K321 AKA Old Smokey/Drippy

[nutzboutoldies]

I pulled the K321 out of my 1450 due to it using oil and smoking out of the exhaust. It's been using about 1/4 quart of oil in about an hour and also leaking a little. I rebuilt this about 3 years ago and didn't use it this year due the oil issue so really only about 2 years of use since the rebuild. When I rebuilt it I bored it out to .020 over and replaced the rod. The crank was in spec. so that was all I felt it needed. Now that it's apart it looks very clean inside and no appreciable wear in the cylinder. I checked the bore to piston dimension and it's within tolerance per the manual.
When looking closely at the rings the compression rings look great however the oil ring has no expansion. I removed the compression rings and leaving the oil ring in place I am able to slide the piston back in the cylinder without using a ring compressor!!

The new parts came from the local auto parts store (not Kohler parts).
I'm thinking the oil ring is the problem.
The oil ring is a 3 piece unit and the gaps are not very wide.
I'm wondering if it got hot and the rings lost their tension?

Have you guys had any issues with this type of ring and what should I be looking at for replacement rings?

Steve

[J-Mech]

That type of oil ring is standard and holds up well. I think you may have installed it wrong. How did you put it in?

"Accordion" ring goes on first. Then a metal ring above, and one below it. They should seat on the accordion ring. Space the gaps apart, not aligned. I set them anywhere from 90 to 120 deg apart.

EDIT: You have two "accordion" rings and only one steel ring. (I answered the first time from a phone and the pic was small, I couldn't see the rings until I looked on a PC.) Someone packaged your parts wrong. You need to order a new ring set. Should have noticed that 3 years ago....

[nutzboutoldies]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

That type of oil ring is standard and holds up well. I think you may have installed it wrong. How did you put it in?

"Accordion" ring goes on first. Then a metal ring above, and one below it. They should seat on the accordion ring. Space the gaps apart, not aligned. I set them anywhere from 90 to 120 deg apart.

EDIT: You have two "accordion" rings and only one steel ring. (I answered the first time from a phone and the pic was small, I couldn't see the rings until I looked on a PC.) Someone packaged your parts wrong. You need to order a new ring set. Should have noticed that 3 years ago....

Jonathan, the picture is not that great. There are only one accordion ring and two solid rings. The one ring in the picture that looks like another accordion ring is stained with the impression of the accordion ring that makes it look like one.
When I took it apart this morning I paid close attention to how the ring was installed and they were correct with the accordion ring on first and the other rings on top and on the bottom and the set rotated freely in the ring grove.
I'm going to get a new set and compare them with the new set.

I did overheat this thing shortly after I put it together the last time. So much that I barley got it back to the garage thinking it was a fuel problem.

For some unknown reason I had used 10W30 oil instead of straight 30 and on the hot summer day of mowing for an hour or so I believe it allowed the engine to over heat.
Maybe the rings have lost their tension due to overheating??

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by nutzboutoldies

Jonathan, the picture is not that great. There are only one accordion ring and two solid rings. The one ring in the picture that looks like another accordion ring is stained with the impression of the accordion ring that makes it look like one.
When I took it apart this morning I paid close attention to how the ring was installed and they were correct with the accordion ring on first and the other rings on top and on the bottom and the set rotated freely in the ring grove.
I'm going to get a new set and compare them with the new set.

I did overheat this thing shortly after I put it together the last time. So much that I barley got it back to the garage thinking it was a fuel problem.

For some unknown reason I had used 10W30 oil instead of straight 30 and on the hot summer day of mowing for an hour or so I believe it allowed the engine to over heat.
Maybe the rings have lost their tension due to overheating??

I really don't think it would have overheated with 10W-30 if it was tuned and running correctly. You sure it isn't running very lean?

I have never seen an oil ring lose tension from overheating. I would think that all of them would have if you got it that hot. Doesn't really matter as you will have to buy a whole ring set.
Other possibility is that the oil ring was standard and not .020" oversized. As long as the cylinder and piston look OK, get a new set of rings. Check the ring end gap and adjust it accordingly and install them. Make sure they fit as they should. Put it all back together and you should be fine. Not sure what happened here.... but if you are sure they were installed correctly I'm thinking the oil ring was standard sized.

[IHinIN]

Judging by the ring gap in their free state, your rings may have lost their tension. When I rebuilt my K301, I believe the gap was around 1/4"-3/8" on my new rings straight out of the package.

[nutzboutoldies]

I finally got the engine installed back into the 1450 after replacing the piston and rings, installing solid engine mounts and a solid driver for the clutch/drive shaft. After running it for 20 minutes and then re-torquing the head bolts, the next day I noticed a little oil under the oil pan on the floor. I think it's the oil pan leaking?
I didn't use a new oil pan gasket but instead used black RTV. Now I'm wondering if that was a bad idea. Today I ordered a oil pan gasket in case I decided to pull the pan and redo that but what I'm wondering is what you guys use when putting a oil pan back together. New gasket or RTV?

Steve

[J-Mech]

New gasket, every time, NO RTV on the gasket.

[ol'George]

Also look closely @ the oil pan if it is aluminum, where the bolts are threaded in that secure the pan to the iso rails.
I have seen a pan or two where the bolts used were too long and it broke the casting into the inside, causing a small but noticeable leak.

[nutzboutoldies]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Also look closely @ the oil pan if it is aluminum, where the bolts are threaded in that secure the pan to the iso rails.
I have seen a pan or two where the bolts used were too long and it broke the casting into the inside, causing a small but noticeable leak.

I was wondering about that also. When I got this tractor several years ago the mount bolts were gone and the engine was gust bouncing around. I had helicoils installed and now the bolts are short but I now wonder what had happened in the past. Did someone put longer ones in or who knows?
I'm going to pull the pan and inspect all of the bolt holes etc. Also I'm wondering if the pan gasket surface could be warped? Wondering if maybe I should be looking for a new or good used oil pan.

[Alvy]

Would definately get another pan if the one you have is aluminum. Get the cast iron one and a new gasket and never worry about it again