Ensure sufficient gas and oil is in engine because engine has a low-oil sensor (10W30 oil)
If it is a chipper, make sure nothing is jammed inside which is stopping the drum from rotating.
Make sure the fuel lever is all the way to the right.
Put choke halfway.
Make sure key is turned on/safety switch turned off (if your machine has one)
Put gas a bit past the turtle.
Make sure spark plug is in correctly.
If it still does not start and your machine has a key/safety switch, the key/safety switch wire could be faulty. To confirm, unplug the key/safety switch wire and then try starting up your engine. If it turns on, then the key/safety switch wire is faulty, and we can get a new one sent out to you.
If these steps do not work, please contact Kohler at enginefieldservice@kohler.com (1-800-544-2444) and they can provide you with more assistance as they cover the engine related issues. *For electric start models, if you continue to have issues starting your engine, please contact support@detailk2.com and we will provide further assistance.
OPC505AE 5-Inch 14 HP 429 cc Hydraulic Auto-Feed Electric Start Chipper Shredder Troubleshooting
99% of starting issues are due to sensitive or defective safety switches, not the engine.
Check oil level, halfway up on filler threads. 10W30
Check Gas Level
Make sure spark plus wire is seated on the plug
Make sure slap shut off switch on top of chute is turned and popped out (run position)
Make sure red bar is not pressed onto shutoff switch under chute. (Pull up on the red bar.)
Make sure feed roller cover is closed and safety switch is depressed
Make sure cutter wheel cover is closed and safety switch is depressed
Try to start - half choke, gas on air cleaner to the right, set to turtle, while cranking with key in right hand slide choke to the right slowly until fires.
If no fire, Unplug the connector for the TOP SLAP SWITCH
Try to start - If no fire, unplug the connector to the RED BAR switch
Try to start - Motor should fire
Call DK2 for warranty replace switch or technical help, 888-277-6960
Hydraulic OIL check and setup
Fill black canister with AW32
start engine
allow 5 mins for oil to fill new pump, hoses, valves, hydraulic feed wheel motor.
move the feed roller stick shift level (under feed chute in center) down to the feed position (down is feed, center is off, up is reverse)
Shut engine off
fill canister to about 1 inch from top, tighten sliver cap.
Starting engine with feed roller in off position is recommend in case you have wood in the chute cutting area.
To check your fluid level in the black canister, loosen the nut on top and read the dip stick.
How do I fix an oil lock?
An oil lock occurs from tipping the machine or attempting to pull start an excessive amount of times. This causes the oil from the piston to move into the carburetor, preventing a spark that's required to start the engine.
To fix an oil lock:
1. Sit unit upright
2. Unscrew oil bolt in the back of the engine to drain the oil
3. Take off yellow oil caps with dipsticks
4. Unplug spark plug and wipe off any oil
5. Let the unit sit like this overnight, the oil will drain back into the cylinder
6. Screw the bolt back onto the back of the engine again, ensure the bolt is tightly fastened. Plug in the spark plug, and top up the oil and screw in the yellow caps
7. If the unit smokes upon start, it's burning off excess oil and will go away after a moment