Koehler engines used to be the best, but now you might get 10 seasons out of one. The cork gasket leaks oil all over the head causing overheating problems that will drive the valves out of spec, especially the exhaust valve. A change in gaskets every season, and a complete cleaning of the head from caked on oil and dust will help keep the head cool enough to last many seasons. Take the time after each season for a thorough cleaning, oil and air filter replacement, and oil change. Cleaning out the gas tank would be an excellent idea, and clearing the gas system completely out while running it to get the old gas out is mandatory. A fuel line ball valve would be an excellent idea.
When I had a riding mower a few years about it had a 2 cylinder Briggs & Stratton. I used that mower a lot, and never had any problem with the motor. I don’t know if Koehler is just not as well made or what.
My 26. hp courage has been good as well. It is approaching 400 hours. Just recently one of the coils has started quitting when the motor starts getting hot. I will be changing both of them soon.
I took apart one today on a pony TB. it broke the CB weight bracket and Governor gear. from doing some research in not going to bother fixing it. I have some commands that run great but that courage is junk.
I've got a 2007 model Husqvarna with same engine. It has about 305 hrs. on it now, and never been apart. Starts reliably, doesn't smoke, and only has an occasional mild "knocking" noise. I, immediately after every start, I drop it to idle for a warm up period of a couple minutes, and since around 20 hrs., it has had Mobil1 15W-50 synthetic in it, changed every year (about every 40 hrs.). Yeah, it's basically a Chinese pos, but babying it evidently helps. Or maybe I'm just lucky with this one.
+brucerh80 Mine is pretty good as well. This is the first time that I heard they weren't good engines. Maybe only certain years. I think mine is a 2008.
I got mine used with 193 hours on it and none of these issues. And I can tell the guy that had it only changed the oil because there was other issues with the deck pulleys and voltage regulator that were easy fixes just time consuming. The exhaust bolts were gone so loud as hell how can't your notice that just put two bolts in how hard is that. And the bolts holding the block to the deck were loose so it rattled like a knock just cranked them down. I ended up with a great machine for free because I'm not afraid to get dirty.
My 'LT 1042' Cub Cadet Kohler 19 HP. had the same issue with the top part of the engine bolts coming loose when it was brand new...These days I just have to replace the valve cover gasket about every 2 years...
Did you use a puller to get the flywheel off? I have the same engine and I can't figure out what thread pitch of the bolts are that you use to screw into the flywheel with a puller. As none of the bolts in my puller set screws all the way in. Thanks.
Sadly I own this engine. Several bolts have vibrated out causing me a world of grief. Had to replace the Carb at 70 hrs as well. Great motor if you have nothing to do but tinker all the time.
I work on these engines every day and I can tell you as a master service tec [ Save your money ] they are complete pieces of shit with lots of problems .
I think post 2012 the cubs were made in china.. Pre 2012 NA.. I could be wrong but I thought I heard someone like MTD bought out cub cadet back around 2012-13. With the crap china makes, I am surprised they were able to land a rover on the moon.
I don’t quite understand how the flywheel shearing the key and turning put it “out of timing” lol it’s just the flywheel, not a timing gear. It may be hard to start, it may vibrate, it my be spinning the crank faster than the flywheel. But it’s not out of timing.
Did you notice several inches of insulation are abraded from the black wire that crosses with a green one directly right of the loosest top bolt? On my Krappy Kourage, that wire does to the carburetor fuel shutoff solenoid. Great potential fire hazard besides.
I have a 2006 courage 24 hp twin and i use AMSOIL synthetic in it ,it does not sound like that motor mine runs great doesn't burn oil,always runs good,remember i said SYNTHETIC in a aluminum block from 2006
+Andy Ballard Maybe because your engine was assembled by people. Mine is a 2009, has 62 hours of use and something internal came loose and puncture the bloc. From some researches, between 2007- 2010 ? The assembly line was "robotized"
300 hours?! My Craftsman push mower with the older flat head Briggs has run for 15 years and mowed 2 acres every weekend during the mowing season, with one carb cleaning and the occasional spark plugs. From calculations, it has about 2,000 hours on it. About to start the mowing season again!
I my self repair mowers . When people ask me about buying a new mower I just tell them the truth . All of these new mowers are junk . Hydro Gear trans are junk , The Kohler Courage are junk . I will tell you people this 300 hrs is nothing for a good solid engine . Hell that is not even break in for the Command engines . I also tell them if they even see a Courage engine dont walk away but run as fast as you can . The Command engine is about the best engine you can buy . I seen over 1300 hrs on some and still going strong . I have seen these engine getting upwards of 2,000 hrs and still going . So 300 hrs on a Courage and people brag LOL . Fools I used to like and thought the Kohler K series engine was the best and they were a long time ago . But the Command engine was even better . I still like the K engines and they have there place in time . . So here is my pick of engines of all USA brands . The old Clinton engine ( Oil pump ) , Briggs & Stratton all . Keep the oil changed in them . Kohler K series all . Same keep the oil changed . Onan engines are good but the price is out of hand on parts . So my top pick is Kohler K series . Int the 1980s Briggs came out with a vary good engine The Vanguard series with the V twin . That engine replaced the boxer engine and both engines are vary good and probably the bast engines Briggs ever had hands down . Kohler introduce the Command engine from its boxer line and both were equal to me . I think if I had the choice I think the V twin boxer was even better than the Kohler Series 2 boxer but not by much . Onan never really inter my mind just because of the cost of repair and cost of parts and they had there share of problems just like any motor . It just cost more . Almost all of these manufactures like Briggs , Kohler and Onan makes some crap now . If your wanting to get something good anymore I think Honda and Kawasaki is the best . Both of these had some bad engines also . Kawasaki 26 hp V twin or its the 25 hp . both being water cooled . Bad about blowing Head Gaskets . With no problem with the air cooled . Honda had a small amount of problems also but they were fixed . I mow with a 1977 Sensation with the original Honda flat head engine to this day and still runs with no oil burning and no knocking . Still runs like new . I bet there is over 4000 hrs on the old push mower and 3,000 miles of pushing of it . Filer changed every year along with the oil . It is always clean after every use . Heavy mower and the best push mower I ever owned .
I had a 20 horse kohler command it had 2000 hours on her and I replaced it with a 23 hp command and still going strong got it about 5 years ago and my other mower has a 22 hp command and going to replace it checked on another command and they’ve doubled in price so I’m looking at a Briggs 27 I’m not crazy about changing brands but money is tight?? We will see
I have a Craftsman with a 21 hp Kohler Courage engine that's 12 years old and runs strong. There is approx 1500 hours on the engine. Maybe mine is an exception to the rule.
Sadly, it kind of is the exception to the rule. I was okay with the Courage engines for a little bit. But after seeing them start showing up after about a year, I knew they were going to be a problem. And they were. The new KT Kohlers aren't much better. The Command engines are the best.
i see the bolts but i dont see where any of the bolts have rubbed or hit the flywheel if they hit or rub you will see some kind of marks on the flywheel no?
I love my Kohler engine. I have a 1994 model 15.5 hp that came out of an old craftsman 42 in. That the motor wore out. I was given a 2010 Troy Bilt pony with a bad 20hp BS engine. I put the old Kohler engine in it at it will probably wear this mower out too. I don't want a mower with any other motor but a Kohler. My new Craftsman has a 20 hp Kohler engine. When I went looking for a new mower I was looking for one with a Kohler engine.
as this video shows the knock is caused by bolts coming loose these engines are what i call in the business DISCOURAGED COURAGE KOHLERS,.48 years in small engine repair these engines are worthless and very dangerous engines,they have no structure support on lower crankcase and that is cause of the blocks cracking.
The Courage engine was Crap,,although Mine lasted for 11 seasons,before the crank warped and I couldn't keep oil in it,, a master tech I talked with told me they had an annoying tendency to explode and told me to just replace it with, a B+S 20,,with an exhaust adapter it was plug and play
New stuff all seems to be shit. I have a 1977 toro with the original briggs and Stratton 10hp engine, it was used to mow until 2006 then sat for 5 years then my cousin gave it to me and I did a pulley swap so it goes 25-30 mph now. It burns a lot of oil but I still run it about 4000-4500 rpm and haven't blown it up yet. It's 37 years old now.
They had a service bulletin yeaaaars ago regarding the bolts on the top cover. The were to be torqued down and obviously all the haters forgot to do that :-). I am not a fan of the single cylinder Courage engines, but they do run pretty dam good.
LKV I wasn't a hater until I owned one. I agree that they run pretty good. Mine ran great. Torquing the top cover bolts does not explain the crack in the block by the cylinder that alot of people have experienced. Furthermore, I have been working on small engines for almost 20 years, I know what a torque wrench is, and they would just loosen up even If they were torqued down. This engine was poorly balanced and that is why they kept coming loose and it was noisy from the day it was bought new. The casting is thin as well. I have a kohler command 20hp and a k161 cast iron kohler too. Keep in mind a kohler courage and a command are NOT the same thing. I have worked on many kohler commands as a mechanic in the rental business, internally the courage engines look weaker. there should have been another service bulletin reguarding the counter balancer self destructing inside the engine. Although mine remained intact, all of the bolts were completely loose.
I just read somewhere that the "Courage knock" can be from the counter-balance system coming apart. Isn't that great news? C'mon Courage...get your act together.
I saw a few videos of the play in that counter balance, what a pile. My customer bought this thing looking for something that would last, too bad that's not gonna happen.
+WhoSaidTyler My counter balance system just disintegrated destroying the engine, the bottom flange bolt has come loose, and the top wasnt even a flange bolt but a torx allen key of which the holder slipped off the end. the engine is LESS than 3 years old.
counterbalance failure..... gee didnt the old k series have that problem 40 years ago. when i have rebuilt those engines i would remove the balance gears. of course a k series is an otherwise quality engine, that being its only weakness. remove them and they will run for decades too bad you cannot say that about the courage
I had the same problem with a Kawasaki engine with the Bellinger's up in that holds the balancer on the crankshaft came loose made it hold on the crankshaft
I found this video while looking for one describing how to repair the counter-balance "knock". I have 106 hours on my Kohler Courage motor and have already done a ridiculous amount of work on the motor and Husqvarna tractor it is installed in. Both are total pieces of shit. This tractor effectively ended my 26 year career of mowing and edging my own lawn. Kohler and Husqvarna, my new landscaper thanks you!
Hey man. If the flywheel key has broken on Kohler Courage 17 would the machine start and die after a second or too? Having problems with mine. No problems whatsoever in 12 years. Think it's a record for the courage series!!
