Blown Head Gasket

What is the best way you guys have found to diagnose a blown head gasket on a Kohler CH740 engine.

if you think you have a blown head gasket, pull it and replace it. If you are pulling the cord on the parts cannon because you don't know why somethings isn't running right, hmmmmn. Time to trouble shoot, Compression, fuel and spark determine how something runs.

Sorry it is on a CH not a CV. It runs fine for a while and then just dies. It is blowing oil out the little vent filter on the fuel pump and around the pulse hose to the fuel pump. Problem is I would have to pull the engine to do the job want to be sure that is the problem. It is on a 420 JD and it will be no fun to do. Compression test may not show the problem

Leak down test can point to bad head gasket, rings, or worn top cylinder. To test the mid and lower cylinder the valve train must be disable so you can rotate the engine through a complete cycle. It does require a low pressure tester like the one I have here so you can hand rotate through the cycle. But that is as close a non invasive test can get you to. Also it might be a worn exhaust valve guide but that won't show up on the test as blow back pressure while running can mimic a cylinder problem.

Either way it is going to be a time consuming job.

hlw49 said:

What is the best way you guys have found to diagnose a blown head gasket on a Kohler CH740 engine.

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Normally, extreme oil usage and a fouled oily plug on one cylinder. Commercial mowers would often see about a quart of oil usage in a typical day of mowing.