnum’s are like the UH1 helicopters.......you just can’t stop them with proper maintenance. 

Same goes with most things of years ago, 20 years 760 hours on my Onan never had the heads off for a decarb no smoke no noise and has mowed grass plowed/tilled gardens plowed/blown/thrown snow mechanically no major issues as of yet, now on the other had dad has went through 3 Kohlers since '77 on a '61 CC original mowing gardening and snow removal...wonder if it's the pressure vs splash lube ...

[ericj 1,578]

if I had too choose just one tractor, and I don't know if I could, A 416-H would be very high on my list. I love my 520-H'S but for an everyday worker I would and do use a 16 hp onan. I use a 516 for mowing, and fixing up a 89 416-8 as back up mower. I also have a 93 416-8 with the tiller mounted to it. The tiller hasn't been taken off it for several years. I'm also fixing up a 520-H with a 16 hp onan for a mowing and snow plow tractor.

 

Make sure you keep the engine clean behind the tins, a clean air filter, and oil and filter service on regular intervals. A valve seat is not a real expensive repair, should be less then $ 200.00 depending on the machine shop cost. 

I know of several onan powered tractors that have over 2,000 hours and still run good in fact I just bought a 93 520-H from a little old lady last year right after the big show that shows 2,000 hrs. Runs good with no smoke or noise. She said the the tractor had never been rebuilt.

 

 

As far as fuel usage go both motors use a lot. like said above was the  16 hp kohler motor been rebuilt by a reputable dealer or machine shop, or by a shade tree guy. what was done during the rebuild. can you do a compression check on your motor ? good lck

 

 

 

eric j