31 hrs Kholer Aegis Charging System

[Shane T]

The stator has gone bad in 2 completely different units. Both had less than 400 hours on them. Is this a common problem?

 

[Larry Cobb]

Shane;

We've used a lot of 31 HP Kohler water-cooled over the last couple of years.

I have never seen that type of failure on any of the TM's.

Quite a few are over 1000 hours.

Is there a lot of load on the charging system from accessories?

Larry

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Loose wires, or a bad ground?

 

[Shane T]

Load consist of
-ignition system
-EFI
-Axillary cooling fan
-Pump clutch
-Float sensors
-occasionally I run the APO which has a clutch
Can't think of anything else at this time

I don't know what amp system this is. Is there a way I can tell?
I don't find any loose wires and there is a very good ground. As I mentioned, these are two completely different units.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

Like Lee says, make sure it is indeed the stator. Connections, and Voltage regulators/rectifiers are a much more common failure.

Stators go bad usually from physical damage or heat. Anything which might get loose, or fall into the flywheel or magnet housing can tear up the individual coils of wire in the stator. Occasionally, I've seen a magnet come loose that are epoxied into the flywheel tear them up. Then again, it's usually due to excessive prolonged heat.

Heat can also break down the insulation in the stator's coil windings. To get as much coil wire as possible within the confines, stator manufacturers use a very thin varnish insulation on the wires. This can burn off in extreme prolonged heat, causing the stator to short a winding, thus blowing the output. Have you always had the auxiliary fan?

If this happens to one single user, it may be traced to the use of the unit. Do you have adequate cool air intake ventilation for the engine? Is there recirculation of coolant air flow? Do you close the doors? Sometimes the problem can be contributed to by the TM design. If the engine is designed such that the engine is always taking already heated air, back through the coolant air intake, or if engine exhaust is poorly manged, that can add to the situation.

But like Lee, I would look at other possibilities first.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Shane;

The Kohler Aegis is a water-cooled engine, so heat is lower & usually not the determining factor.

With two clutches and an auxillary fan, you may be using close to the max. output of the charging system.

What size engine is it?

Larry

 

[Shane T]

Larry, Its a 31 hrs.

Shawn, I have check and am sure it is the stator. This manufacture has had many problems with to much heat in several areas of this unit. I have change several things which has helped to both bring cooler air in and get the hot air away. The stator may have been subjected to to much heat early on.

Lee, I will recheck all wires to make sure that's not the problem.

Thanks for the comments guys. I was curious to know if it was a problem with others.

 

[RichardnTn]

Shane, A lot of small engines come standard with a 10 amp rectifier....if your system has as much demand as you posted, that could be the problem. I have gone from 10 amp to 25 amp and had zero problems thereafter. The diodes are just larger and can handle the extra load..... Richard R

 

[Kelly]

I bet it isnt grounded correctly ....or...the loads arent grounded correctly.
most manufacturers ground their wiring to painted surfaces eliminating true grounding points. Make sure your regulator is the right one aswell.
If there is physical damage to the stator you got a peice of foreign debris inside the front cover. But im betting on a poor grounding condition or the wrong regulator

 

[bob vawter]

Are we talking about a lawnmower here.....?

It's REALLY bad when yous guys can make ME feel superior.......!

 

[KevinL]

No Bob. It's a snow blower.