K161 oil change, help?
 

Hi all. I have a simple question and I only have to ask because I couldn’t find it on the internet and I’m new to Kohler K series engines or at least I have changed the oil on mine in the 9 months I’ve owned it. Anyways, I was wondering how to drain the oil. Is it the cube shaped plug on the bottom of the engine that has to be accessed from under the tractor?
There are no oil filters for the tranny or engine on the IH CC model 70, correct?

Yep your description sounds right for the oil plug. No time like the
present to change the oil. I always keep in mind that the only filter
system on these machines is the lubricants and the only way to keep
them clean is us changing fluids.

Ken

Thanks
 

Thank you for the information West Valley G!

Oil used
 

Straight 30 motor oil seems hard to come by, especially in 1 quart bottles. It’s online, but most stores don’t carry it. I ended up using Carquest brand SAE 30. What brand oil do you guys use in your Kohler K series engines?

Locally, I find SAE30 at the Auto Parts Stores, Tractor Supply stores, Farm Implement Dealers, and Walmart.

I checked O’reilly, they didn’t have any in 1 quart bottles. All that Wal-Mart had in smaller bottles was Briggs and Stratton brand. I’m talking about brands like Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Royal Purple, NOT Mobil 1 or anything like that.

You are looking for 30W non detergent, try tractor supply or family farm & home stores.
Around my area, they have that oil.
FWIW:
The thinking is that engines without oil filtration use non detergent, as contamination is in the pan and is drained off at oil changes.
Engines with oil filters use detergent oil as the contaminates that are suspended in the oil due to the detergent action, are caught in the filter.

Straight 30 wt is usually a store/distributor brand now. I get mine at Napa. It's made for Napa by Ashland out of Ohio the same supplier for Valvoline. Considering it's only 50 hours between changes, any good detergent 30 wt will be fine and Napa you can't go wrong.

No, that's not how detergents work. It's not just suspension of contaminants, but not letting them stick as well as neutralizing or minimizing any acids or corrosive activity.

The Kohler service manual explicitly states in the lubrication section that detergent oils are to be used.

You're in WI, there should be a Farm & Fleet somewhere. :bigthink:

I use Rotella 15W-40 in all my stuff. Never had a problem and I change it once a year. I used it when I overhauled my K301 last year, ran it for a few hours then changed it. Oil technology has came a long way since ‘68 when my 125 was made.

I found Traveller brand 30W in 1 quart bottles at Tractor Supply. I did some research and found that it’s made by Warren in the USA.

Yeah, honestly anything in the right ballpark would work.

These air cooled engines tend to have "looser" fits with cylinder bore to piston clearance running in the .007" - .010" or more depending on run time. For a diameter just under 3" that's almost twice what a car engine is. The 30wt oil the factory specifies provides a good layer against piston rocking/scuffing when first started cold. Things really work together as run time warms up the parts and decreases cold clearances while at the same time the oil thins from the heat.

It's only when the temps go below 32* that the oil charts show either a 10-30 or 10-40, that being initially a 10wt.

I saw that in the worst with a 1946 two cycle engine I bought years ago that was a year or two on it's overhaul. I asked the PO why didn't he use 50wt in the mix like the book sez. He said it's a 2 cycle and oils have come a long way so he used 2 cycle oil though the ratio was correct.. After I bought it I found it had little power and the cylinder needed a reboring over size. I talked with the head mechanic at the factory and he pointed out piston clearance was why they still specified 50wt in the mix. 30 years later after my overhaul, it still needs only 1/2 throttle to do the work it used to take a full throttle when I first got it.

I know 2 cycle and 4 cycle are apples and oranges but it does show what the right oil can do.

When I overhauled my K301, I had to go with a .030” over piston.