kohler CV16s problems

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
gilraine

gilraine

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
673
Location
norwich, ct
I figured this would be the place to ask..my lawn tractor has a CV16's kohler in it and I went to get it going again for the spring time, put a new battery in it, it cranks and starts.. runs like crap for about 2 minutes and then dies.. when it dies I still have spark and fuel.. I'm not sure where to start.ignition module or coil sound more likely?
 
Fred Wright

Fred Wright

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
1,054
Location
Delaware, USA
Since you have spark when it dies, the ignition is OK. I'm gonna presume you're getting spark from the plug electrode... and the gap is correct.

If the spark plug is good, I agree with Dave. A carb cleaning or rebuild may be in order.
 

lon

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
97
Location
Oregon
Might try replacing old gas for fresh. Neighbors was doing the same and we drained out all the old fuel and put some non-ethonal gas and it cleared up and runs great.
 
avalancher

avalancher

Arboristsite Raconteur
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
4,316
Location
Newport TN
Like mentioned above, I would agree on the fuel problem. Small engine shops love spring because with the nicer weather brings a flood of small engine powered tools that have sat over the winter with fuel in them. Simply dumping the gas and adding fresh can sometimes fix the problem, but with ethanol in the fuel now it causes havoc with gaskets, fuel lines, and other assorted fuel related problems.

You can try dumping the fuel, and adding a fresh batch of fuel doctored up with a small dose of fuel treatment, I have found that Berrymans B12 Chemtool one of the best for removing the varnish and sludge that develops over a winter.Get the thing running as best as you can, then leave the machine overnight after the fresh fuel has gotten through the system to work on the deposits. Then try it again tomorrow.

If that doesnt help matters, then you may need a rebuild kit and a thorough cleaning of the carb. And replace the fuel filter while you are at it.
 
Whitespider
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
22,809
Location
On the Cedar in Northeast Iowa
Spring time small engine tune-up...
Do before anything else...
  1. Dump all old gas and drain carb.
  2. Replace spark plug(s).
  3. Change oil and filter (if equipped).
  4. Clean or replace air filter.
  5. Mix 1/2 gallon of fresh fuel with 1 cup of Sea Foam and pour in fuel tank.
  6. Pull plug wire(s) so engine won't start and crank engine to distribute fuel/Sea Foam mix throughout engine and fuel system.
  7. Allow to sit/soak overnight.
  8. Next day, reattach plug wire(s), finish filling fuel tank with fresh fuel, and crank engine until it starts.
  9. Allow to run until engine smooths out and is fully warmed up.
  10. Shut engine off and check oil level.
This will fix fully 90% of spring time small engine problems.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top