Kohler K361 - Starting Motor; Carburetor Adjustments; Governor Adjustments

BATlER Y: Us e 12 v olt n egati ve battery (-t erminal ground) with amp hour r ating of at le ast 32 for be st
re sults. Wh en b att ery is in good condi t ion, each cell con tr ibutes approxim atel y 1.95 to 2.08 volt s . If
the char ge i s low and l ess than 0.05 volt di fference is noted between the cell s having the highest and
low
est re adin gs, the b att ery should be re char ged. If the differ ence i s more than .0S volts, thi s could
indic at e a cra cked p late or oth er dam age which could call for repla cement of the batt ery.
A regul ator ma y be blamed for an und er charged or re p eatedly dischar ged batt ery when the fault is
ac
tuall y self-discharge caused by a build-up of corros ive acid across the t op of th e batte ry. Even a
light coat in g of thi s gra yish-whit e substance can co mp le te a cir cuit to drain and exh aust the energy in
the battery--this can be espe ci all y bad wh en moi sture is pres ent . Service as indicated in the following.
To maint
ain a batt ery in top condition, check and perform the f oll owing service s at freq uent int er-
vals:
1. Regula rl y check le v el of el e ctrol yt e-- add wat er as nece ssa ry to maint ain l evel above plates
-- do not overfi l l as this can cause poor perfonnance or early failur e due to loss of el ectro l yt e.
2. Keep
te rmin al s and top of battery cl ean. Wash with baking soda and rins e wi th cl ear wat er. Do
not
allo w soda so lution to e nte r c ells as thi s w ill dest roy the electrolyt e .
starting motor
Prec autions: In the event of a "f als e start" (engine g ets up su ffi cient speed to disengage st ar ter but
fail s to continue runnin g), the engine mu st be complet el y st opped before another starting att empt is
made. If th e fl~~heel is st i ll rotating , the dri ve pinion mld ring gear will clash and be damag ed.
Limit
crmlking (co nt inuous) to a per i od of 30 seconds to prevent ov erh e ating of the starter. If crmlked
for 30 second s, start er should n ot be operat ed ag ain for 60 seconds to allow time for coolin g.
S
ta rt ing mo to rs do not require se rvice at any spe cifi c intervals. They are pre -lubric ated dur ing
manufacture and
bru shes norm all y require attention only after ext ensiv e use--see troubl e an al y sis b elo w.
Conn ecti ons to s ta rt ing motor should be checked occas ional ly t o ma ke sure th ey are tight and that leads
a
re in good condi ti on. The following pre cautions should be observed on electric st art mod els to prevent
st ar te r dama ge and /or deple t ion of battery energy.
Troub
le Nlalysis : If start er f ail s to energize, first check w ir in g, starting switch or solenoid and
condition of batt e ry. Clean or replace b adl y corroded or dirty cont acts--r eplace wires if frayed or
cracked. Bypass start switch or solenoid with
jump er wire--if start er cranks n orm all y, replac e defect ive
switch or solenoid.
If st ar te r turns too slowly and batt ery is in good condition, check for dirt; -
brushes or co mm uta tor . Furth er trouble anal ysis will require special te st equipment a vailable only at
authorized rep air stations.
Alignm ent : Al i gnm ent of start er pinion to r ing gear is e stabli shed by the machined surface of s ta~ t e T
mounting flange on the side of th e c ylind er bl ock and through spe ci al mounting b olts. To prevent ills -
alignment and ge ar dama ge, mak e sur e the pr oper should er b olts are used and that the y ar e securely
ti ghtened at all times.
carburetor adi stmen 5
Carbur etors are cali brat ed in the fac tory and the main fuel system cannot be reset . If bla ck ex aaus t
s moke is noted, check th e air clean er- -an "ov errich" mixture is usu all y caused by a p oorl y se rvi ced,
Clogged
air c le aner ele ment.
If idle read ju stment b ecome s nece ssary, stop th e eng in e, then turn the IDLE fu el ad jus t in g scr ew ,
all the way in until i t bottoms lightl y--don't force it closed as th is will damage the need le valve .
For pr
elimin ary s etting, turn the IDLE 1-1 /4 turn out . For final adjustments, st art engine and all ow it
to warm. The IDLE fu el can then be set by turnin g the adjustment in until the en gin e slows down, Now
t
urn th e screw out--th e engine will regain speed at fir st and then it will sl ow dOhn--note the position s
of s cr ew at both se tt i ngs, then set it about half way between the two.
'governor adiustments
The governor function s to maintain engine speed under changing load conditions and al so act s as a
speed
limiti ng dev ice . Go vernors are set in th e fact ory and furth er adju stm ents should not be required
unl ess
linka ge works loose or becomes disconn ect ed. Readjustment should be mad e if the engine surges with
changing load or if speed drops considerab
ly l~h en a normal load i s applied. Readjustment should be made
by a qual if ie d p
er son only.
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