The easiest, fastest way to add life to your Kohler engine.

Kohler 12 050 01 Full Flow Oil Filter For your information, the image on the right is of the Kohler oil filter that comes with the new Kohler engines. This filter is 2.25 in. long and, based on everything I can find, holds approximately 4-6 oz of motor oil. Approximately 6 ounces of oil equals 0.375 pints, or about 5% of a quart. That's not much oil for an engine that is basically oil-cooled. I also found that the original Kohler OEM filter only filters down to 37 microns. One thing I can say for sure about this filter is that it's cheap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click Me Click here to purchase this filter on your Amazon account.
When we service Kohler or V engines in our shop, we like to use the Wicks 51086 filter. Unless the customer insists on an OEM Kohler, this is the filter we use. The Wix is 5 in long and holds 22 oz of oil. That is approximately one-half of a quart, almost four times the OEM oil capacity. We haven't had any interference with sheet metal on the Lincolns. On rare occasions, you may need to cut a hole in the sheet metal for certain Millers, but it is well worth it. To order directly on your Amazon account, click on the button. Click Me

In my humble opinion, all Kohler V engines used in both Miller and Lincoln welding machines are intermittent-power engines. They are not designed to sit out there and run 24/7. They basically have a very good design. They have hydraulic valve lifters and pass emissions in both the United States and Europe.

Here are our recommendations to increase the life of your Kohler V engine.

1. When you first get your machine, break the engine in for about half an hour at idle speed with no load, then change the oil and filter. Your machine will experience more internal engine wear in that first hour than in the next 1,000 hours.

2. We recommend and use a multi-weight diesel engine oil. Normally, Rotella 10W30 contains extra anti-galling additives and is designed for diesel engines. Also, it's very reasonable, and you can buy it at any Walmart when you're out on the road.

3. Change your oil and filter again in approximately 25 hours.

4. From that point on, Kohler recommends changing it every 100 hours of operation. If you're welding 40 hours a week, you need to change the oil and filter every two weeks.

5. Check your air filter at least once a week, and make sure the green wrapper has no holes. It's a good idea to keep a spare green wrapper. These green wrappers are for anything that's big, and they can be washed out with gasoline. If you replace them, squirt some oil. Normally, 10W will work, just a little bit on there, and work it in with your hands so the oil is all through the green filter. This will trap and hold more dirt.

6. Get a lot of mileage out of these paper air cleaners if you blow compressed air from the inside out. How do you tell if it needs to be replaced? Hold the filter up to the sun so that, if you can see sunlight coming through the end, the filter is still usable.

7. Kohler recommends you change the spark plugs every time you change the oil. Nobody can tell me why. Unless you're burning oil or running way too rich, these spark plugs will last for many, many hours. You have to replace them with a resistor plug, such as a Champion. RC-12YC, or another good brand, make sure it's a resistor plug.

8. Last but not least, when you're not running the machine, turn the engine off.