Engine question

[dodge trucker]

this is not on a Cub, though it could be. It does have to do with a Kohler K341 though.

I have several tractors, not all of them Cubs. my others are Ariens and early 70's New Holland.

Anyways I found a deal on another Ariens GT16, with a snow blower, deck and a set of wheel weights. I am buying it solely for these items, because snow blowers alone for these machines go for 3x what I am getting the whole unit for.... but I still gotta go into Wisconsin (just barely) for it...

Here is the catch... the garage this thing was in caught fire, the tires are melted, the fiberglass hood is destroyed, but strangely the snow blower looks unscathed. the deck was not in the fire zone. I may try and see if "anything" might be salvageable from this tractor itself, but aside from the engine I am expecting the tractor to basically be dead weight to take to scrap.
The tractor was not the source of the fire, but more so "collateral damage" as it just happened to be sitting in there when the fire happened.

So now you have the back story, here is my issue.
Supposedly, the engine ran great before the fire, but now seems stuck. I am hoping that it is something (like) a stuck melted PTO clutch or something along that line, causing the engine to be stuck. Won't know til I get into it.
but for what K341s go for these days I AM keeping that.
What are the chances, that the internals weren't hurt? I am hoping that I can pull the engine, take it down to the short block, replace gaskets and seals and have a good engine again. I expect to have to replace the starter, stator, tune up parts etc, plus the standard decarbon, tune up, carb rebuild etc... but got my fingers crossed I won't have to get into a full blown rebuild on it. my biggest worry (I think) is not knowing whether it has an iron or plastic governor gear.... whether the Kohler's cast iron block was enough to protect/ shield that from damage?

[john hall]

Interesting thread, as I have an 1810 that was the source of a fire. Would like to possibly get the engine running and put into something else. That said, I talked with a fellow once that had rebuilt a few burnt combines. Something he told me that was a bit of a surprise (to me anyway), if the engine got hot they would replace the valve springs when they rebuilt the rest of it.

[dodge trucker]

yeah the valve spring thing does make sense. depending on how hot it got, and if the engine was the main center of the fire, it will weaken the spring steel.
on my New Holland it originally had a 14hp. I got that machine with the engine in pieces because it smoked, have not had a chance to get it to the machine shop yet. been on the back burner because I had a freshly rebuilt 12hp Magnum sitting here that I threw onto it, even though they did make the same machine as a 12hp, I never liked putting a smaller engine on a machine than original, but it is what I had available.
I broke that 12 in, while being mounted on that machine, it currently has 12 hours on it AT THE MOST!

It runs absolutely great, but again I have a 12hp where a 14 originally was...
if this 16 is salvageable I am thinking of using it on that tractor. other choice is as a ready spare for one of my other ones that has a 16HP on it now.... I will have at least 5 driveways to keep clear this winter. (2 of which are my own)

Would that be 2-hp-itis, going off the original engine's HP, or 4-hp-itis going off of the current engine that's on it?

any more thoughts/concerns on putting this engine into service after having been thru a fire?

[DeltaCub]

K-341 engines are popular with the puller crowd here in Ohio. These engines vary in price but are not cheap. If you are going to use the engine, take it apart and rebuild it correctly. You won't regret spending the money to have a great engine. Kits are available and other parts like valve springs, starters, carbs, governor gears and the like are available. It IS a wonderful engine. Do it right! IIRC, the engine blocks in most of the Ariens GT models share the same oil pan/base configuration as Cub Cadet. Share pics of this beast when you get it!

[olds45512]

If the head isn't melted then I doubt the engine got hot enough to damage it, it's probably stuck do to something external.

[J-Mech]

I've rebuilt several engines that had burned. Like BURNED. Melted the aluminum components on the outside, like the alternator, starter, ect. But that's the point. REBUILT.

I agree with Tim's comment that if the head isn't hurt, then it probably didn't get that hot. To me, it wouldn't matter. I'd rebuilt it. K341 costs a little more to overhaul than the smaller ones, but it still isn't that much. Deltacub is right. Tear it down and rebuild it.

On the point of it being stuck....
Yes, it could be the PTO or something like that. But it could also be carbon from the fire. Hot oil/burnt oil will coke in the bearing, rod and cylinder walls. Bearings could be stuck from the coke. The armature could be stuck to the flywheel, or a number of other things.

Again, I'd just plan on a rebuild.

[dodge trucker]

yeah I was afraid of that.... was hoping to pull it down to a short block, replace gaskets and seals and give it a whirl....

and on the base being the same as the Cubs, I wish. I have 3 of these machines already, and every one has a wide flange base. If it were a narrow base, then I would have an engine for my 1650, that came to me without one. if it was.... that machine is going to donate its ported pump and hyd lift, to my 129. The 1650 is missing a few more pieces than just an engine anyway. I searched for a 16hp Kohler with a Cub cadet base earlier this year, and for something that is supposed to run, I could not touch one for $350..... found a couple of bare blocks for $150. no thanks. by the time I piece one together, after the trip thru the machine shop I can see having $800 in an engine at that rate.... not me.