Haven't had any problem with my Kawi 15 twin. I usually pull off the top cover once or twice during the season to be sure everything is clean, and haven't noticed anything. Don't have an hour meter, but the engine is 3 seasons old now. Definately something to check for on occasion.

 

I was told the same thing about the 15 and 17 I have. We pull the shroud every month or so and blow it out. No major failures yet, the 15 hp I bought in 2000 and the 17 in 2001, it has almost 2000 hours on it.

 

:realmad: i will never buy another kawi, i have a 17hp on a lazer hp and a 21 on a 61" walk, the both have been through coils and valve cover seals, the 17 had a breather problem, kawi finally took my dealers word for it and was reluctent but paid for the repair, and the 21 is extremely hard to start now that it is a little older. my kohler, all 12 of them run very well with no problems to speak of. guess i just had bad luck, but never again. tony

 

I havn't heard of any problems here but that don't mean there aren't any. This is a prime example of why I don't buy kawasaki engines. It's Kohler all the way for me because you never hear of a problem like this out of Kohler engines.

 

I had my dealer put a new 17 Kawi on an old mower in May. In Sept. the same thing happened. He said it overheated. BUT, to me it didn't overheat. I have overheated an engine and this time it didn't give me any of those signs. Kawi did warranty it.

 

:angry: well said travis, the sad part kawi doesnt care about customer service, the blamed me for there faulty breather, oh sorry i may have forgotten to add that before, but the was my fault also. unreal, never again. i have kohlers with 3000+ hours on them with no sign of trouble, my kawi run like crap (if i can start it) with less than 2000. im pissed

 

Thats exactly what happened to my 15hp kaw. this summer . The valves stuck, which bent the push rods on one cylinder. When I pulled the engine apart it was all oil and dirt on the fins in the head area. There is also a breather passage right there to the carb and it was totally pluged.Motor had 1800 hrs on it. Also have had early coil failures on both the kaw motors I have. The engine we have is a 2000 year model. We took it back to dealer when it was 1 year old because it was sucking oil into the air filter assy. Factory had update kit for it. But it didnt help much.

 

I have had nothing but bad luck with my Kawasaki's too.

 

I was at a dealer today when a guy brought in a Hustler Z with a 23 Kawasaki engine that blew at 1400 hours. The problem is in the upper crankshaft seal. The seal begins to leak very slowly so that you don't notice any oil leakage between oil changes. After a few hundred hours of operating with the seal leaking the oil builds up on the cylinder fins. The oil collects dirt, clippings, etc and the fins become filled. The engine overheats to the point that engine seizure occurs. The problem is that you can't see the upper cylinder fins since they are under the fan cover, so you don't know about the clogged cooling fins. The dealer said he has seen 7 of these engine failures in the past 2 months. He said the problem seems to be on Kawasaki twins in the 15 to 23 hp models.

Just wondering if anyone on the forum has experienced the problem and to let everyone that has these engines to be on the look out for possible trouble.

I bought a used exmark with the 17 hp kawasaki and I noticed it would run on 1 cylinder . Took it home and the right side cooling fins were completely clogged took me an hour to chisel all that off. Now i dont know if it was from an oil leak but thanks for the heads up I will follow up on that.

 

I have a Kawasaki that is running on one cylinder. Took it apart and changed the coil and still can't get the cylinder to fire. Where would you look after the coil has been changed ? The coil is sparking but the right side cylinder won't go bang.

 

I have a new Kawi with only 9 hours on it on my Gravley. I want to have a long lasting engine. Should I just be sure that the cooling fins are always clean. Should I just keep the engine good and clean with the air compressor? Besides oil and filter changes do you guys have any tips to make the engine last?

Thanks...

 

these reports aren't good news for the KAW folk.

is there anyone with good KAW reports out there???

GEO

 

It's funny this thread came up now cause I've noticed my 2 Kawi 17 hp engines are starting to leak oil somewhere around the oil filter area, but I'm not sure exactly where it's comming from. I do keep a close eye on my oil level but now I guess I should have them checked out by my dealer.

 

I have a Hustler Super Z with the 25 HP Kawi. The oil pressure cending unit has been changed twice for leaking oil. The upper and lower oil seals along with a coil were changed at around 750 hours. Knock on wood, no leaks for the last month.