Funny how every Kohler courage pre 2012 seems fine but the top case bolts back out on later year models and people complain about the engines being junk when most never service them anyway or look for anything out of the ordinary before the engine gets so many hours on it that it's really bad to say but you have to know your particular engine so it's not all the engines fault ! Remember without knowing what is under your hood and it's pros and cons and keeping it serviced and eye ball checking things what can you expect when you just run it and run it and never even change the oil ! This is how Kohler got it's courage ! But forget the basic homeowners don't even use an air guage anymore and most never change oil either
I have this same engine in my cub cadet LT1042 but I also have an Husqvarna mower with the courage 25hp v twin motor are they any better or reliable? Reason I aske is because I planned on swapping the 25hp V twin into my Cubcadet which has the single courage 19hp motor.
I suppose it depends one motor from another the courage vtwins have thier issues as well but, far as I know they dont have block cracking issues like the single. The courage vtwins are a better motor than the courage single cylinder. If it doesnt have a lot of hours and been serviced pretty good I would swap it should be good for a while.
I just bought a used Troy bilt horse xp with this motor. It runs fine but if you pull the dipstick running it'll blow oil in your face. Is that normal for these little motors?
hi there, question. I have an LT1045 which doesn't start. All i hear is a click when I turn the key. My first thought is the starter but noticed when I removed it, the flywheel is stuck and won''t turn at all. Is that how its supposed to be?
I think you can but, make sure that the crank is the same diameter and length for the pulley. You also might have to re-wire or change the ignition system. The engine bolt pattern is crucial too. Is the donor mower hydro or mechanical ? Will you be able to close your hood (height of the engine)? All those little things has to be addressed before tackling a swap project. I think "Taryl Fixes All" has a video in deeper details.
I knew a dealer who delivered one of these tractors to a customer . Before the delivery man returned to the shop, the costumer called to say the engine had locked up. Sure enough, it was locked up, and should be. The connecting rod was sticking out of the block. After that, my dealer would not accept any mowers to his shop with the Courage engine. I like Kohler's engine design but the workmanship leaves a lot to be desired. Stay away from this engine people. Kohler bit a hog in the ass with this engine! It has to be embarrassing for them. jmo.
How many of these start with an oil change, the oil is spilled all over while filling. Then, after a little while the owner tears into it to find a leak that was actually just left over stuck in weird places, then gets to the fly wheel says funk it, bolts it back together half assidly, creating an oil leak where none was before. :)
@@eprofessio I bet so I've bought plenty of used mowers and had the problem is why I said that someone was dumb enough to try an use a garbage bag as a new seal But see i didn't notice it was leaking oil until i got the mower home and let it run for a hour to heat it up
Had two 06' Cub Cadets with this shit on them, one was a single, which smoked like a banshee and leaked out almost every damn gasket, other was a v-twin, low oil pressure and blew up the trans with 135 hours on it, fucking junk.
+Charred Steak I own a Scotts with a Command CV680 at another property, bought in 01' and besides for the damn mice eating the plug wires, starts every goddamn time, no rebuild and I haven't cleaned the carb in over 3 years, just change the oil and air filter.
these engines aren't great i see them crack meaning the short block is wasted on them and this engine is still made today. the older Kohler Command single cylinder engines for these are better. i seen some videos one replaced this courage engine with a comparable Briggs and Stratton engine one with an older Briggs flathead engine. or put in a V-twin as the new Predator 22 hp 703cc V-Twin engine is available from Harbor Freight.
the sh** design of these things is why I ended up using a lawn mower from 1987... because that's the only thing I could afford when my troy bilt's engine (one of these kohlers) had something smash through the crankcase and SOMEHOW the damn thing caught fire... I'm lucky I was able to get my fire extinguisher before the fire got to the gas tank
I just bought a house, and the prior owner left a Kohler Courage 22 zero turn. I don't know anything about riding lawn mowers so maybe one of you viewers can help me out. I've mowed the yard three times with the Kohler, and the second time when I stopped the engine, it back-fired as well as on the last mowing excursion. After watching this video, is the back-fire from a sheared flywheel bolt??? Again, I feel like a dumbass not knowing shit about this riding lawn mower. I've looked online for manuals and haven't found anything. The worst part is every video on UA-cam is like this one: Kohler engines are garbage and a serious POS. One last thing: the digital readout on the mower says the engine has 23 hours...I can't afford $2000 for a mower if this one goes tits up
Could be from a sheared key I suppose. This user however has a video where he did a quick dianosis on this mower and usually if the keys are sheared they wont start at all just crank and crank which is shown in the other video not sure if you seen that or not. Backfiring when you turn it off is probably something else. Do you know if the engine is a single cylinder courage like this one or a vtwin. I will say this the single cylinders were not the best but, the vtwin courages were for the most part a lot better motor at least in my opinion. How do you shut the mower off at idle? Full throttle? Lots of mowers have an antibackfire fuel shutoff solenoid on the base of carb bowl. I have seen Kohlers which have that solenoid I am talking about backfire when shutdown at idle. If your motor is a courage it does have one on it and try shutting off between half and full throttle. Kohler reccomends doing that do some of their engines with the solenoids. I am not sure if I have been any help to you or not hopefully I have.
Probably just a bad back fire solenoid on the carb. I think they actually call them and after fire valve. They are common failure on these. There littler rubber piece goes bad on them. It isn't a huge deal other than it will back fire after you shut if off. If you want to fix it's fairly easy to replace. If you have sheared key it would be out of time and probably wouldn't start and if it did I wouldn't run right.
