Recent Feedback
I have a john deer walk behind mower SN. GX1330X020373 No spark when trying to start. The engine is a Kohler 17 horse. There is no series listed on the engine. The ignighter checked 1.9 ohms resistance The coil checked bad I don't have a part number to try on Ebay. The John Deer Dealer says that there is a choice of two different part numbers John Deer has their own part numbers for the Kohler engine What would you recommend? Thanks Shepard
Is there no id label on the engine with a spec number? John Deere does often specify parts from their vendors, such as Kohler and Tuff-Torq to not have any ID numbers that will cross-reference and this does cause quite a bit of trouble. Usually the engine will still have a label on the side of the block with the exact model and spec number though.
Without the proper spec number, you're probably limited to taking the old coil into the JD dealer and having them match it.
With the full model and spec number, the proper Kohler coil number can be found.
This a 1992 mowerOver the years the spec number seams to have gone with the wind
Unfortunately then that pretty much leaves you to try and match it with the two available coils from JD. On the plus side, when they do match it, you should be able to figure out the spec number or pretty close. I don't know what the difference might be between the two coils, maybe one is for a CDI engine. But if they can id the mower by the model numbers, and they should be able to by comparing your mower's features to the ones listed in the book, then they should be able to find the engines available on that particular mower model. Then using a couple of different parts, they should be able to give you the spec number. The spec number is XXXXX's way of ID'ing exactly what version of an engine you have.
Experience: Retired Owner of a full service shop and national parts sales website.