[chrycotech]

Hello Group,



The cylinder bore in the K301 Kohler in my 222 is totally and thoroughly worn out. The piston is so loose in the bore that the piston slap knock is irritating. The previous owner did a ring job on it which was a waste of time and money as it still burns oil and has a lot of blow by. I vaguely remember reading some thing some where about this.

My question to the group is:

Can the K301 block be bored from 3.375 to 3.50 which is the bore size size of the K321 engine?.

If so, I'll order a std piston, ring set and rod for a K321 as the stroke is the same for the two engines.

Am I missing anything?

Advice from the omni mind would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Ron

 

[robynrj]

Ron
I think you will find thou are two diff 301 blocks, one thicker than other, still leaves a very thin cyl wall.
Suggest you look for K321....they are out there....if you feel more hp needed. Bob M

 

[chrycotech]

Hello Group,
Thanks Bob for weighing in.
Cheers,
Ron

 

[cj3hale]

I believe that he 301 crankshaft has flats machined into the edge of the weights to allow for the smaller piston and its lighter weight. The k321 weights do not have the flats so you will probably also need to change the crankshaft to get a balanced engine if you go to the larger piston size. It might be simpler just to find another working 301 block. Good luck with the search.

 

[mikebramel]

Not a good idea because as said the engine will be out of balance and the cylinder wall will be too thin. The block can be easily sleeved. Labor and material around here would be $100-120

 

[mikebramel]

Sorry, should have been more clear. To sleeve the block. There is no piston in that price. Of course it wouldnt be much more if you went with after market. $30 or so

 

[bozarelli]

I bored my K301 .125" to fit a K321 piston. I did it about 13 years ago and I still mow and snowblow with my '77 222. The biggest drawback is the excess heat building up. The motor gets pretty hot, especially on those hot summer days. The problem is the exhaust valve on the 321 is bigger than the one on the 301. I need to do a valve job so I plan on doing a complete rebuild later this summer. The amazing thing is the pressure out of the exhaust. It will easily blow the grass off the driveway!! I realize this is a few months late for chrycotech, but anyone else who has thought about it now knows it's possible.