Gene

 

In the defence of Kawasaki engines, I have a 15 Hp Kawi V-Twin engine on my Bob-Cat WB mower (which I love!!!!) I have had no problems at all with the engine or the machine. It has 200 hrs. on it. Also, my father has a JD tractor with a 22 HP Kawi engine on it with no problems at all either. It has 3,000 hrs. on it. Mabey you guys just don't maintain them well?

 

I still like my Kawi's. I have Kawi's that have 6-7 years of heavy use that still run great. I've had the problems with the coils, etc, but they have been extremely reliable for me. I'll keep buying them. Husky03, yes, use the air compressor to keep the motor clean. Should be OK.

 

Thanks for the heads-up....
I'll keep an eye out for that.
I have a new gas guzzling 21hp Kaw.

 

I've had nothing but good experiences with Kawi motors. Power and reliability have been great.

 

I lost a 12.5 hp on a 36" Toro wb last month. Sounds like the same. No compression, might be from a blown seal or ring inside. Only 450 hours. Replaced with a new 14 hp.

 

I just lost the 19 HP KAWI on my Lazer Z HP on FRIDAY! It had 1882 hours on it. It was running fine then BAM! I shut it down right away, but dealer says the block is cracked. I checked OIL EVERY MORNING & it was full. Will talk to the mechanic tomorrow when I pick up the machine, to get details on what caused the damage. (I had a 21 HP Kawi put in it.)


Mike

 

I had nothing but problems with my 17hp kawi. Valve cover gaskets, throttle cables, coil, you name it i had it go wrong. The engine was even overhauled at 400 some hours. Before you know it the seal started to leak, got it replaced but the mess must not have gotten cleaned up good enough and before you know it i warped the head. That kawi was a headache for me. Replaced it with a 18hp Kohler and loving it. Put around 350 hours on it this season and not a problem. Knock on wood.. Might try another in the future, but for now the Kohler is they only way to go.

Eric

 

all of my mowers have kaws . i had a little problem with the 17 v twin not starting when it is cold but i fixed it the other day, all i had to do was adjust the throttle so the choke would engage. the 17 is 4 years old and not a single problem other than that. i also have a 23 kaw i just got in april , havent had one single problem at all .

 

kawajunkie man!!!
that is the name they have got around here i have them laying all around the shop.the last time i seen so many failures was back in the early 90's
with briggs.that was when they moved to GA. and left WI.when that happened
all the union guys turned down the air guns and the engines fell apart
they really need to go back to the drawing board on this engine.to many coils
go out the carbs are no good and the upper crank bearing fails all the time
this causes the seal to leak i have even had them leak right from the block
where there is no seal.just pouring right through the casting
i have even gone as far to tell my exmark and hustler rep's not to send any mowers with the kaw.on them if i can help it.i am glad dixie chopper stopped using them 2 years ago.did they know something we did not???
this is a good 500hr engine but i have lco's that put that on one in 1 season
and that is not good enough.

 

:realmad: i will never buy another kawi, i have a 17hp on a lazer hp and a 21 on a 61" walk, the both have been through coils and valve cover seals, the 17 had a breather problem, kawi finally took my dealers word for it and was reluctent but paid for the repair, and the 21 is extremely hard to start now that it is a little older. my kohler, all 12 of them run very well with no problems to speak of. guess i just had bad luck, but never again. tony

General I repair machines and love trouble shooting the problems. On the Kawasaki twins,I found a lot of repair shops replacing the coils and a lot of times it is just the connector at the plug. They rust out(Pull off cap and look inside). If you look at them they are positioned downward so moisture collects in it,Silicone around the cap and wire is a good fix. Next time

 

these reports aren't good news for the KAW folk.

is there anyone with good KAW reports out there???

GEO

me

i have a 10 year old exmark viking with a 14 hp kawie. NEVER had even the first problem. this thing has probably 5000 hrs and still starts on the second, or occasionally third pull.

had a tuf tracer that i sold with 2000 hrs no problems

had a JD with a 19 kawie 1500-2000 hrs with no problems.

 

I will be sure to keep my engine clean and keep up on oil changes as instructed by the book. Anything else I should do or look out for? How can I avoid the problems you guys are having?