Koehler 19hp SV600 Clunking

[LT1045wrh]

I have a 2008 LT1045 w/483hrs.
Kohler Courage 19HP Model: SV600 Ser: 3733206553
Just gave it an oil change and all was good. Started it this morning and heard an odd clunk sound.
when I lowered the throttle the clunk went away. Increased throttle and clunking would continue. Drove it around and no problem. No oil leaking and no other issues I can detect.
Turned mower off and checked oil level which was full.
Anyone have any idea what just happened? Thinking of just driving it till it dies. Been a good mower.

 

[ILENGINE]

Top cover bolts loose hitting flywheel or counterbalance retainer strap broke internal. Neither will last long

 

[LT1045wrh]

Top cover bolts loose hitting flywheel or counterbalance retainer strap broke internal. Neither will last long

Thank you. I spent the day on YouTube. I agree it is probably that strap that broke.

 

[DaveTN]

Good Luck on those Kohler Courage motors. I hate em' personally.
Like IL ENGINE said, those top bolts work loose and hit the flywheel.
Been there done that deal. When you pull the flywheel and tighten
them down use some thread lock. When they get loose like that the
engine will usually, due to vibration or impact, put a lightning zigzag
type crack down the block and it's ready for the bone yard then!

 

[ILENGINE]

Good Luck on those Kohler Courage motors. I hate em' personally.
Like IL ENGINE said, those top bolts work loose and hit the flywheel.
Been there done that deal. When you pull the flywheel and tighten
them down use some thread lock. When they get loose like that the
engine will usually, due to vibration or impact, put a lightning zigzag
type crack down the block and it's ready for the bone yard then!

The ones that were built later after the initial cracking issues were remedied are now coming into the shop with loose bolts and cracked blocks.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Good Luck on those Kohler Courage motors. I hate em' personally.
Like IL ENGINE said, those top bolts work loose and hit the flywheel.
Been there done that deal. When you pull the flywheel and tighten
them down use some thread lock. When they get loose like that the
engine will usually, due to vibration or impact, put a lightning zigzag
type crack down the block and it's ready for the bone yard then!

A run of weld down the crack usually fixes them
Because I Oxy weld I can do them in situ now
However I have not seen one come in with a crack for quite some time.
When they started to crack I think Husqvarna dumped them en mass down here .

 

[ILENGINE]

A run of weld down the crack usually fixes them
Because I Oxy weld I can do them in situ now
However I have not seen one come in with a crack for quite some time.
When they started to crack I think Husqvarna dumped them en mass down here .

Had 3 so far this year after not seeing one for some time

 

[DaveTN]

Hi. I dragged in a 2009 Cub Cadet Hydro Drive w/ a single
cylinder Kohler Courage. The guy who gave it to me said
it acted like the motor made a banging sound, belched out
some exhaust gas and oil then quit. I tried to turn the engine
to no avail, so I figure the flywheel either hit a bolt or there's
a rod loose or part broken inside. My luck it's the rod gone.
Haven't checked it out yet since I got it yesterday afternoon.
After pressure washing the thing I felt around the exterior of the
block and felt nothing cracked or a hole in the block. I tried to
turn it both ways by hand with no luck.

 

[DaveTN]

Had 3 so far this year after not seeing one for some time

Today I pulled the top cover off that Cub Cadet 09 riding mower and
found why it was locking up on hand rotation. The 2 hanger brackets
that hold the counterweight had both disintegrated! I am going to the
lawnmower local shop that has a junk yard around back and buy some
counterweight hangers and some other parts and put it back together.
The Connecting Rod is fine and the Crankshaft isn't damaged by some
miracle. Mostly the counterweight hangers came loose and broke apart.

 

[DaveTN]

UPDATE: I got a parts engine from the junkyard and was
about to start the dis-assembling of the 19 HP Kohler Courage
in the mower when I began cleaning the bottom of the case and
found some impact cracks. I poured some diesel into the case
and it started pouring diesel fuel onto the crank pulley. I gave the
old Kohler the last rites with a few expletive-deletives and left it on
the trailer to haul to the junkyard later. The cracks were on the high
part of the bottom of the case and directly behind the cylinder.