Kohler 7000 series KT25 with 55hrs. After sitting in the shed for one week, the engine blows a cloud of smoke despite shutting down on slow idle. Oil was changed at 5, 30 and 55hrs using Rotella T5 10w30. New oil filter at 5 and 55hrs. Bought it in July 2017. Any recommendations?
After 25hrs, the oil level dropped on the dipstick from the top fill line to the mid fill line. Is this considered normal?
I did a 25hr UOA. No crazy wear metal levels.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5172177/re-kohler-7000-series-25hrs-on-rotella-t5-10w30#Post5172177
#2
Scrubcadet10
Could be a bad head gasket, bring the engine up to normal operating temp, shut it down, pull the dipstick and look for whisps of smoke coming out of the tube.
Rotella oil is used in big 18 wheeler rigs, diesel only. Read your Kohler engine manual & i'll bet you should be using a full synthetic oil. My 2010 B&S Vanguard engine recommends full synthetic 5w-30. I prefer Pennzoil or Valvoline oil as they have been around a century or so.
Research your KOHLER engine manual. I checked yesterday with parts technician in town, he told me Rotella was used in Diesels only being 18 wheeler applications. That is reason you receive engine operators manual when you purchase new equipment, to read manual & follow directions & applications concerning fluids, OEM parts, etc. No it is not normal for engine oil level to drop on dipstick with low hrs., you asked for recommendations so I thought I'd try to help. Good luck!
Tested it and there is whisper of smoke coming from the dipstick/oil filler tube. Is that ok?
https://youtu.be/yvE5FPWIFQA
#6
Scrubcadet10
More than likely the head gasket. Never seen an engine without a blown head gasket smoke out the dipstick tube.
I would run what oil the owners manual says too use and if you want put a zddp additive in it.
Also when I changed the air cleaner, there was oil droplets in the inner part of the air cleaner. This is not the prefilter lubricant.
#8
ILENGINE
Smoke on start up could just be oil seepage past the rings while setting in the shed, And I haven't seen a single KT series that didn't have oil droplets on the inside of the oil filter.
The oil droplets get blown in from the breather.
As previously mentioned it is just a luck of the draw thing.
If the ring gaps are sitting on the bottom then the oil on the barrel will drain down to the bottom then slip past the rings on start up.
One of the down sides of using a multigrade oils
An update, the Cub Cadet dealer did a compression and leak down tests.
The engine has Kohler Command 7000 Series has 63 hours.
90/90 Left Side 189
90/90 Right Side 190
What does this mean? Is it in specification? Please interpret these results for me.
Under warranty, conclusion no head gasket was needed.
On occasion, it still blows white smoke upon start-up and I smell oil fumes right after shut-down.
The oil is Rotella Shell T5-10W-30 CJ4 and recently changed at 55hrs.
#12
Scrubcadet10
Have you tried regular Kohler 10W30 oil, rotella is meant for diesel engines.... Might try it...
I know it has higher levels of Zinc which is "better" for the engine life . I've ran regular automotive oil in many engines, valvoline 10w30 in my kohler for 10 years, and 10W40 valvoline in my FE290 kawasaki for almost 20 years.
Cub dealer should know, but that compression reading sounds okay.
#13
Mower King
As many has already said....use Lawn Mower oil in a Lawn Mower, and here is a good explanation as to why : Lawn Mower oils are for mower engines that are air cooled and run at a high/ hot temp....350 degrees and up. All autos & trucks have a cooling system and run below 200 degrees and that oil is designed for that lower temp and when you use automotive oil in a mower, it gets hotter than designed, gets thinner and the eng will / burn the thin oil.
The last two comments are interesting. I purposely left out the dealer’s comment. He told me to use Kohler 10w-30 air cool engine oil. I did do an used oil analysis at 55hrs and the 10w-30 had a viscosity of v100 of 10.9. It is in specification.
#15
Scrubcadet10
I would think with so few hours the dealership should be fixing/trouble shooting ...:confused3:
How long was the warranty on it?
#16
tom3
There have been a bunch of posts about Kohlers smoking on start up, general theory is that they 'just do.' Mine does and I tried all the suggestions but the only thing that stopped it was parking the mower on an uphill incline. My shed has a floor that up slopes at the rear door so it was easy to try and it worked. I did use Kohler oil for a long time but the $8 a quart made me look around. My father-in-law used to swear by Valvoline so I tried their 10w30 (cheap at Rural King) and started smelling burning oil when I pulled the mower in the shed, not good. I changed it quick with Rotella 15w40 and no problems of any sort since. I'm sold on that.