Tecumseh no longer makes engines but they still make refrigeration equipment. Wisconsin is out of business, as the newer engines are generic that Cub Cadet is using the Honda clones. the new one i saw a single cylinder with electronic fuel injection. the better engines are Kawasaki, Honda, and Robin Subaru. the Briggs vanguard engines are good but their walk behind mower and pressure washer engines and some others aren't that great due to them using Plastic camshafts and timing gears in them. the Cub Cadet lawn tractor i seen used a chinese engine with Fuel injection. as mainly electronic fuel injection is used by Kohler on their Command Pro EFI V-twin engines
My courage, the exhaust valve seat came loose after 150 hours. The valves need adjusted every 50 hours or so because they work loose and start spitting flames out the exhaust. From everything Ive seen of these motors they are trash. Just poor tolerances all around. Not much power for the size and not reliable.
These have got to be one of the top worst lawn tractor engines ever made. In fact they should come with a guaranteed to fail sticker because the list of problems that these have is probably as long as the span of america. I know some B&S engines have their problems but I have a 1999 Craftsman Lt 4000 (one of the rare green ones) and let me tell you that engine must have about 2000 hours on it no kidding! There is so many hours on the tractor that the steering wheel is smooth as glass unlike how its usually a bumpy and rigid surface for good grip.
Those kohler courage single cylinder engines are the biggest piece of shit ever made. Mine had a crack next to the cylinder and the loose cover bolts were a constant issue. I read somewhere that the courage series are made in China.
daw718 I wouldn't doubt it. I thought that the bottom seal gave out on mine last week but NO. There's a hole right beside the sump seal. I couldn't see it until I removed the bottom pulley assembly. On that assembly is printed MADE IN CHINA. Freggin' ripoff
R Verro I replaced my kohler with a Briggs & Stratton intek v twin 21hp that I bought on ebay. Best thing I ever did for my toro. No oil leaks, No vibration, no problems. Love that v twin sound too.
They're just as bad. dirt sucking rod chunkers. cam problems. weak starters. rocker studs backing out. blowing head gaskets. lower seal droppers. etc...
Kohler engine,s are friggin junk. Prolly the best they made back in the the day the old cast iron block. U open the hood on a new Rider and see a Kohler close it and keep walking...
Koehler engines used to be the best, but now you might get 10 seasons out of one. The cork gasket leaks oil all over the head causing overheating problems that will drive the valves out of spec, especially the exhaust valve. A change in gaskets every season, and a complete cleaning of the head from caked on oil and dust will help keep the head cool enough to last many seasons. Take the time after each season for a thorough cleaning, oil and air filter replacement, and oil change. Cleaning out the gas tank would be an excellent idea, and clearing the gas system completely out while running it to get the old gas out is mandatory. A fuel line ball valve would be an excellent idea.
thats bcuz the new mnger/head caused MAJOR cut backs for profit! Its all about the bottom line!! $$$
Mine is almost 20 and still going strong. Im kinda amazed. It's kinda common knowledge though to retorque bolts every so often.
What is the background noise?
When I had a riding mower a few years about it had a 2 cylinder Briggs & Stratton. I used that mower a lot, and never had any problem with the motor. I don’t know if Koehler is just not as well made or what.
My 26. hp courage has been good as well. It is approaching 400 hours. Just recently one of the coils has started quitting when the motor starts getting hot. I will be changing both of them soon.
this guy sounds just like Jr. from Taryl Fixes All!
I took apart one today on a pony TB. it broke the CB weight bracket and Governor gear. from doing some research in not going to bother fixing it. I have some commands that run great but that courage is junk.
I've got a 2007 model Husqvarna with same engine. It has about 305 hrs. on it now, and never been apart. Starts reliably, doesn't smoke, and only has an occasional mild "knocking" noise. I, immediately after every start, I drop it to idle for a warm up period of a couple minutes, and since around 20 hrs., it has had Mobil1 15W-50 synthetic in it, changed every year (about every 40 hrs.). Yeah, it's basically a Chinese pos, but babying it evidently helps. Or maybe I'm just lucky with this one.
+brucerh80 Mine is pretty good as well. This is the first time that I heard they weren't good engines. Maybe only certain years. I think mine is a 2008.
I got mine used with 193 hours on it and none of these issues. And I can tell the guy that had it only changed the oil because there was other issues with the deck pulleys and voltage regulator that were easy fixes just time consuming. The exhaust bolts were gone so loud as hell how can't your notice that just put two bolts in how hard is that. And the bolts holding the block to the deck were loose so it rattled like a knock just cranked them down. I ended up with a great machine for free because I'm not afraid to get dirty.
Still got mine 3 years later. Just now needing a new starter and new deck pulleys and spindles.
My exhaust bolts have come out several times and the muffler is red hot after 30 seconds 😤
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing.
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Mine bought new in 2008 had a cracked short block.. Kohler replaced it under warranty. But had plethora of other problems on this law mower :(
My 'LT 1042' Cub Cadet Kohler 19 HP. had the same issue with the top part of the engine bolts coming loose when it was brand new...These days I just have to replace the valve cover gasket about every 2 years...
Did you use a puller to get the flywheel off? I have the same engine and I can't figure out what thread pitch of the bolts are that you use to screw into the flywheel with a puller. As none of the bolts in my puller set screws all the way in. Thanks.
