23 HP Kawi Problem - Governor?

[Darryl G]

Hi. I just developed a problem today with the 23 V Twin Kawi on my Lazer HP.

I was trying to catch up after a week of rain so I'm running doubles and taking down some tall grass as well as mulching leaves, so the engine was working pretty hard. Then I noticed that the engine sounded different, louder.

It's been a while since I've changed the plugs and air filter and I was close to home, so I ran home for lunch and did that. The engine is running well, starts as well as it ever has, accelerates without hesitation and doesn't sputter, stall, run uneven or anything like that. The problem is, that it's loud as heck. Sounds like it's just got a straight pipe on it...it actually sounds good, but the exhaust has kind of a throaty rap to it, like when you suddenly load an engine hard and the governor kicks in. I checked and there's no exhaust leaks that I can find and the noise is coming out of the tailpipe. And, it's going through fuel really fast. I know the doubles and hard work will make it thirsty, but I went through over 2/3 of a tank in a little over an hour on my last lawn. I've never seen it use that much fuel.

I have a feeling the governor is stuck wide open. The problem is, with all the back bumper stuff and all, I can't even find it. I've never even seen the carb on this machine, which is a good thing, except I've never thought to lubricate anything since I've never had a problem.

So where is the governor? Right side as you look at the engine from the back? Left side? I don't even really know how a governor works although I have messed with them on push mowers and it's usually the spring. Will running it like this cause any damage? I can use the WB instead if necessary.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Darryl

 

[DLCS]

Check the rpm's. I have a 25hp Kaw that was doing the same thing. My problem was the rpms were sometimes getting up to 3,900-4,000, suppose to be 3600. What my dealer found was that the arm for the governor was slipping on the shaft. There is a pitch bolt that holds the arm to the shaft and that was alowing the arm to slip. Check those rpms.

 

[Restrorob]

Put a tach. on it as Mike said if the RPM is ok the only thing I can think of at the moment is possibly a inner baffle broke loose inside the muffler. Check to see you have ample exhaust flow out of the pipe. The governor lever is located behind the throttle control plate and the control plate is in the center of the engine just under the carb., But I would not recommend adjustment without the proper procedure.

 

[Restrorob]

But I would not recommend adjustment without the proper procedure.

Here's the procedure for High speed and Governor, FH451V Thru FH721V Adjust the same way. If yours isn't a FH series post the model number and I'll post the correct ones.

See Ya

 

[Darryl G]

Put a tach. on it as Mike said if the RPM is ok the only thing I can think of at the moment is possibly a inner baffle broke loose inside the muffler. Check to see you have ample exhaust flow out of the pipe. The governor lever is located behind the throttle control plate and the control plate is in the center of the engine just under the carb., But I would not recommend adjustment without the proper procedure.

I think you're right about the baffle. I used the mower today and the governor appears to be responding to loads normally and it doesn't seem like it's over reving. It's louder, and for lack of a better term, sharper all around, but you can really hear it if you suddenly spike the throttle.

I'm not mowing next week, so I should have a chance to take a better look at things. I'm just wondering...what would cause a baffle to fail? And wouldn't it rattle or something? This machine does not backfire and there's less than 500 hours on it. There's not even a trace of rust on the muffler. It's just not something I would expect to fail.

 

[Restrorob]

Well, The baffles are made of thinner material than the outer casing and they are subjected to a lot of heat and vibration, It's possible they were not installed properly. Also, I have seen a muffler rust from the inside out due to moisture (condensation) and heard some that rattled and some that didn't.
The last one I replaced was a couple months ago on a 28efi Dixie at around 350hrs. The baffle restricted exhaust flow enough it didn't have any power and it didn't rattle either, Of course I covered it under warranty. Hopefully this is your problem and not a major internal engine problem.

Good luck

 

[Darryl G]

Thanks for your help guys.

Well, I took the muffler off today. It has a tear where one the heat shield brackets is welded on. The dealer didn't have one, so I ordered one and did a temporary repair with epoxy putty.

Here's before and after pics.

Oh yeah, I blew out and lubed all the carb linkage while I was there.

 

[DLCS]

Thanks for your help guys.

Well, I took the muffler off today. It has a tear where one the heat shield brackets is welded on. The dealer didn't have one, so I ordered one and did a temporary repair with epoxy putty.

Here's before and after pics.

Oh yeah, I blew out and lubed all the carb linkage while I was there.

Glad you found your problem and its not anything major.

Funny thing my Chevy pickup just did the same thing with its muffler, makes a loud rattle noise.

 

[lawnmaniac883]

That might have cause the problem

 

[QualityLawnCare4u]

Thanks for your help guys.

Well, I took the muffler off today. It has a tear where one the heat shield brackets is welded on. The dealer didn't have one, so I ordered one and did a temporary repair with epoxy putty.

Here's before and after pics.

Oh yeah, I blew out and lubed all the carb linkage while I was there.

Its amazing what you can do with epoxy or JB weld when in need of a quick fix. I am the king of redneck enginering!