QuestionI have a 345 with the 18hp kawasaki on it. It back fired and quit. It has spark, it cranks over, it doesnt pump fuel and the valve cover was removed and the valves dont move. Is this a broken camshaft? how much time does it take to fix? Where can I get a breakdown picture of this engine?
AnswerIf the valves don't move the cam is fried.
This engine has a plastic gear on the cam and it lasts about 400 hours.
If the PTO clutch comes off easy this is a 3 hour repair. If the clutch is seized all bets are off.
Here's your breakdown. It's from Deere and believe it or not, since they buy 60% of all Kawasaki's built, they have the parts cheaper than Kawasaki. This problem is so common the dealer will have the cam in stock.
As engine repairs go this is a 6.5 on the difficulty meter. If you can do a timing chain on a 350 Chevy this is a slam dunk, If you don't know what a timing gear is, it has to go to the dealer. 345's never die! Thay just get new cams. The new cam will be all metal. It will never fail.
