My Cub is smokin' and not in a good way!
 

Lent my 149 to a neighbor to haul some watermelons from his patch to the house. A week later I got her back and she sat in the shed until last night. I went to mow the lawn and I saw smoke coming from under the hood and around the dipstick. I shut her down and checked the oil. Bone dry. Nothing on the dipstick at all after I wiped it down and reinserted it. I let it cool down then filled it with oil and took off for a test run. Same thing happened 5 min later. Smoke. I shut it down again to check things out. Now I can't get it to start. Not even a click from the key. Battery is fully charged. 2 separate issues or related? Haven't had a chance to test electric flow yet. Any suggestions? Other then never lend it out agin?

In all fairness I doubt your neighbor caused the issue. That being said I'd do some testing around the key switch and the solenoid to see if your getting power to the s/g.

Hope you didn't cook the motor...that would suck! Was it an oily smelling smoke or that of something electrical burning? Before trying to start it again I would go over the electrical stuff like the coil etc. To rule out the obvious! Good Luck! As for lending it out my rule of thumb there is "If I ain't on it... it don't go!"

Smoke didn't have a noticeable scent aside from exhaust.

It's toast. Engines don't recover from no oil and smoke from the dipstick tube. Get ready to pull it.

Suggestion: Always check the oil BEFORE starting.

Welcome to OCC.

I don't know if two separate issues is better or worse.

I'd probably try to figure out the electrical issue first. Start at the battery and work your way to where the electricity stops. Might be something as simple as a bad neutral safety switch or unplugged. You can find a wiring diagram in the tech, section.

If the engine was running with no knocks or unusual noise, you may not be in much worse shape than you were before. If there was no oil on the stick, I'm guessing that it already used a little oil before your neighbor got it, Lord knows they don't run without oil for very long.

Good luck and keep us posted.

X2. I never assume mine has enough oil every time I run it. I always check it.

Can you turn it over by hand? If not. Would say is toast also. This is why I don't like loaning stuff out. It sucks but I'd say it's rebuild tme.

Pull the starter belt turn the key if the starter spins it's good if not its electrical then unbolt the motor and the drive shift and try to turn the motor if not pull the oil pan and the head put some thin oil on the top of the piston let Sit and and try to turn the motor when it comes free pull the piston and have the crank spun measure for a new connecting rodt hen put a new piston in it look on the cylinders see if there is any starring if yes get bored and Sleave

I'm sorry, but I disagree with your advice. That is not the correct way to go about it.

Thanks Moparman, sounded like a workable troubleshoot to me.
J-Mech, whats the rationale in NOT pursuing this method?
So far I've done a bench test on the s/g. All sat.
Solenoid was bad. Waiting on the replacement part.
First I want to get it started. Then troubleshoot the oil issue.
To test if the engine was seized up I removed the plug, put a plastic guage in the plughole and hand spun the engine to see if my piston was moving.

Here's the rationale broken down for you:


Maybe. Still could be a bad S/G. Even with a bad field it will spin when not under load.

More than likely. A mostly obvious statement

True. Good next step.

Oil alone will not break free a seized motor. If the piston is scored it would do nothing.

Yes, if it comes free take it apart. You do not have a crank "spun measured for a new rod". You grind the crank. Period. Every time you rebuild a "K" series Kohler. Then you buy a rod to fit the crank, or have a bearing insert installed.

You do not install a new piston and then check the bore. You bore the block to accept a new piston. Sleeving is an expensive option. Yes it can be done, but usually you can buy another block cheaper.


Here is a link to the wiring diagram for you tractor. Should only take a few minutes to figure out why it won't crank. Then, pull the engine. I promise, it's shot. Engines don't recover from running out of oil.

Great break down and explaination. Thank you.

That sure sounds like a lot of experience talking. I'm not a Las Vegas gambling type but if I put a $1 on it I'm going with J-Mech.
Good luck. Worse case, you end up with a 149 with a rebirthed engine. Not all bad.

Time to rebuild the engine. Its about the end of the season I normally use it, so I have some time to tear down and rebuild. This will be my first solo rebuild, any tips on what to expect and look for as I dig in? I have helped tear down and rebuild a 350 chevy so I won't be going in completely blind, but that was merely helping an experienced mechanic and picking up what I could along the way. What specialized tools will I need (gear puller? valve spring compressor? cylindar hone?).
To get my rebuild kit I need to provide piston and rod size, will I need to take apart the engine first and determine if it needs bored to get these measurements or do I get it bored (if necessary) to fit the piston/rod I purchase?
Standard cylinder bore.........3.500"

+.010 ....................................... 3.510"

+.020.........................................3.52 0"

+.030.........................................3.53 0"

Standard rod...........................1.500"

-.010...........................................1.4 90"

-.020..........................................1.48 0"

Do I get add ons as well when I take it down, or are they an unnecessary cost?

Crank bearings
Valve guides
Govornor gear
Steel points plunger

Thanks for your help and I welcome any input ya'll have.

Only "special tools" you need is a valve spring compressor. You can probably to it without out it, but it's easier with. Probably need a 3 jaw puller. No need for a cylinder hone. Probably ought you at least have access to a dial indicator so you can check crank end play, it has a spec.

Tear it all down, and take the crank and block to a machine shop. They will measure the bore and tell you what size piston you need. They will grind the crank and tell you what rod you need. THEN you order the kit. Not before, but after you find you what size of piston and rod you need. Crank bearings can be re-used as long as they are not damaged. Valve guides are seldom wore out. Let the machine shop bore the block and fit the new piston, grind the crank, and grind the valve seats and install the new valves. Then you do the rest. Do not hone the cylinder and try to do all above work yourself. That's what machine shops are for. Steel points plunger is unnecessary IMHO, governor gear.... your choice. If they look OK, I use them over. Some people swear by replacement only. There are no "add on's" that I can think of you need. Download the service manual and good luck. :beerchug: