Kohler CV15-41562 Oil Leak

[ILENGINE]

The idea is to make sure the surfaces are clean of all oil type residues. So the acetone should work to make sure they are clean and not contaminated. It doesn't take much oil to turn this into a repeat job. One of those green scrub pads would also work

 

[cruzenmike]

The idea is to make sure the surfaces are clean of all oil type residues. So the acetone should work to make sure they are clean and not contaminated. It doesn't take much oil to turn this into a repeat job. One of those green scrub pads would also work

One last question, when replacing the crank seal, would you recommend doing installing while the oil pan is off or waiting until the engine is reassembled. I want to say that the last time I did it the latter, but it would be so much easier with the shaft not in the way and then I can see the clearance on both sides of the pan for the oil port.

 

[ILENGINE]

I always install the crank seal after installing the oil pan. Easier to control and protect the surfaces from getting cut.

 

[seattlepioneer]

You are obviously a hero and should be awarded a medal for soldiering your way through this kind of issue! Especially if you wind up solving the problem.

But Custer and Davie Crocket were heroes even though they both got massacred....

 

[cruzenmike]

Well, I finally got the engine put back together. A couple of things to note: I read and followed all of the information in the Kohler Service Manual and on the service bulletin but for whatever reason I still ended up having a lot of RTV squeeze out of the side of the oil pan. I assume that a bunch squeezed into the engine as well. The RTV that I used was the Kohler part so it should have been a 1/16" bead but it appeared to be closer to 1/8th. Either way, the engine is running fine and I did not see any leaks after an hour of use. I figured I would just do another oil and filter change now in case any of the RTV has broken down and into the oil (and yes, I waited for the RTV to cure before putting oil back in). I think worst case the RTV gets caught in the oil pickup screen which I did clean thoroughly before putting it all back together so it should be able to take some slight clogging without causing any damage. Also, when replacing the main seal, I found that an old deck spindle with the bearings and shaft pulled out worked perfectly for setting the seal into the bottom of the oil pan. I think at this point I might educate myself on adjusting the valve lash and do that sometime soon since I have a little bit of RTV left.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Well, I finally got the engine put back together. A couple of things to note: I read and followed all of the information in the Kohler Service Manual and on the service bulletin but for whatever reason I still ended up having a lot of RTV squeeze out of the side of the oil pan. I assume that a bunch squeezed into the engine as well. The RTV that I used was the Kohler part so it should have been a 1/16" bead but it appeared to be closer to 1/8th. Either way, the engine is running fine and I did not see any leaks after an hour of use. I figured I would just do another oil and filter change now in case any of the RTV has broken down and into the oil (and yes, I waited for the RTV to cure before putting oil back in). I think worst case the RTV gets caught in the oil pickup screen which I did clean thoroughly before putting it all back together so it should be able to take some slight clogging without causing any damage. Also, when replacing the main seal, I found that an old deck spindle with the bearings and shaft pulled out worked perfectly for setting the seal into the bottom of the oil pan. I think at this point I might educate myself on adjusting the valve lash and do that sometime soon since I have a little bit of RTV left.

Do yourself a favour with the valve lash.
Get a drill bit about 3 sizes up from the rocker cover bolts and put a slight countersink on all of the holes
Then get a new rocker cover gasket and put axle grease on both sides so it will strip off clean
Then do up the cover bolts till the cover just snugs up and follow this with a tension wrench .
99 % of the people do them up way too tight so they chop up the gasket & it leaks everywhere.
Then they slather on silicon like it is shaving cream ( remember that ? ) so every time they do the lash they risk bending the cover and spend 1/2 hour cleaning the old silicon off.
The cover bolts are done up just barely more than finger tight

 

[cruzenmike]

Do yourself a favour with the valve lash.
Get a drill bit about 3 sizes up from the rocker cover bolts and put a slight countersink on all of the holes
Then get a new rocker cover gasket and put axle grease on both sides so it will strip off clean
Then do up the cover bolts till the cover just snugs up and follow this with a tension wrench .
99 % of the people do them up way too tight so they chop up the gasket & it leaks everywhere.
Then they slather on silicon like it is shaving cream ( remember that ? ) so every time they do the lash they risk bending the cover and spend 1/2 hour cleaning the old silicon off.
The cover bolts are done up just barely more than finger tight

Bert,

My specific engine does not use a gasket and instead uses that same Loctite SI 5900 RTV that is used on the oil pan to seal the valve cover to the cylinder head. With that being said, so long as I follow he same cleanup and prep procedure for removing and applying the new RTV, would I still benefit from countersinking the holes for the valve cover bolts?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Sorry, got the models mixed up
The answer is yes always as the threads tend to pull and make a small mound that prevents the cover sitting flat.
As for a gasket, the factory uses silicon to cut costs making the engine.
They are not concerned about how long it takes to check the valve lash and cleaning off silicon takes longer than adjusting the valves .
So I always cut & fit a gasket if there is not one there .

 

[StarTech]

The cover with RTV is fairly simple to remove. Remove retaining screws. Now get a block of wood like a short section of 2x4 and heavy hammer. Place the wooden block on one side the cover and strike side ways shearing the RTV. Just don't whole hog when hitting the wooden block as just want to shear the RTV and not damage the internals of the head. Work much faster and without bending up the rocker cover. Note: Don't use this on plastic covers.