1864 clutch issue
 

Hi guys, newbie here

Got an 1864 with 18 HP Kohler Command and 54 in deck, almost 900 hours. I have an issue that has arose in the last month or so. The Blades have been being very difficult to engage. At first they would kick on fine at first when mower was cold but if I disengage after operation and tried to re-engage they wouldn't After about a 5-10 second delay they would finally engage. Now lately they have been reluctant to engage at all and when they do the battery light comes on. Last time PTO would only stay engaged for a minute then kick off. Finally got it to stay on long enough to mow but light stayed on whole time. Well, battery was 7 years old so I just replaced it, tried it tonight to test and kicked on fine, ran them for about 30 seconds then turned off and back on and battery light came on, so it is not fixed. Also, the front pan is wet with oil pretty bad. So I ordered a new front seal and I plan on replacing it and cleaning the clutch. Anyone seen this before or got an idea. My thought is maybe some oil got in the clutch and has fouled things up like causing it to short and draw too much juice, or maybe it is the charging system. Anyway, thanks for reading and any ideas are appreciated. Thanks again!!