I've seen sheared keys on equipment with fixed blades many times, but with all the pulley belts, you would think it would have a little forgiveness.
Best cub cadet video ever. I almost felt like I was riding along with you around your yard on that 20hp machine
I have Briggs and Kolhers. I will take my Briggs any day. Kolhers worn out at 1000 hours. My Briggs 2000 plus hours still going strong
Tighten 5 loose bolts at crankcase then I had to much compression so adjusted valves and so far it's good
I found the same bolt loosening problem on my Kohler courage 20 with 250 hrs on it. I was puking oil big time!!
Sadly I own this engine. Several bolts have vibrated out causing me a world of grief. Had to replace the Carb at 70 hrs as well. Great motor if you have nothing to do but tinker all the time.
Rich what were your symptoms with the carb? Stalling under load? That's what mine does. Gonna clean the carb good, hope I dont have to replace it.
I work on these engines every day and I can tell you as a master service tec [ Save your money ] they are complete pieces of shit with lots of problems .
I think post 2012 the cubs were made in china.. Pre 2012 NA.. I could be wrong but I thought I heard someone like MTD bought out cub cadet back around 2012-13. With the crap china makes, I am surprised they were able to land a rover on the moon.
I don’t quite understand how the flywheel shearing the key and turning put it “out of timing” lol it’s just the flywheel, not a timing gear. It may be hard to start, it may vibrate, it my be spinning the crank faster than the flywheel. But it’s not out of timing.
Do some research mate, small engines use the flywheel magnetic pick up for ignition timing hence the need for a woodruff key.
With the key sheered, obviously he probably hit something with the mower blade. Best way to sheer one.
Did you notice several inches of insulation are abraded from the black wire that crosses with a green one directly right of the loosest top bolt? On my Krappy Kourage, that wire does to the carburetor fuel shutoff solenoid. Great potential fire hazard besides.
That's why there is a fuse.
mines been great 2 years only oil changes. no leaks or knocks.
I have a 2006 courage 24 hp twin and i use AMSOIL synthetic in it ,it does not sound like that motor mine runs great doesn't burn oil,always runs good,remember i said SYNTHETIC in a aluminum block from 2006
My kohler courage has been a great engine. Very reliable with over 300 hrs and 9 yrs
+Andy Ballard Maybe because your engine was assembled by people. Mine is a 2009, has 62 hours of use and something internal came loose and puncture the bloc. From some researches, between 2007- 2010 ? The assembly line was "robotized"
Andy Ballard mine has 597 hr 12years old
Hour meter quit at 375 hours on mine. I use mine for my lawn business. It is a backup to my ZTR and it works awesome for spring and fall clean-ups...
300 hours?! My Craftsman push mower with the older flat head Briggs has run for 15 years and mowed 2 acres every weekend during the mowing season, with one carb cleaning and the occasional spark plugs. From calculations, it has about 2,000 hours on it. About to start the mowing season again!
I my self repair mowers . When people ask me about buying a new mower I just tell them the truth . All of these new mowers are junk . Hydro Gear trans are junk , The Kohler Courage are junk . I will tell you people this 300 hrs is nothing for a good solid engine . Hell that is not even break in for the Command engines . I also tell them if they even see a Courage engine dont walk away but run as fast as you can . The Command engine is about the best engine you can buy . I seen over 1300 hrs on some and still going strong . I have seen these engine getting upwards of 2,000 hrs and still going . So 300 hrs on a Courage and people brag LOL . Fools I used to like and thought the Kohler K series engine was the best and they were a long time ago . But the Command engine was even better . I still like the K engines and they have there place in time . . So here is my pick of engines of all USA brands . The old Clinton engine ( Oil pump ) , Briggs & Stratton all . Keep the oil changed in them . Kohler K series all . Same keep the oil changed . Onan engines are good but the price is out of hand on parts . So my top pick is Kohler K series . Int the 1980s Briggs came out with a vary good engine The Vanguard series with the V twin . That engine replaced the boxer engine and both engines are vary good and probably the bast engines Briggs ever had hands down . Kohler introduce the Command engine from its boxer line and both were equal to me . I think if I had the choice I think the V twin boxer was even better than the Kohler Series 2 boxer but not by much . Onan never really inter my mind just because of the cost of repair and cost of parts and they had there share of problems just like any motor . It just cost more . Almost all of these manufactures like Briggs , Kohler and Onan makes some crap now . If your wanting to get something good anymore I think Honda and Kawasaki is the best . Both of these had some bad engines also . Kawasaki 26 hp V twin or its the 25 hp . both being water cooled . Bad about blowing Head Gaskets . With no problem with the air cooled . Honda had a small amount of problems also but they were fixed . I mow with a 1977 Sensation with the original Honda flat head engine to this day and still runs with no oil burning and no knocking . Still runs like new . I bet there is over 4000 hrs on the old push mower and 3,000 miles of pushing of it . Filer changed every year along with the oil . It is always clean after every use . Heavy mower and the best push mower I ever owned .
I had a 20 horse kohler command it had 2000 hours on her and I replaced it with a 23 hp command and still going strong got it about 5 years ago and my other mower has a 22 hp command and going to replace it checked on another command and they’ve doubled in price so I’m looking at a Briggs 27 I’m not crazy about changing brands but money is tight?? We will see
my kohler courage 19 hp has almost 300 hours on it and has been flawless. The valve cover just started leaking this mowing season. Its 14 years old.
