Hello all, I have a Craftsman Pro Series 7800 small lawn tractor that I bought on close-out last year...long story short, the Kohler engine blew--just blew at 1/2 throttle spewing oil form the bottom and subsequently siezed. I detest anything Kohler and should've known better, but that's besides the point. I want to drop in a decent Briggs engine. Can anyone shed ideas on maybe which one? the Kohler was a a 20 HP 7000 Elite Series. Thanks in advance for any input! This looks like a great forum!
Craftsman "Pro Series" Engine Blown Less Than 6 Hours
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bertsmobile1
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Firstly the warranty on the engine is carried by the manufacturer.
So it does not matter how you bought the mower it is covered by Kohler unless it was bought directly from Kohler at a knock down price because there was not warranty ( includes auctions )
Most mower engines interchange ,
They have the same mounting centers so the mower companies can offer different engines.
You have to measure the shaft diameter & length
Any engine with the same shaft dimensions will bolt up .
So it does not matter how you bought the mower it is covered by Kohler unless it was bought directly from Kohler at a knock down price because there was not warranty ( includes auctions )
Most mower engines interchange ,
They have the same mounting centers so the mower companies can offer different engines.
You have to measure the shaft diameter & length
Any engine with the same shaft dimensions will bolt up .
Be careful when installing a different brand engine. Problems you will find are how do I hook up the wiring and you need need to get a new muffler and figure how to install it.
Thanks for the responses, guys! First off, I DID contact Sears, they, in so many words told me they don't warranty "close -out" items. Great! Thanks Sears, I'll never buy anything from you again, even after doing so for nearly 60 years!.
Secondly, I DID contact Kohler and they were actually worse than Sears as far as not wanting to know you. I spoke with one rep who wanted some additional info/pictures which I promptly sent. ZERO response from her after 2 weeks. Decided to follow-up and no one had heard of her (the rep) nor was there any record of me calling, reporting etc, EVEN though I had a ticket # which they claim wasn't valid. Incredible. Kohler by far has the absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced.
So I'm left to my own devices here, and figured I'd bite the bullet and re-install another motor. As far as the wiring goes, yes--that is a concern of mine as to which replacement motor I should buy. It cannpot be that hard, but if I hit a wall, I may just decide to part this tractor out. What a shame...I actually liked how it drove, the tight steering etc.
Secondly, I DID contact Kohler and they were actually worse than Sears as far as not wanting to know you. I spoke with one rep who wanted some additional info/pictures which I promptly sent. ZERO response from her after 2 weeks. Decided to follow-up and no one had heard of her (the rep) nor was there any record of me calling, reporting etc, EVEN though I had a ticket # which they claim wasn't valid. Incredible. Kohler by far has the absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced.
So I'm left to my own devices here, and figured I'd bite the bullet and re-install another motor. As far as the wiring goes, yes--that is a concern of mine as to which replacement motor I should buy. It cannpot be that hard, but if I hit a wall, I may just decide to part this tractor out. What a shame...I actually liked how it drove, the tight steering etc.
I would give Kohler a follow up call. The outcome may be the same, but I’ve never had a problem like that when I’ve dealt with their customer relations people. If you do get the run around again, ask to speak with someone in the “engine division “ or “public relations “
Cusser
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Call Kohler again. If Kohler loses JUST ONE customer because of someone reading this, it will be a terrible business move for them.
Basically, that's how I got Doughboy to send out a warranty pool liner after my 2-month-old liner was leaking at its seams. Doughboy wanted to blame me, blame the liner installer (who installed the original liner that lasted 15 years), blame global warming, blame global cooling, etc.
Never really looked at the picture. Just because you don’t take care of your equipment, doesn’t mean that the manufacturer has a right to avoid you if there was a problem with their product. That being said, the OP is going to have a tough time convincing anyone that the problem is the sole responsibility of Kohler. Something tells me that the unit may have been low on oil and not setup properly, which is the responsibility on the OP, as Sears does not do setups. It might be a case of, “Who do I blame for this?” Wouldn’t you like to see pictures of the rest of the unit to get a better idea of what might have happened?
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bertsmobile1
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Point in question.
Just finished the "should be warranty" kawasaki FS651 V
The owner had 2 weeks of warranty left & wanted to claim excessive oil use & blowing smoke as a warranty claim .
When I pulled the heads off the bores were glass smooth nearly everywhere and there was obvious dust inside the inlet tract.
He has been using a bagger on the Time Cutter and the fine dust that leaves the bags got sucked into the engine .
This was despite regular oil & filter changes but would still have been considered "owner neglect"
Just finished the "should be warranty" kawasaki FS651 V
The owner had 2 weeks of warranty left & wanted to claim excessive oil use & blowing smoke as a warranty claim .
When I pulled the heads off the bores were glass smooth nearly everywhere and there was obvious dust inside the inlet tract.
He has been using a bagger on the Time Cutter and the fine dust that leaves the bags got sucked into the engine .
This was despite regular oil & filter changes but would still have been considered "owner neglect"
Do you think we are getting the whole story? Wouldn’t be the first time someone has tried to use this forum to further help them justify their problems. Will be interesting what we hear back.