Kohler WET! Hydraulic Lifters Pt 2

Finally FedEx delivered the head gasket for the Kohler CV17. Sat on a truck for 4 days, but we finished the job. Used parts may look good on the outside, but it is what is inside that counts.

[@desballard2614]

Just a note, Kohler's original fix for the "ticking" of lifters was to use CF rated engine oil (Yes, compression fired oil... like for a diesel) Kohler branded 10W30 had the correct rating and seemed to cure the problem. Just my 2 cents.

[@CSERepair]

Bingo! Imo super rare for a hydraulic lifter to go bad…

[@stevenmontoya5566]

what an amazing job on this video and the answers to the questions ....im now a fan on lond island ny

[@NormanMcGregor]

That is an amazing repair! Well done Craig!!

[@garrykrause2375]

GREAT JOB CRAIG--AGAIN THANKS FOR TEACHING ME ON HOW TO TAKE APART MINE--CV16--NEEDS HEAD GASKET...

[@CraigArndt]

Any time! It was fun for me to get into one myself. It came apart easy, but never knew the guy I bought it from would wash it. Getting that water out probably saved it from rusting or hydrolocking and bending a rod. A little dirt in there or carbon will prevent from pressurizing, so a good cleaning really helps.

[@805ROADKING]

It's quite a mystery with the water in the lifters, never heard of that!! Nice little machine!!☺

[@CraigArndt]

It sure is! Never seen that happen before, glad I cracked into them.

[@miker8368]

Just disassembled my Kohler Command 16 HP engine...about 180 hours of run time since purchased new. Low and behold...I see creases on the bottoms of both lifters, as well. I've heard that Kohler has redesigned the lifters for the late 90's / early 2000 models. My LT1000 went into service in 2003 and started a light ticking noise 2 yrs. ago. Your cold start ( tractor sitting outside in the fall ) sounded exactly like mine...decently loud ticking.

[@CraigArndt]

So those lifters are actually GM lifters, from a small block Chevy. My dealer told me that when I first bought a Cub 1515 with a CV15 Kohler. Well I forgot that... if you take that lifter apart and clean it good, use synthetic oil you may find that it was just debris that made it not pump up good. Mine would pump up afterwhile, but it took a long time. New lifters should fit right from a chevy small block. And you don't need to fill them when you reinstall the lifters after cleaning or new.. they will pump up on their own.

[@miker8368]

@@CraigArndt I purchased new Kohler lifters that are supposed to be a better version ( revamped ) of the originals. I've been told NOT to soak them in oil...just to smear some oil around them and a touch of cam lube on the base and install.

[@ZippoVarga]

I'm curious why you didn't soak the lifters over night before installing them Craig. Any Hydraulic lifter engine I've ever rebuilt, I've allowed to fill over night in diesel and when you fire the engine for the first time, they're already full and the small amount of diesel just mixes harmlessly with the oil. Just curious is all. And, the liquid you got out of the new lifters is just a rust preventative that the MFG soaks them in to prevent any chance of rust to the internals of the lifter. This liquid is a very thin petroleum based liquid, but it definitely appears to flow like water. If you had emptied them into a bowl of water, you would have seen it stay separated from the water. Awesome job!! Cheers my Friend! Zip~

[@CraigArndt]

So the lifters came from a donor Craftsman tractor LT3000 with a Kohler 17hp. They were used from eBay. I took them apart because they seemed wet, and diesel or kerosene would have an odor and feel well like diesel or kerosene. I oiled them and put them in unloaded because I read so many forums on whether to pre fill or not pre fill, seems two schools of thought. I also wanted to see if these would load on their own or if I had another issue in the galley. The originals I disassembled, cleaned up really well, were filled but wouldn’t stop ticking so I thought I maybe had another issue. These filled up fast on their own, just coated externally in oil. I used that tractor for a couple months mowing and yard work, had 10 hours on it with no cold start ticking. I don’t know if I’d install empty every time, but that motor ran like new afterwards without any ticking at cold startup. Good to hear from you Zippo, loved the comment always making me think.

[@ZippoVarga]

@@CraigArndt Inquiring minds want to know! lol There are many fields of thought when it comes to fill or no fill. Your reasoning makes sense to see of the oil galleys are in good repair. I just get a queasy feeling when I hear dry lifters initially, thinking....hmm...am I hammering on something I shouldn't? I've always filled mine, but I have heard a lot of debate on the subject, like you. Cheers my Friend! Zip~

[@mgomez5606]

What pumps oil to move lifters?

[@not2fast4u2c]

It does sound good ..The water thing is odd especially if the package was not wet .Deliveries are running late no matter which company they use to send stuff...We will let you guess where I got my bent folded up head gasket from that was sent in a simple padded envelope

[@RustyGlovebox]

Sounds better, the repair was worth the time.

[@CraigArndt]

Yea learned a little along the way too.

[@BillGoudy]

Looks and sounds like new!!! ;-)

[@111455]

i know i'm late to the party but i had VERY bad knocking lifters fixed by changing oil and adding a bit of seafoam to clean the lifters internally

[@CraigArndt]

Great point, Seafoam was used on the lifters. I use Seafoam in my engine oil when I do a cleaning, it removes coked oil really well. In this case, no matter what I did, I couldn't get these lifters to pressurize and stop ticking. I also ran full synthetic and that only helped marginally. Thanks for the comment, please subscribe if you haven't already.

[@tonymontana897]

Aren't you supposed to pump up the lifters with oil BEFORE you install ??

[@CraigArndt]

I showed the before and after. The lifters took 3 minutes to pressurize and it ran smooth. Pumping them with oil wouldn't have told me if they worked or not. Maybe a horizontal shaft engine with hydraulic lifters holds oil better, but my experience is vertical shaft Kohlers usually have lifter leak and from laying on their sides and tick on start up. I also read up on some Chevy engine builders, some put in without oil and others put in full. Either way, you are coating with oil on installation so there's no metal to metal. Worked very well.

[@philliphall5198]

It’s easy to clean them and 99% of the time they work great Change oil and don’t use cheap oil eather