Smokin' 912 Coming Home - OUCH!!

[BruceH 7]

My 912 is coming home tomorrow, with a rebuilt Kohler. The first guess at cost from the local AC dealer was $500-600 . . . a bit much, but OK I guess. Well, after boring the block, a new crank, resleeving, and a new piston and rod, the tab will be over $950. I guess I will have to figure out which kid gets to skip college. Seriously though, does this sound out of line to anyone?

[Guest]

Tim, Sounds to me about right if a new crank was needed.The problem is the parts for ALL the brands are so riduculosly high and so is the labor to install said parts. Hopefully you've got some kind of warranty with this job[sounds like a thorough one]that was done. dlc

[StanS 0]

Tim,
My Northern Catalog has a 16 Briggs Vanguard for under $900, a 16 Kohler Magnum at $900 and a 15 Kohler Command under $850. This does not include shipping but they are brand spanking new. Being a thrifty Scot (cheap) I think there has to be a better way.
Stan

[Fred 1]

Tim,
Yes, I'm afraid it does. Was the crank beyond regrinding? Or were they not equipped to, or too lazy to send it out? And what did they "resleeve"? The bore? AFTER boring it? Did they ruin it, then have to sleeve it? Sorry, but it sounds to me like they turned a $500 overhaul into what should have been a short-block job, very nearly, for that kind of money. $950, or more, is very close to the cost of a short-block; which gets you all-new 'internals', and a warranty!
If you are any kind of wrench at all, you and the Kohler manual could certainly have done that short-block job.
If I'm wrong here, someone please say so, and why.
Fred

[tej 1]

Tim,
I had a K301 done for about $400 with new valves, boring, piston, govenor parts, but not a new crank. The guy that rebuilt it has done many of these Kohler singles and has never had to replace a crank (they are built very heavy). I think Fred may be right in that the crank maybe needed to be reground instead of replaced. As for sleeving again either its been bored out many times that it needed a sleeve or botched it. Did you get the old parts??
Also if we are talking about engines again has anyone put a Magnum 16 into a Sim or AC?
MS

[tej 1]

I believe that the shop told me that a pin had come loose from the connecting rod and had damaged the cylindar - so they had to rebore. Rather than putting in an oversize piston (causes undesired vibration?) they resleeved so as to allow for the use of a standard size piston. That's what I was told. The mechanic said that the crank was damaged too badly to regind. Should I ask for the old parts back?

[Fred 1]

Tim,
With that much damage, I'll revise my opinion to say that it definitely should have had a short-block.
And if an oversize bucket would cause the shakes, why would Kohler (and everybody else) sell them? A big single shakes so much that you'd never notice the difference.
Sorry pal,
Fred

[StanS 0]

Tim,
My money is on a botched rebuild and a successfully rebuilt bill.
Stan

[Al 6]

I have put sleeves in Kohlers in the past. I use a 3/32 wall sleeve. We had a customer call about 15 yrs ago with a Greens mower that had been rebuilt in another shop. They said it had quit and they couldn't get the spark plug out. We went and got it, after aabout 45 minutes of running the cylinder had cracked around the base and "blown" upward about 1+1/2 inches until the plug hit the mower frame. It had a 3/16 wall sleeve. (On pulling engines that are bored way out like 3 15/16 or 4" they run straps over the heads and draw bolts to the frame under the crankcase to keep the block together). If they used a 3/32 wall sleeve it should be as good as original. If the person did a good job, replaced the counterbalance shafts and bearings and other items that commonly wear. I don't think the price sounds out of line. The term rebuilt can mean anything, depending on the person saying it. We normally don't sleeve any more unless it is a spec # that no short block is available for and we can't find a block. In the winter we look at rebuilding more when we have more time, and then discount the job some. Even with a short block you can have 2 to 6 hrs labor, depending on engine brand and type and @ labor rates from $30 to $60 per hour depending on the area, it doesn't take long to have the cost get up there. You should be able to get many hours of service out of this. It is better to spend a little more and have it done right, than cut corners and end up with nothing. Good Luck, AL

[Al 6]

In the above post I intended to mention that a short block depending on the spec number for these K series singles is in the neighborhood of $800 to $950 in the box, plus a shipping charge from the factory to the Central Distributor. Labor on top of that. Maybe you aren't so bad off anyhow. Have a good one. AL

[Al 6]

Don't feel too bad TimH - it's very hard to predict how bad something will be until you really start tearing it down and getting into it. The dealer was giving you his honest "average" price which normally does not include a new crank and liner - who would have thought the repairs required for your particular engine would be the "almost" worst case scenario. You still have a tough tractor that it is worth keeping - I just hope the rest of it is in better shape - something that I'm sure you already checked out before making your rebuild decision. And as Al mentioned, you have still saved over new - the kid can still go to collage - you just can't take a vacation for the next 10 years!