OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions on Other Engines engine mount bolts - self threading

can't find these anywhere online - need 3 for a kohler sv 470, they are a 3/8" - 16
hex head self threading bolt part #25-086-130-S
anybody have them...Bruce?

Redeye,

Would have to order them in and could take a while. Have to tried a bolt supplier?

I've tapped threads and installed high tensile bolts - too many bad reports about the supplied by kohler/briggs self threaders.....cheers Bruce
redeye

done - never again with a kohler!

Redeye, our archives on Kohler engines are very sparse. Can you tell us what problem led you to be working on it, and how the job went please?

grumpy, its a new engine, the problem is that not being able to mount it with nut/bolts, I had to tap threads into the holes ( been told its a cost-cutting thing with Kohler not threading the holes). The 2 hole front holes were fairly easy to do but the back one was a nightmare - there is very little room under the Cox to maneuver with the steering gear, chain... problem is to get to the rear hole you need to remove the drive pulley off the engine BUT you need to tension the belt by positioning the engine.... catch 22

so much easier to push a bolt up from underneath & screw on a nut.....

btw one of the back holes is set for a nut/bolt, not a blind hole

I should add that you obviously know all this grumpy, more for any Cox owners contemplating a Kohler engine

What I don't understand is, with a new engine that has moulded, untapped mounting holes, why wouldn't you throw it on its back and tap the engine mounting holes before you put oil in the dry engine? Provided the holes are in the right places, tapping upturned, accessible holes is child's play.

I'm sure you thought of that, I just want to know what is the catch that stops you from doing it?

I think you misunderstood me, I did tap the holes with the engine upturned on the bench, the problem was no room to get a spanner onto the bolt, let alone a socket....far too much stuff under the bonnet

That clarifies it Redeye. I still don't see it as a Kohler fault, though. It seems the poor design was by the mower manufacturer, not the engine manufacturer.

It also rather looks as if that mower has grown a vastly larger engine after it was designed for a small one. Maybe that is where the space went? Is the engine installation on their model with the Briggs engine (Vanguard or Intek) a lot more compact than the Kohler of the same horsepower?

its roughly the same size engine ( actually smaller in capacity 15hp compared to original intek 16.5) but it is wider across the front due to the large muffler and air cleaner box - had to cut a bit out of the bonnet to fit over the air cleaner.
I agree its not a fault with kohler, more of penny-pinching not to thread the holes themselves, the real fault lies with me for not discovering the blind-hole mounts before buying it...live and learn

this shows the other side and big muffler

Big mufflers and air cleaners give more sound reduction with less flow restriction, hence more power per litre and less fuel consumption.

I'm not really clear on why the mower frames have stayed much the same size over the years, while the engine power has doubled and sometimes tripled. I can see why that happened with cars, we all gain advantages from increased performance at times (though less and less often, as roads improve). However it seems that deck cutting widths have not increased nearly as much as engine power has. Furthermore, some very inefficient transmission systems (notably the Greenfield type) have remained in use, wasting a substantial amount of the engine's output.

As you will have noticed, I regard the ride on mower industry as not having kept up with available technology over the years. It is only by increasing production volumes that improvements like hydrostatic transmissions will become both durable and affordable. The same thing happened with car automatic transmissions.