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I have a 2005 Kohler Command CH22 horizontal shaft engine.
I'm trying to remove the blower housing.
I got out the bolts I could find and the upper part of it is loose, but the bottom half is still attached somehow and I can't find what's holding it on.
I had the blower housing off about 15 years ago, but I can't remember what I'm missing.
The parts diagram I have doesn't show any bolts holding it on on the bottom side.

The type and code would help along with the model no. of the equipment it is on.

hlw49 said:

The type and code would help along with the model no. of the equipment it is on.

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Here's what the engine says
Model CH22S
SPEC# 66552
SER# 3019204461
(met 2005 emissions)

The mower is a
BUSH HOG ZT22
SER# 12-00794

As I said, I had this housing off about 15 years ago to fix an ignition issue.
I've removed all the bolts around the blower housing that I see in the service manual.
The top half of the blower housing is loose, but the bottom half still is being held on my something.
I know I'm missing something and will likely kick myself when I find out what it is I forgot. LOL

edporch said:

I had the blower housing off about 15 years ago

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Wow.......

slomo said:

Wow.......

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"Have you ever pulled the metal engine shroud and cleaned the top of the block and cooling fins? This is a yearly maintenance item in ALL engine manuals. Neglect this and you are looking at engine damage."

I often blow out the engine with compressed air through the mowing season and it's always worked for me.
But since you do it all the time, it should be easy for you to tell me how to remove the blower housing on this engine.

There are bolts at the bottom of the housing you will have to feel around for, then use a wrench to loosen them.

Horizontals are hard to get off most of them you have to take the engine off to even get the ignition modules off.

Auto Doc's said:

There are bolts at the bottom of the housing you will have to feel around for, then use a wrench to loosen them.

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I have, and I know they must be there and I have felt around for them, and it's because I didn't find them that I'm here.
Yet I had it off before and that's what's frustrating about this.
The service manual diagram doesn't show them to remind me of where they are.

hlw49 said:

Horizontals are hard to get off most of them you have to take the engine off to even get the ignition modules off.

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I didn't have to take the motor out before when I did it.

What is the purpose of pulling the blower housing?

There is one down below the voltage regulator and one in the same place on the other side also. You probably will have to use a wrench. I don't believe you'll be able to get a ratchet and socket in there.

Plus the ones at top top that thread into the head there are two about half way down the sides if you have an oil cooler there is not one under the cooler but there is one on the other side and there are two at the bottom on each side, usually one grounds the regulator. There are none on the bottom. Of course the screen needs to be removed.

hlw49 said:

What is the purpose of pulling the blower housing?

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To do the annual "mouse nest eviction" that will cook an air cooled engine if not removed?

I didn't bother looking up the model numbers to see if this is a vertical shaft engine or, as has been suggested, a horizontal shaft engine. On my 2005 Khohler V-Twin (I forget the model, but it's something like 24 hp on a Cub Cadet lawn tractor with a 54" belly mower) I seem to remember a bolt near the bottom of the engine, possibly where the oil dipstick tube mounts? Or possibly near the starter motor?

Also, as was mentioned, the SCREEN bolts (up on top of the engine, over the flywheel) may also have to be removed.

As I get older, I can say that wearing a headlight (literally) and reading glasses are becoming requirements in situations like this. Between being able to clearly SEE, and carefully feeling what IS loose and what is not, you should have this knocked.

Also, FINDING A YOUTUBE video of this annual maintenance procedure, for your exact model, should not be difficult--or even a different model with the same engine.

My Hoe said:

To do the annual "mouse nest eviction" that will cook an air cooled engine if not removed?

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As in cleaning the cooling fins on these air cooled engines.......... Amen to that.

edporch said:

I often blow out the engine with compressed air through the mowing season and it's always worked for me.

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Your engine.

Really needs the top shroud removed to clean the fins and all around the block. Read your engine manual.

kohler makes a kit you can buy that has the templates to cut your blower housing with metal covers so you can just take the cover off and you don't have to take the blower housing off.

hlw49 said:

kohler makes a kit you can buy that has the templates to cut your blower housing with metal covers so you can just take the cover off and you don't have to take the blower housing off.

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Wow--no kidding? Would you happen to have a link to these kits?

Anyone with real world experience with using this "cut out" kit?

Sorry hlw49, that has been a misleading story/rumor passed around for years.

I was at the local John Deere dealer in my area around the time these kits came out. They were a Kohler v-twin fan shroud inspection cover kit.

They are inspection covers meant to only check for debris. To actually clean the cylinders and heads cooling fins effectively, the fan shroud and tin covers still have to be removed for a thorough cleaning. The inspection covers are not a "short cut".

We still had a rash of overheated V-twin Kohler engines even with these so-called "cleanout kits".

Another issue hiding under there on these engines is the crankcase breather which has a tendency to seep oil past the gasket, then dust attracts to the oil and builds up. The older they are, the worse the buildup becomes.

@Auto Doc's: Even if they inspection port kits could not be used as cleanouts, I would LOVE to have such a kit on my Cub Cadet, so that I could inspect for mouse nests w/o having to take the engine cowl off.

Do you know if these "inspection cutout kits" are still available?

Do they actually allow sufficient visibility of the engine block to make a good decision about whether or not there is a need to remove the engine cowling or not? Thanks in advance.

My Hoe said:

@Auto Doc's: Even if they inspection port kits could not be used as cleanouts, I would LOVE to have such a kit on my Cub Cadet, so that I could inspect for mouse nests w/o having to take the engine cowl off.

Do you know if these "inspection cutout kits" are still available?

Do they actually allow sufficient visibility of the engine block to make a good decision about whether or not there is a need to remove the engine cowling or not? Thanks in advance.

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Hello MH,

I do not know if they are still available, but I will do some checking around.

Initially, they were simple metal templates held on with self-tapping screws, then Kohler came out with an updated fan shroud design that had nut plates, so the screws would not strip out the holes in the plastic.

Auto Doc's said:

Hello MH,

I do not know if they are still available, but I will do some checking around.

Initially, they were simple metal templates held on with self-tapping screws, then Kohler came out with an updated fan shroud design that had nut plates, so the screws would not strip out the holes in the plastic.

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Awesome! Thank you very much for making the effort!