Crankcase
Inspection and Service
Check all gasket surfaces to make sure they are free of
gasket fragments. Gasket surfaces must also be free of
deep scratches or nicks.
Inspect main bearing (if so equipped) for wear or
damage (refer to Specifi cations). Replace crankcase
using a miniblock or short block as required.
Check cylinder bore wall for scoring. In severe cases,
unburned fuel can cause scuffi ng and scoring of cylinder
wall. It washes necessary lubricating oils off piston and
cylinder wall. As raw fuel seeps down cylinder wall,
piston rings make metal to metal contact with wall.
Scoring of cylinder wall can also be caused by localized
hot spots resulting from blocked cooling fi ns or from
inadequate or contaminated lubrication.
If cylinder bore is badly scored, excessively worn,
tapered, or out-of-round, resizing is necessary. Use an
inside micrometer to determine amount of wear (refer
to Specifi cations), then select nearest suitable oversize
of either 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) or 0.50 mm (0.020 in.).
Resizing to one of these oversizes will allow usage of
available oversize piston and ring assemblies. First,
resize using a boring bar, then use these following
procedures for honing cylinder.
Honing
Detail
A
A
23°-33° Crosshatch
NOTE: Kohler pistons are custom-machined to exacting
tolerances. When oversizing a cylinder, it should
be machined exactly 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) or 0.50
mm (0.020 in.) over new diameter
(Specifi cations). Corresponding oversize Kohler
replacement piston will then fi t correctly.
While most commercially available cylinder hones can
be used with either portable drills or drill presses, use
of a low speed drill press is preferred as it facilitates
more accurate alignment of bore in relation to crankshaft
crossbore. Honing is best accomplished at a drill speed
of about 250 RPM and 60 strokes per minute. After
installing coarse stones in hone, proceed as follows:
1. Lower hone into bore and after centering, adjust so
stones are in contact with cylinder wall. Use of a
commercial cutting-cooling agent is recommended.
2. With lower edge of each stone positioned even with
lowest edge of bore, start drill and honing process.
Move hone up and down while resizing to prevent
formation of cutting ridges. Check size frequently.
3. When bore is within 0.064 mm (0.0025 in.) of
desired size, remove coarse stones and replace
them with burnishing stones. Continue with
burnishing stones until bore is within 0.013 mm
(0.0005 in.) of desired size and then use fi nish
stones (220-280 grit) and polish bore to its fi nal size.
A crosshatch should be observed if honing is done
correctly. Crosshatch should intersect at
approximately 23°-33° off horizontal. Too fl at an
angle could cause rings to skip and wear
excessively, and too steep an angle will result in high
oil consumption.
4. After resizing, check bore for roundness, taper, and
size. Use an inside micrometer, telescoping gauge,
or bore gauge to take measurements. These
measurements should be taken at 3 locations in
cylinder – at top, middle, and bottom. Two
measurements should be taken (perpendicular to
each other) at each location.
Clean Cylinder Bore After Honing
Proper cleaning of cylinder walls following boring and/
or honing is very critical to a successful overhaul.
Machining grit left in cylinder bore can destroy an engine
in less than 1 hour of operation after a rebuild.
Final cleaning operation should always be a thorough
scrubbing with a brush and hot, soapy water. Use a
strong detergent capable of breaking down machining
oil while maintaining a good level of suds. If suds break
down during cleaning, discard dirty water and start again
with more hot water and detergent. Following scrubbing,
rinse cylinder with very hot, clear water, dry it completely,
and apply a light coating of engine oil to prevent rusting.
Disassembly/Inspection and Service
77
24 690 31 Rev. D
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