I have a Craftsman with a 21 hp Kohler Courage engine that's 12 years old and runs strong. There is approx 1500 hours on the engine. Maybe mine is an exception to the rule.
Sadly, it kind of is the exception to the rule. I was okay with the Courage engines for a little bit. But after seeing them start showing up after about a year, I knew they were going to be a problem. And they were. The new KT Kohlers aren't much better.
The Command engines are the best.
i see the bolts but i dont see where any of the bolts have rubbed or hit the flywheel if they hit or rub you will see some kind of marks on the flywheel no?
I love my Kohler engine. I have a 1994 model 15.5 hp that came out of an old craftsman 42 in. That the motor wore out. I was given a 2010 Troy Bilt pony with a bad 20hp BS engine. I put the old Kohler engine in it at it will probably wear this mower out too. I don't want a mower with any other motor but a Kohler. My new Craftsman has a 20 hp Kohler engine. When I went looking for a new mower I was looking for one with a Kohler engine.
You couldn't find a better engine than the kohler command , but the kohler courage is junk. Especially the ones with the compression release.
My Commander is leaking oil too. What should this cost?
I have heard some of the new 06 twenties with coil problems though so I'm sure it's all going that direction
as this video shows the knock is caused by bolts coming loose these engines are what i call in the business DISCOURAGED COURAGE KOHLERS,.48 years in small engine repair these engines are worthless and very dangerous engines,they have no structure support on lower crankcase and that is cause of the blocks cracking.
What's a good replacement for that motor I have same motor and crack block due from bolts coming lose.
The Courage engine was Crap,,although Mine lasted for 11 seasons,before the crank warped and I couldn't keep oil in it,, a master tech I talked with told me they had an annoying tendency to explode and told me to just replace it with, a B+S 20,,with an exhaust adapter it was plug and play
New stuff all seems to be shit. I have a 1977 toro with the original briggs and Stratton 10hp engine, it was used to mow until 2006 then sat for 5 years then my cousin gave it to me and I did a pulley swap so it goes 25-30 mph now. It burns a lot of oil but I still run it about 4000-4500 rpm and haven't blown it up yet. It's 37 years old now.
Those flatheads are practically bulletproof
***** I doubt it would even rev that high.
Trying to figure out if they designed the engine for the top to come off because they were trying to be smart or they knew they were shit
They had a service bulletin yeaaaars ago regarding the bolts on the top cover. The were to be torqued down and obviously all the haters forgot to do that :-). I am not a fan of the single cylinder Courage engines, but they do run pretty dam good.
LKV I wasn't a hater until I owned one. I agree that they run pretty good. Mine ran great. Torquing the top cover bolts does not explain the crack in the block by the cylinder that alot of people have experienced. Furthermore, I have been working on small engines for almost 20 years, I know what a torque wrench is, and they would just loosen up even If they were torqued down. This engine was poorly balanced and that is why they kept coming loose and it was noisy from the day it was bought new. The casting is thin as well. I have a kohler command 20hp and a k161 cast iron kohler too. Keep in mind a kohler courage and a command are NOT the same thing. I have worked on many kohler commands as a mechanic in the rental business, internally the courage engines look weaker. there should have been another service bulletin reguarding the counter balancer self destructing inside the engine. Although mine remained intact, all of the bolts were completely loose.
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Thanks for the lesson
I just read somewhere that the "Courage knock" can be from the counter-balance system coming apart. Isn't that great news? C'mon Courage...get your act together.
I saw a few videos of the play in that counter balance, what a pile. My customer bought this thing looking for something that would last, too bad that's not gonna happen.
+WhoSaidTyler My counter balance system just disintegrated destroying the engine, the bottom flange bolt has come loose, and the top wasnt even a flange bolt but a torx allen key of which the holder slipped off the end. the engine is LESS than 3 years old.
counterbalance failure..... gee didnt the old k series have that problem 40 years ago. when i have rebuilt those engines i would remove the balance gears. of course a k series is an otherwise quality engine, that being its only weakness. remove them and they will run for decades too bad you cannot say that about the courage
I had the same problem with a Kawasaki engine with the Bellinger's up in that holds the balancer on the crankshaft came loose made it hold on the crankshaft
I found this video while looking for one describing how to repair the counter-balance "knock". I have 106 hours on my Kohler Courage motor and have already done a ridiculous amount of work on the motor and Husqvarna tractor it is installed in. Both are total pieces of shit. This tractor effectively ended my 26 year career of mowing and edging my own lawn. Kohler and Husqvarna, my new landscaper thanks you!
Hey man. If the flywheel key has broken on Kohler Courage 17 would the machine start and die after a second or too? Having problems with mine. No problems whatsoever in 12 years. Think it's a record for the courage series!!
You probably fixed it by now, but sounds like a weak fuel pump
Anyone know what the bolts should be torque down to and is there a torque pattern
Funny how every Kohler courage pre 2012 seems fine but the top case bolts back out on later year models and people complain about the engines being junk when most never service them anyway or look for anything out of the ordinary before the engine gets so many hours on it that it's really bad to say but you have to know your particular engine so it's not all the engines fault ! Remember without knowing what is under your hood and it's pros and cons and keeping it serviced and eye ball checking things what can you expect when you just run it and run it and never even change the oil ! This is how Kohler got it's courage ! But forget the basic homeowners don't even use an air guage anymore and most never change oil either
I wouldn't expect to have to tighten engine bolts as part of a service.The assembly is awful.
