Simplicity GTHL 17 Revving High

[timmangan]

Hey guys, I have a Simplicity GTHL 17.

I love this tractor, but for some reason it just wants to rev as hard as it can, I mean, maxes itself out like its trying to take off in flight.

I had a friend who is better than me with mechanics, we all have that friend, and he seems to think that the govenor might be broken internally.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?

It all started after I took the carb of to clean, and replaced the coil with a dynatek.

Thanks in advance for the help guys.

[wwbragg]

Could be internal, but first check the governor and throttle linkage and springs.  It could be something as simple as a broken throttle return spring.

[PhanDad]

@Brettw is one of the KT experts on the site.  I believe there's an internal plastic gear that craps out.  But as @wwbragg said, it could be something simple. 

Hopefully Brett will chime in on your problem.  

 

[MikeES]

Do you have any throttle control with the throttle lever?  Will the engine idle or does it run wild?   Ifyou had the carb off you may now have the linkage not connected correct, or you lost the throttle stop position.  There is a throttle stop that needs to be adjusted for max 3600 rpms.

Go there first.

[Brettw]

Hello, Tim, welcome aboard!

 

The KT's and Magnums do have a nylon governor gears that are know to potentially fail.  They are still available and can be found in numerous places for about 45 bux.  E-bay for one.  However, before I would jump to that, I would at least make sure the governor is set correctly (although, unless someone has messed with the linkage or governor arm I can't see how it would be out of whack).  I would start by making sure nothing is impeding the governor arm assembly.  Then, if you go to the Kohler site, they have owners and service manuals for their engines.  The service manual is very detailed and specific and will give you directions to set the governor.  I would follow those directions and see if there is any change.  However, I would warn that once those gears go to pieces, there are parts that could be flying around internally, and can be catastrophically  damaging to the engine.  The process to replace the gear is fairly involved and requires a complete tear down of the engine, at which time I would recommend a set of rings at a minimum.   Anyway, good luck, and any more questions, just reach out.  Welcome again!