New CV740 doesn't reach RPM at full throttle

[c5vettster]

The final update. The shop contacted Kohler and they authorized a full engine replacement. So here is the lesson of the story - even new engines could be fatally flawed from the factor. I am so glad for the warranty.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Good deal.
Same engine as the old one or do you know?

 

[c5vettster]

Good deal.
Same engine as the old one or do you know?

Kohler sent the dealer a new long-block, so the plastic and all the accessories are from the old new engine. Overall I am pleased with Kohler warranty, albeit it would be nicer if they QC-ed their engines before shipping them from the factory.

 

[PTmowerMech]

Kohler sent the dealer a new long-block, so the plastic and all the accessories are from the old new engine. Overall I am pleased with Kohler warranty, albeit it would be nicer if they QC-ed their engines before shipping them from the factory.

When I was an inspector at Trane, I inspected 1 out of ever 6 cranks that came to my station. If one was bad, I'd check the ones before, until I got to a good one. And check all those after it, until I got to a good one. If I had to have checked every crank that came down the line, I'd have to check about 4,500 per day. There was just not enough time in the day for that.
You may have gotten a monday morning or a friday afternoon engine.

 

[c5vettster]

When I was an inspector at Trane, I inspected 1 out of ever 6 cranks that came to my station. If one was bad, I'd check the ones before, until I got to a good one. And check all those after it, until I got to a good one. If I had to have checked every crank that came down the line, I'd have to check about 4,500 per day. There was just not enough time in the day for that.
You may have gotten a monday morning or a friday afternoon engine.

Yep. I've glanced on the costs of the work - the total invoice came to over $2K, including $600 in labor. Kohler must have lost a lot of money on this lemon.

 

[bertsmobile1]

If they inspected each & every part properly then you would be paying air graft type prices for engines & engine parts.
So a sample of every part is tested and a sample of every engine off the line is tested.
Some tests that are very quick are done on every unit.
When i was in QC we used a math calculation called Certaincy tables to work out how many had to be tested.

And to give you some idea, the factories in China that have no QC will have around a 20% failure rate.
A riding college works at an importer who brings in stuff foe big box stores.
They have to honour warranty and usually over order 20% to cover warranty claims.
What ever is left over after warranty has expired is then sold as "defective" at auction generally as a single lot.

For for instance would go to a batch of metal. pull a single ingot from some where in the load , and that could be 10,000 ingots.
That one got tested and if it was not dead on center of speck, they rejected the entire batch so we had to remelt the whole lot.

 

[c5vettster]

If they inspected each & every part properly then you would be paying air graft type prices for engines & engine parts.
So a sample of every part is tested and a sample of every engine off the line is tested.
Some tests that are very quick are done on every unit.
When i was in QC we used a math calculation called Certaincy tables to work out how many had to be tested.

And to give you some idea, the factories in China that have no QC will have around a 20% failure rate.
A riding college works at an importer who brings in stuff foe big box stores.
They have to honour warranty and usually over order 20% to cover warranty claims.
What ever is left over after warranty has expired is then sold as "defective" at auction generally as a single lot.

For for instance would go to a batch of metal. pull a single ingot from some where in the load , and that could be 10,000 ingots.
That one got tested and if it was not dead on center of speck, they rejected the entire batch so we had to remelt the whole lot.

I don't know. I would think that given that these engines are their "commercial line" they should test everyone of them using propane. Honda tests each of their generators that way.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I don't know. I would think that given that these engines are their "commercial line" they should test everyone of them using propane. Honda tests each of their generators that way.

Which is why Honda re the most expensive engines.

You may have noticed that Honda no longer make riding mower engines.

Why ?

Because they would not cheapen their engines to a price point that the mower companies were willing to pay.

The mower companies are in a similar boat because to produce a quality mower they would exceed the price that the public is willing to pay.

The mower buying public en mass are totally stupid when it comes to assesing a ride on mower so what is the cheapest or prettiest will outsell all others
There is a tipping point between volume & price and if you get on the wrong side of it your business is headed for bankruptcy.

If you want a top quality mower that will work flawlessly from the day you buy it and will have a very long service life then you have to pay for it.
However most will happily buy a new $ 1000 ride on every few years than spend $ 10,000 on a mower that will last 20 + years, it is as simple as that.
As a larger & larger section of the population works outside of the manufacturing sector the ability of people to understand the economics of manufacturing anything rapidly decreases to the point that most have less than no idea why things cost what they do.
Then there is the peverse idology that advertisers have instilled into the population that you need it, you need it now and the price has to be within your reach for no other reason than you need it.
Thus the market produces what the customer is willing to pay for.

 

[PTmowerMech]

Which is why Honda re the most expensive engines.

You may have noticed that Honda no longer make riding mower engines.

Why ?

Because they would not cheapen their engines to a price point that the mower companies were willing to pay.

The mower companies are in a similar boat because to produce a quality mower they would exceed the price that the public is willing to pay.

The mower buying public en mass are totally stupid when it comes to assesing a ride on mower so what is the cheapest or prettiest will outsell all others
There is a tipping point between volume & price and if you get on the wrong side of it your business is headed for bankruptcy.

If you want a top quality mower that will work flawlessly from the day you buy it and will have a very long service life then you have to pay for it.
However most will happily buy a new $ 1000 ride on every few years than spend $ 10,000 on a mower that will last 20 + years, it is as simple as that.
As a larger & larger section of the population works outside of the manufacturing sector the ability of people to understand the economics of manufacturing anything rapidly decreases to the point that most have less than no idea why things cost what they do.
Then there is the peverse idology that advertisers have instilled into the population that you need it, you need it now and the price has to be within your reach for no other reason than you need it.
Thus the market produces what the customer is willing to pay for.

Getting a 5 yr old mower without several things wrong with it, is rare. The engines are usually in ok shape. (usually) but almost everything MTD makes is gonna need bearings, belts and pulley's.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Quite true
But
Bearings, belts and pulleys are wear items, just like tyres on your car.
They should be replaced as a matter of course every X or Y years.
My commercial customers generally drop their mowers in near the end of the season and get a full service.
This includes new spindle bearings and every second year, new idler pulleys & belts ( if the belt has lasted that long ).
As most say, an extra $ 300 once a year is nothing compared to breaking down on site and paying a full crew for sitting on their butts while he organizes repairs or even worse having to mow several acres with push mowers .
Then rescheduling the work that had to be missed, paying weekend penalty rates or overtime rates to catch up, etc etc etc
Great Dane recommended new spindle bearings every year and they are big bearings