Kohler command corrosion

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This just isn't my week. I went to buy a hobart elite welder generator off someone on Craigslist. It was supposed to 6 months old, then I looks at the engine code and it's from like 2014. The cover on the machine is all scratched. What has me worried was all the aluminum oxide corrosion on all the cooling fins, which I guess can be washed off, but I've never seen that much corrosion before, even on an older engine that gets rained on all the time.
 
Did you already buy it? If the seller lied about the age, they will probably lie about the maintenance.

Corroded aluminum is a outdoor storage thing, not a Kohler thing. My Kohler 27HP is blown off with a leaf blower after every use, and stored inside. It's 10 years old. It is just starting to show a little corrosion.
 
The engine could have been built in 2014, and not sold to the consumer that sold it to you till 6 month ago. The corrosion thing is probably due to the area/conditions which it was stored in either the distributor, or dealer. If you clean it up, it may not come back.
 
+1 on the machine being stored before sold. Sometimes the engine date codes are a year older than the machine itself, depending on how long before assembly the manufacturer purchases the engine from Kohler.

I remember walking through a few equipment dealers where the mowers/engines were 1+ year old since they don't sell as much volume as the big box stores.

The corrosion is from being stored outside in the weather.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
+1 on the machine being stored before sold. Sometimes the engine date codes are a year older than the machine itself, depending on how long before assembly the manufacturer purchases the engine from Kohler.

I remember walking through a few equipment dealers where the mowers/engines were 1+ year old since they don't sell as much volume as the big box stores.

The corrosion is from being stored outside in the weather.




Yeah. I figured although it's odd since the whole generator/welder has an enclosed sound shield.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman



Yeah. I figured although it's odd since the whole generator/welder has an enclosed sound shield.


That would make it even worse. When things are enclosed like that, it makes it harder for any trapped water/moisture to evaporate.

Some of the most corroded mower engines I have ever seen were always parked in the shade under a tarp. The sun would never dry them out.
 
I was just trying to save $600.00, but it was too scratched up with rust in areas where the paint was damaged, plus the battery was dead. Surprising since he said he runs it periodically to charge the battery. He has a battery charger on it when I came cause it was dead. I'll just buy a new one for a piece of mind.
 
Walking away was SMART!

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I was just trying to save $600.00, but it was too scratched up with rust in areas where the paint was damaged, plus the battery was dead. Surprising since he said he runs it periodically to charge the battery. He has a battery charger on it when I came cause it was dead. I'll just buy a new one for a piece of mind.
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Walking away was SMART!



+1

Sounds like it sits around a lot and wasn't maintained that well. A bad combination.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Walking away was SMART!



+1

Sounds like it sits around a lot and wasn't maintained that well. A bad combination.


Yeah it seems I forgot how many people just don't take care of anything. I hate buying brand new stuff because you get hit so hard at resale time, but I guess the peace of mind at least for me makes it worth it.
 
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