Kohler Engine Smoking

[LeoinMI]

I have a Craftsman Garden Tractor series 5000. Bought it new in 2005. The engine is a Kohler 25 h.p. twin cylinder. The engine is smoking for the first time,..usually under load or only when mowing. Is it time for new rings?,..bad valves? or can I put an additive in the oil to help seal the rings and clean up the valves? I change the oil regularly every year with a filter.
Advice appreciated. I just hate to do a tear down at this time of year with winter just around the corner not that it isn't a good time,..but I just got done with surgery three weeks ago and can't do and heavy lifting or reefing on bolts.
Thanks,
Leo
 

[El Toro]

I would keep a close check on the oil level and run it until Spring. You will probably be up to tear down the engine. Have the cylinders measured for wear. They may need to be bored oversize. Hal
 

[t.r.k.]

How many hours on the engine? I am guessing that its a v-twin Kohler Command series.

It may need an overhaul, but certain engines of the Command series had problems with the crankcase breather. It may just need a reed valve replaced according to the instructions in the buliten.
 

[LeoinMI]

Checked with a couple of local small engine repair shops. They said it is 99% chance it is a blown head gasket. Price for repair is $325.00 -$375.00 which includes milling the heads,cleaning and or grind the valves, new head gasket,new oil and filter,new spark plugs,new air filter,new gas filter,and includes pick-up and delivery of the tractor.Seems a little high in the price,but I am not in any shape to do it myself right now. I may wait until spring when I am feeling better.
 

[El Toro]

Check your engine oil to see if it's deluted with gasoline. If your engine has a fuel pump it may be the culprit. Call Kohler at 1-800-456-4537 or 1-800-457-4441 if there's no smell of gas. They may put you in touch with one of their engine technician's. Hal
 

[Gene Davis (Ga.)]

Kohler V-twins have a nasty habit of having a gasket failure between the push rod section and the intake and funneling oil into the intake. Will soon glaze the rings and will start to allow oil by the rings. We run several of these engines at work and have had trouble like this from an otherwise great engine.
 

[Butch(OH)]

As some of the others posted there are oil burning issues with the Command twin that dont come from wear and tear. The exact dates escape me but your engine (I think?) predates some of the improvments. I remember the head gasket deal requires a kit of parts to fix, differant head bolts and gasket. Reed valve is also common. My bet would be one of those things. I am not a big beliver in canned motor fixes but if motor honey does nothing at all for the smoking problem it is likely not wear but one of the above.