I have this same engine in my cub cadet LT1042 but I also have an Husqvarna mower with the courage 25hp v twin motor are they any better or reliable? Reason I aske is because I planned on swapping the 25hp V twin into my Cubcadet which has the single courage 19hp motor.
I suppose it depends one motor from another the courage vtwins have thier issues as well but, far as I know they dont have block cracking issues like the single. The courage vtwins are a better motor than the courage single cylinder. If it doesnt have a lot of hours and been serviced pretty good I would swap it should be good for a while.
Buy a predator engine from harbor freight tools
I just bought a used Troy bilt horse xp with this motor. It runs fine but if you pull the dipstick running it'll blow oil in your face. Is that normal for these little motors?
Check your oil it probably has gas in it
Blown head gasket
@@ctbale1 it still runs fine. We don't use it too much though.
hi there, question. I have an LT1045 which doesn't start. All i hear is a click when I turn the key. My first thought is the starter but noticed when I removed it, the flywheel is stuck and won''t turn at all. Is that how its supposed to be?
Hydraulic lock caused by gas leaking into the crankcase. Remove the spark plug and crank it, but be ready for a gas shower!
I got a free one with the same problem. The engine was seized. Ran out of oil because it was leaking so badly from the valve cover and crank seal.
Just goes to show how bad newer mowers are, 2006 toro lx500 with courage 22 still runs like a champ after 560 hours
It takes courage to own a Kohler Courage.
It kinda did sound a bit knocky. I wouldn't be surprised if that motor ends up pooched.
Can you swap out that Courage the crappy Kohler with a BRIGGS TECH 20HP ?
I think you can but, make sure that the crank is the same diameter and length for the pulley. You also might have to re-wire or change the ignition system. The engine bolt pattern is crucial too. Is the donor mower hydro or mechanical ? Will you be able to close your hood (height of the engine)? All those little things has to be addressed before tackling a swap project. I think "Taryl Fixes All" has a video in deeper details.
Yes you can
Yes you can check your crank shaft diameter
The video title is excellent. Lol!!
Kohler and Cub Cadet: The worst combination in the history of mankind.
I knew a dealer who delivered one of these tractors to a customer . Before the delivery man returned to the shop, the costumer called to say the engine had locked up. Sure enough, it was locked up, and should be. The connecting rod was sticking out of the block. After that, my dealer would not accept any mowers to his shop with the Courage engine. I like Kohler's engine design but the workmanship leaves a lot to be desired. Stay away from this engine people. Kohler bit a hog in the ass with this engine! It has to be embarrassing for them. jmo.
Kohler ought to stick to making toilets. Sorry to see you had the courage to buy a kohler courage what junk
How many of these start with an oil change, the oil is spilled all over while filling. Then, after a little while the owner tears into it to find a leak that was actually just left over stuck in weird places, then gets to the fly wheel says funk it, bolts it back together half assidly, creating an oil leak where none was before. :)
If it was leaking oil it would be all over the frame on the bottom
If it had a leak from the seal his belt would slip bad and hardly move
Turtle Frog one could argue.
@@eprofessio I bet so I've bought plenty of used mowers and had the problem is why I said that someone was dumb enough to try an use a garbage bag as a new seal
But see i didn't notice it was leaking oil until i got the mower home and let it run for a hour to heat it up
Kinda ashame to think Kohler would design a one cylinder like this. The old One cylinder commands were a lot better than this right here.
Had two 06' Cub Cadets with this shit on them, one was a single, which smoked like a banshee and leaked out almost every damn gasket, other was a v-twin, low oil pressure and blew up the trans with 135 hours on it, fucking junk.
+Charred Steak I own a Scotts with a Command CV680 at another property, bought in 01' and besides for the damn mice eating the plug wires, starts every goddamn time, no rebuild and I haven't cleaned the carb in over 3 years, just change the oil and air filter.
all mine loose too. thanks Kohler
these engines aren't great i see them crack meaning the short block is wasted on them and this engine is still made today. the older Kohler Command single cylinder engines for these are better. i seen some videos one replaced this courage engine with a comparable Briggs and Stratton engine one with an older Briggs flathead engine. or put in a V-twin as the new Predator 22 hp 703cc V-Twin engine is available from Harbor Freight.
What's the value lash for a22hp kohler courage
V twin
the sh** design of these things is why I ended up using a lawn mower from 1987... because that's the only thing I could afford when my troy bilt's engine (one of these kohlers) had something smash through the crankcase and SOMEHOW the damn thing caught fire... I'm lucky I was able to get my fire extinguisher before the fire got to the gas tank
I just bought a house, and the prior owner left a Kohler Courage 22 zero turn. I don't know anything about riding lawn mowers so maybe one of you viewers can help me out. I've mowed the yard three times with the Kohler, and the second time when I stopped the engine, it back-fired as well as on the last mowing excursion. After watching this video, is the back-fire from a sheared flywheel bolt??? Again, I feel like a dumbass not knowing shit about this riding lawn mower. I've looked online for manuals and haven't found anything. The worst part is every video on UA-cam is like this one: Kohler engines are garbage and a serious POS.
