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[ljones]

So if you remove the ballence gears what affect does that have on the moter if any ?

[ajs96]

Originally Posted by ljones

So if you remove the ballence gears what affect does that have on the moter if any ?

cut and pasted:


For most single cylinder Kohler engines, balance gears isn't really necessary.

Leaving them out shouldn't have a noticeable effect on engine vibrations, but they do help to reduce engine vibrations somewhat. So if you choose to reinstall or leave them in an engine that will never turn more than 4,000 rpms (this is the maximum rpms for pulling in stock classes or doing ordinary yard work), make sure that the bearings in the [balance] gears and the stub shafts that they spin on are in good condition. If the bearings are worn and if the balance gears wobble, they'll wear the crankshaft gear teeth and they could break, possibly destroying the engine. By the way - you can get the balance gears alignment tool (timing gage) from your local Kohler engine dealer. The part number is 10355 or Y-357. It's much easier to use this tool when aligning the balance gears in time with the crankshaft. See the drawing to the right for correct identification of this tool.

Once, just for curiosity, after I've rebuilt a 12hp (K301) Kohler engine, I've ran the engine with the balance gears installed. Then I took them out to see if the engine would vibrate more. (It wasn't a lot of work to remove the gears. I just removed the oil pan, snap rings, washers and spacers, rotated the crankshaft a certain way, and then lifted the gears right out.) Anyway, I found that without the balance gears, the engine vibrated EXACTLY the same as when the gears were installed! Makes ya wonder why Kohler installs them in the first place. ????

[ljones]

Thanks for the info ajs96 !