hi , i have a kohler command 16 hp that has spark some times and not other times . it runs good when its getting spark, i don't think it the coil. i think it mite be the black box on the shroud cover . If i disconnect the black wire from the coil to the black box i get spark is there any way to get around this with out buying a new box ? thanks
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Kohler Engines: Owners and Service Manuals: Manuals and Maintenance click on service manual after locating your engine, what is engine model number?
bertsmobile1
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The black box on the shroud is the regulator rectifier unit that converts the AC electricity generated by your alternator into 12 V DC electricity to keep the battery charged and power the electric PTO Clutch ( where fitted ).
Pull the shroud off and follow the spark plug wire to the coil . Follow the thin black wire back from the coil and check it very carefully for any cracks or breaks in the insulation.
If this wire can earths out any where it will kill the spark.
Now the quick , dirty AND DANGEROUS way to verify the coil is to disconnect this thin wire at the wire joiner, put just enough fuel in the tank for 15 to 30 minutes worth of mowing and go for a mow.
In this state you will have no way to stop the engine without getting off the mower and either reconnecting the thin wire or pulling the plug lead, so hence the DANGROUS warning and yes I am shouting.
In this state all of the engine cut out safety features of your mower have been bypassed so if you run over a live power cord, a hose ,the dog, your son, your foot tough luck you can't turn the enine off.
I have a long wire with a cut off lead plug on one end so when I do this test I can earth out the coil & shut the engine down while in the drivers seat worth thinking about.
if you go down this route and something goes wrong & some one gets injured you are wide open to litigation so you do this totally at your own risk .
Any way to get back onto topic,
If the mower works fine with the coil earth wire disconnected then you have a problem with the safety circuits or ignition switch .
In order of occurrence intermittent sparking is usually.
1) Bad spark plug
2) earth wire pinched some where under the cowling and shorting out.
3) one or more of the safety cut out switches faulty ( even dirty or covered in grass clippings )
4) bad ignition switch
5) bad end caps on plug wires
6) faulty plug leads.
To test for the last two pull the shroud & bonnet off and run the engine some where really dark, walk around the engine and look for sparks.
Again abit of common sense required here as without the shroud fitted the engine will not cool and overheat very quickly if run for any length of time and the faster it runs the sooner it will overheat and seizing the the engine is a very high risk.
Pull the shroud off and follow the spark plug wire to the coil . Follow the thin black wire back from the coil and check it very carefully for any cracks or breaks in the insulation.
If this wire can earths out any where it will kill the spark.
Now the quick , dirty AND DANGEROUS way to verify the coil is to disconnect this thin wire at the wire joiner, put just enough fuel in the tank for 15 to 30 minutes worth of mowing and go for a mow.
In this state you will have no way to stop the engine without getting off the mower and either reconnecting the thin wire or pulling the plug lead, so hence the DANGROUS warning and yes I am shouting.
In this state all of the engine cut out safety features of your mower have been bypassed so if you run over a live power cord, a hose ,the dog, your son, your foot tough luck you can't turn the enine off.
I have a long wire with a cut off lead plug on one end so when I do this test I can earth out the coil & shut the engine down while in the drivers seat worth thinking about.
if you go down this route and something goes wrong & some one gets injured you are wide open to litigation so you do this totally at your own risk .
Any way to get back onto topic,
If the mower works fine with the coil earth wire disconnected then you have a problem with the safety circuits or ignition switch .
In order of occurrence intermittent sparking is usually.
1) Bad spark plug
2) earth wire pinched some where under the cowling and shorting out.
3) one or more of the safety cut out switches faulty ( even dirty or covered in grass clippings )
4) bad ignition switch
5) bad end caps on plug wires
6) faulty plug leads.
To test for the last two pull the shroud & bonnet off and run the engine some where really dark, walk around the engine and look for sparks.
Again abit of common sense required here as without the shroud fitted the engine will not cool and overheat very quickly if run for any length of time and the faster it runs the sooner it will overheat and seizing the the engine is a very high risk.
thanks , i did some checking and i found that if i turn the ign switch all the way over on the cranking physician i do not get spark. but if i back off a little bit but keeping it cranking i get spark ,i tried another switch and it does the same thing. and now when i have it running it runs good at idle, but midway it want to die out but you get pass that spot at high speed it runs fine but loops a little bit.any thoughts? thanks