Kohler k161T falling on its face

Tiller man

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My Troy built tiller with a kohler 161t starts great and idles smooth when you try to accelerate it falls on its face . You can slowly bring up to full throttle if you baby it but once you put it in the dirt it dies. Rebuilt the carb and had it apart several times checking for dirt and cleaning
 

Micah Haarhoff

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My Troy built tiller with a kohler 161t starts great and idles smooth when you try to accelerate it falls on its face . You can slowly bring up to full throttle if you baby it but once you put it in the dirt it dies. Rebuilt the carb and had it apart several times checking for dirt and cleaning
i have a friends mower that does this so I am not replying just responding so it sends me each new post on here so I can folow this thread :)
 

Rivets

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On the older K-Series engine the first thing I would check is play in the throttle shaft. They are known to wear and your symptoms indicate an air leak. Any wobble in the shaft means time to replace, but I have to say Good Luck in finding the right shaft.
 

bertsmobile1

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And the easy way to confirm this is to start the engine and spray something like WD 40 FROM A TRIGGER PACK all around the carb, the control rods and the manifold, avoiding the air intake.
Any change in engine speed = air leak
Do not use a pressure pack can unless you already have no eyebrows :laughing:
 

ILENGINE

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Also check the point gap. a few thousands off can make big changes in the timing.
 

Tiller man

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Also check the point gap. a few thousands off can make big changes in the timing.

Turns out it was a point gap issue. Had to set the gap closer than what the specs call for. Seems like a fine line. Thanks for the replies!
 

bertsmobile1

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Changing the points gap alters the timing, quite substantially.
 
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