New Tractor...but!!

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GMBoy

GMBoy

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Well, some of you all may remember my little score of 2 vintage Mustang Mowett mini riders. Time has been tight so I am still not complete in the restoration of them. I also purchased a 5 acre lot and needed a riding mower like now! So, after much research and some dickering, I got a great deal on a new Husqvarna rider with a trailer and free mower trailer.

Now, here is where I get upset....beings a true BITOG fella, I decided I wanted to add some gauges after reading about others who installed oil temp and other gauges. So, I buy a nice set of oil temp, oil pressure and Volt meters from Summit Racing. This tractor has the Kohler Courage engine (21hp) and it really is a nice engine...and according to the service manual there should be a plug near the filter boss that I can utilize for my oil gauges. Guess what? It's not there - nowhere on the engine is there a place to "tap in" to the oil system. Seems, they saved some cost in the process by not drilling/tapping a hole.

Now I guess I should leave it alone..but I saw on here once about a guy who actually drilled into the filter boss and added an oil pressure gauge. Not sure if I have the nutz to do this to a brand new mower and risk losing the engine!

Ideas anyone?


Here is the mower:

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/garden-tractors/yth21k46/
 
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is there a possibility that you can get an adapter to fit between the oil filter and the block? I've seen similar devices for installing an oil cooler on an old car (70s Triumph TR6). The adapter spins on like an oil filter then the oil filter spins onto the adapter. The adapter has a couple fittings on it to allow oil to flow out to an oil cooler then back into the adapter. If there is something like that available, you could block off one of the fittings and use the other for oil pressure gauge.
 
I had the 20hp Courage V-twin on my Cub Z-Force and it had a plug near the filter base. I don't think the Courage single cyl engines have it. I really liked my Courage twin, but don't have any experience with the singles.

Nice machine you got. Tufftorq K46 trans, parts and service knowledge are plentiful.

Joel
 
Just suck it up and drill/tap it in.You wont "lose" the engine - you know pretty quick if it's going to leak or not.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus
is there a possibility that you can get an adapter to fit between the oil filter and the block? I've seen similar devices for installing an oil cooler on an old car (70s Triumph TR6). The adapter spins on like an oil filter then the oil filter spins onto the adapter. The adapter has a couple fittings on it to allow oil to flow out to an oil cooler then back into the adapter. If there is something like that available, you could block off one of the fittings and use the other for oil pressure gauge.


What he said. The guys running bypass oil filters use these all the time. I think they're called sandwich adapters. They thread on between your oil filter and your block and have an in/out for easy install of an oil cooler.
 
I don't *think* the sandwich adapter will work on the Courage single cylinder engines because of the orientation of the filter. It's tucked right up against the block, open end of the filter up. On the Courage/Command V-twins, the sky is the limit.

Joel
 
Is the oil filter adapter separate from the block? I imagine it would be. You may see if you can buy the filter adapter with the tap and swap adapters.

That was similar to the Tecumseh single on my old Murray: some had oil filters and some did not. The ones with had a filter adapter bolted to the block and those without had a cover plate instead.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
I don't *think* the sandwich adapter will work on the Courage single cylinder engines because of the orientation of the filter. It's tucked right up against the block, open end of the filter up. On the Courage/Command V-twins, the sky is the limit.

Joel



I don't know...I do know it is held in place by the center tube, and doesn't need to "spin" onto the mount. So it may/may not work...it was just a thought.
 
Lots of great feedback, guys. Thanks. I looked at the blow up parts diagramns online and the oil filter adapter itself is integral and cannot be swapped out itself, so there goes the easy route. That leaves me looking for an oil cooler adapter that may fit, the oil filter is tight against the motor as was mentioned by JTK. I left an email to Kohler tech for help and it's been 3 days w/o any answers. I don't mind drilling but I don't know exactly where to drill - that part worries me NOT the drilling itself.

I will make this work! LOL!
 
I like the idea of the inverted block on the Courage single cyls. Instead of having a bolt on 'oil pan' on the bottom, access to get into the crankcase is up top, under the flywheel. That way, you'll never have oil leaks, unless it's the crank seal.

On the other hand, some of the early Courage singles had issues with these bolts loosening, causing the crank to shift out of plane and basically blow the jug loose from the engine.

Word on the streets is to check these bolts if you ever have access to them, maybe take each one out individually, apply blue locktite and reinstall.

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I left an email to Kohler tech for help and it's been 3 days w/o any answers. I don't mind drilling but I don't know exactly where to drill - that part worries me NOT the drilling itself.



Kohler probably has no interest in telling you where to drill into your engine. I'm doubting they will be willing to give you the answer, even if they know it.

Luckily though they respond very quickly when a motor bites the dust under warranty, but they do want pictures and any modifications to the block might make them suspicious. Just a heads up. You might want to wait before doing this.
 
I was that guy, here is the post where I added the oil pressure gauge.

Add oil pressure gauge to Kohler engine


I won't lie, I was scared when I did it...but I also found a piece of scrap aluminum to practice on a few times until I got the feel for drilling and tapping.

It's been about a year, and it still works fine.

Just be wary of your direction and angle when drilling. My pictures show where to be careful.

Greg
 
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