Kohler K361 Owner's Manual page 7

BREAKER PO INTS: Points ar e under the rec t angular cover on the carbur et or side of engine. U se the fol lowing
procedure t o adjust breaker point gap :
1. Remove breaker point cover.
2. Turn engine over until br eaker poi nt s are full open- -measure gap with feeler gauge. Opening
should be . 020" . A dj ust by loosening gap adjusting screw then in sert screwdriver blade i n
adjusting notch to shif t m oveabl e pl at e unt il .020" opening is attained. R et i ght en gap ad­
justing scr ew.
3. Gap sett i ng can var y ( .017 - .023) . To achieve smoothest running see timing light inst ru ct i ons
bel ow.
Always replace badly burned or pitted breaker points. A certain amount of buil d up or metal transfer
occurs under normal operating conditions; however, if t his occurs too f r equent l y and becomes excessive,
the condenser may be at f ault . Slightly pitted points can be dressed down with a point f ile, al though
thi s should be done only as a t emporary f ix since points may tend to arc more readily after f il ing. Re­
place points at fi r st opportuni ty after filing . If points are oxidized, rub a piece of coarse cloth be ­
tween the surfaces . Dirty or oily points can be cleaned with a cloth but make sure no particles of lint
are left betw een surfaces.
TIMING: Engines are equipped with a timing sight hole in either the bearing plate or in t he blower housing.
Two tIming marks are st amped on the flywheel --the T mark indicates Top Dead Center (TDC) while th e S or
SP mark indicates the Spark or Spark
Run
poin t which is 20° before TDC.
Two methods can be used f or tim ing--the t iming l i ght method is the more precise way of achieving
exact t iming. The timing light can be used with magnet o ignition systems; however, a storage battery m ay
have to be used per timing light m anufacturer's instructions.
METHOD 1 - STATIC TTIMING: Remove breaker point cover and remove spark plug lead to prevent unintentional
startIng. Rotate engIne by hand in direction of normal rotation (clockwise when viewed from blower housing
end). Points should jus t begin t o break as the S mark appears in the center of the t iming s ight hole.
Continue rotating engine until points reach m aximum opening. Measure gap with feeler gauge--gap should
be .020" fully open. If necessary, loosen point gap adjustment screw and readjust gap to .020" full open.
MaximlDll gap setting can vary a few t housandt hs (.017 - .0 23) to achieve smoothest running. Securely tighten
adjusting screw after timing.
METHOD 2 - TIM ING LICJIT: Several different types of timing lights are available- -follow m anufact ur er ' s
mst.ructions
for t ype used. The f ollowing t imi ng procedure can be used with
~
timing l i ght s :
A. Remove high tension l ead at spark plug - -wrap one end of a short piece of fine wire around spark plug
terminal. Reconnect l ead to terminal--free end of wire must protrude from under boot. (Note: Step
A for t iming l ights with alligator clips--some lights have sharp prongs on spark lead- -on these sim­
ply push prong thru boot until i t contacts metal connector.)
B. Connect one timing l i ght lead to the wire that has just been wrapped around spark plug terminal.
C. Connect second timing lignr-lead to hot (ungr ounded) side of battery--see timing light instructions
f or battery size, wiring, etC:- ­
D. Connect third timing light lead to ground.
E. Rotate engine by hand until S mark visible--chalk S line for easy reading.
F. Start engine, run at 1200 - 1800 RPM, aim timing light into sight hole --light should flash just as
S mark i s centered in sight hole or even with center mark on bearing plate or blower housing.
G. If timing is off--remove breaker point cover, l oosen gap adjusting screw, shift breaker plate until
S mark is exact l y centered. Retighten adjusting screw before replacing br eaker point cover.
alternator system
On
electric st art models the IS amp al t ernator sys tem provides electrical energy t o charge t he battery.
A solid state rectif ier-regulator i s mounted externally on the engine or on the equipment pow er ed by the
engine. The system also includes an al ternator-stat or and permanent magnet ring ins ide the f l ywheel .
These systems are vi r tually se rv ice f r ee- - t he onl y r equi r ed service is an occas ional check t o m ake sure
t hat all electrical connections are t i gllt and that wires are not f r ayed or cracked. Check t he precautions
to the system on your engine to avoi d damaging char gi ng system components.
PRECAUTIONS--lS AMP SYSTEM
1. Battery pol arit y must be correct. N egat i ve gr ound syst ems are used wi t h K ohler Engines.
2. Prevent alternator leads (AC) from t ouching or shor t ing. This could permanently damage t he stator.
3. Disconnec t leads at rectifi~r--regulator before electric welding is done on equipment in common
ground with engine.
4. Do not operate for any length of
t ime without a battery in the system.
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