What a difference .040 makes.
 

Well, I did the retorque on the K301 head yesterday and got the sheet metal back on the tractor. Finally got to try out the milled head in some high grass. WOW. I did not think it would make such a noticeable difference. It does, Before the decarbon and head swap I would have had to cut this section in 1st and slip the clutch so as to not bog down the engine. I was able to cut it in second and never slow down. Only time the rpms fell was when I hit an ant pile and they did not fall much.

I recommend if you pull the head for cleaning or to replace a head gasket, take the head to the machine shop and have them mill .040 off it. It will wake up the engine. Mine is starting better, throttle response has improved and it has more usable power. I cannot wait till I get the K321 done as I am doing pretty much all of the "Killer Kohler" mods to it. It should be a beast. Many thanks to David Kirk for that write up.

Battlewagon, that is great news!:beerchug:

That is awesome! :beerchug:

this is encouraging news for me too. I have had my K341 rebuilt to .020" over and the head milled but have not been able to use it yet.

quick question. are you now running regular or high test in the 301?

I have a K241 with more than .040 off the head plus the block was deck. It runs 87 octane gas with no problems. This is pump gas....not Merk gas:biggrin2: before someone makes the comment. It likes Merk real well too.


One thing I would caution.....spin motor over by hand to make sure you have valve clearance.

Just the 87 octane garbage 10% ethanol from the corner store.

I was wondering if the increased compression would cause problems but it sounds like the "cheaper" 87 octane will work fine.

You'll gain more from the E10 with higher compression. Might even consider E85!

I always take off .060 from my heads. Every engine I get has been overheated from gunk buildup in air fins everywhere. Amazing how these things still ran- Just look at how many of us love them and stand by them. But taking the time to clean it all up and shave the head, install a new head gasket ... What an insane difference it makes! :biggrin2:

Just a thought for you guys that are taking .040" and .060" off of your heads...if it warps again, how much material do you have left to clean up/flatten the surface before the valves no longer clear the head? Take too much off, and the head will no longer be usable if it warps again.