One last thing: the digital readout on the mower says the engine has 23 hours...I can't afford $2000 for a mower if this one goes tits up
Could be from a sheared key I suppose. This user however has a video where he did a quick dianosis on this mower and usually if the keys are sheared they wont start at all just crank and crank which is shown in the other video not sure if you seen that or not. Backfiring when you turn it off is probably something else. Do you know if the engine is a single cylinder courage like this one or a vtwin. I will say this the single cylinders were not the best but, the vtwin courages were for the most part a lot better motor at least in my opinion. How do you shut the mower off at idle? Full throttle? Lots of mowers have an antibackfire fuel shutoff solenoid on the base of carb bowl. I have seen Kohlers which have that solenoid I am talking about backfire when shutdown at idle. If your motor is a courage it does have one on it and try shutting off between half and full throttle. Kohler reccomends doing that do some of their engines with the solenoids. I am not sure if I have been any help to you or not hopefully I have.
Probably just a bad back fire solenoid on the carb. I think they actually call them and after fire valve. They are common failure on these. There littler rubber piece goes bad on them. It isn't a huge deal other than it will back fire after you shut if off. If you want to fix it's fairly easy to replace. If you have sheared key it would be out of time and probably wouldn't start and if it did I wouldn't run right.
unfortunately there are no small engines being made in north america now, all of the common ones come from china briggs tecumseh kohler wisconsin
+65bug519 Job security for mower repair mechanics
Tecumseh no longer makes engines but they still make refrigeration equipment. Wisconsin is out of business, as the newer engines are generic that Cub Cadet is using the Honda clones. the new one i saw a single cylinder with electronic fuel injection. the better engines are Kawasaki, Honda, and Robin Subaru. the Briggs vanguard engines are good but their walk behind mower and pressure washer engines and some others aren't that great due to them using Plastic camshafts and timing gears in them. the Cub Cadet lawn tractor i seen used a chinese engine with Fuel injection. as mainly electronic fuel injection is used by Kohler on their Command Pro EFI V-twin engines
Koehler makes engines in Mississippi, are you sayin Mississippi ain't in the u.s.
Mine has 270 hours i would say mine has no issues but im not gonna jinx myself. lol
Maybe you have synced blades out of wack. Hitting each other 😮
My courage, the exhaust valve seat came loose after 150 hours. The valves need adjusted every 50 hours or so because they work loose and start spitting flames out the exhaust. From everything Ive seen of these motors they are trash. Just poor tolerances all around. Not much power for the size and not reliable.
Also all the gaskets want to leak and the headgasket blew at 90 hours.
These have got to be one of the top worst lawn tractor engines ever made. In fact they should come with a guaranteed to fail sticker because the list of problems that these have is probably as long as the span of america. I know some B&S engines have their problems but I have a 1999 Craftsman Lt 4000 (one of the rare green ones) and let me tell you that engine must have about 2000 hours on it no kidding! There is so many hours on the tractor that the steering wheel is smooth as glass unlike how its usually a bumpy and rigid surface for good grip.
I guess I'm talking about gx610 and GX390
Had a kohler courage 27 on a bad boy junk and junk
I got one just like it in the yard 532 hours an I just took a half coffee can full of parts from the oil pan
This is bull crap my 96 cub has a vtwin Briggs on it and it has 502.8 hours on it and it has 0 blowby and never had a problem
Mmmmm. Bucket motors. Kohler discontinued the courage single.
I heard one of your lifter arms tick
Koehler 19 courage fuel delivery problem
When it comes to almost anything made these days...older is better.
I had to pull head to find crack.
Hey the courage engines are better than the EFI bullcrap
They don’t make cubs like they used to!!
I think only the courage is made in china. you just have to be carefull what you buy.some times it is hard.
Something is not running tight. Something, lifters need work
mines been great,5 and a half years, no problems,this guys a whiner sounds like to me
Fuel problem
MTD Cadet
Those kohler courage single cylinder engines are the biggest piece of shit ever made. Mine had a crack next to the cylinder and the loose cover bolts were a constant issue. I read somewhere that the courage series are made in China.
daw718 I wouldn't doubt it. I thought that the bottom seal gave out on mine last week but NO. There's a hole right beside the sump seal. I couldn't see it until I removed the bottom pulley assembly. On that assembly is printed MADE IN CHINA. Freggin' ripoff
R Verro I replaced my kohler with a Briggs & Stratton intek v twin 21hp that I bought on ebay. Best thing I ever did for my toro. No oil leaks, No vibration, no problems. Love that v twin sound too.
daw718 I wonder if one of my 11 hp or 12.5 hp Briggs would fit ? The wiring looks different...I think.
R Verro The mounting bolt pattern should be the same. As long as the shaft dimensions are the same, it could work. The wiring can be made to work too.
Hondas are WAY worse then this.
Briggs and stratton for me please
They're just as bad. dirt sucking rod chunkers. cam problems. weak starters. rocker studs backing out. blowing head gaskets. lower seal droppers. etc...
Those engines don't even sound good........and I should know I own one.
BS Honda all the WAY!!!!!
Honda engines have so much problems with coils and carburetors I do not recommend a Honda engine
Roger Lund make America great again!
@@eustaciosaucedo4682 Never seen one with a coil or non fuel related carburetor issue.
MADE IN CHINA
What a junk engine
Kohler .engines are junk
Kohler engine,s are friggin junk. Prolly the best they made back in the the day the old cast iron block. U open the hood on a new Rider and see a Kohler close it and keep walking...
Nohlers are junk give me a Briggs any day!