How to Build a Kohler Engine for Pulling

Open the pack of new hydraulic lifters and soak them in a container of regular motor oil for five to six hours. While your lifters are soaking, line up the engine's parts, nuts and bolts for easy installation.

Install piston rings on each cylinder. Normally there are three rings per piston. The piston rings must seal the gap between the piston and cylinder wall during the compression stroke. If the piston rings are not properly set, they allow compression gases to blow by the piston and contaminate the engine oil; this loss in lubrication causes an increase in friction and drag between the moving parts of the engine, reducing overall engine performance.

Apply a specialized lubricant, such as STP oil, to the inside of the cylinder wall. STP oil is commonly used because its thick film provides a better seal between the piston rings and cylinder wall, minimizing the blow of the compression gases.

Fill your Kohler engine's oil pump with STP oil to ensure proper lubrication on start-up. The oil pump in an engine is responsible for the proper distribution of the engine oil throughout all parts of the engine.

Flip the engine block over. Place the main bearing caps -- powder metals that keep the engine’s crankshaft in place -- in position on the engine block, and tighten each bearing cap to an initial setting of 85 foot-pounds of torque, using a torque wrench. Ensure you lubricate all the main bearing caps with an STP oil treatment before installing the crankshaft.

Place the rod bearings into their respective piston-rod caps following 65 foot-pounds of torque, using a torque wrench.

Compress the piston rings tightly against the cylinder wall with a piston-ring compressor. If a piston ring sticks to the cylinder wall, gently tap on one side of the sticking piston, using a rubber mallet, to slide the piston ring into position.

Install the camshaft -- a spinning rod--into the engine block and lubricate with STP oil treatment. Coat the exposed surface of the camshaft with STP oil and then gently push the camshaft into the block. Screw a cam button into the threaded hole on the camshaft. Install the camshaft sprockets. Ensure the camshaft timing marks are aligned with the small holes in the sprockets. Install the oil pump and the oil pan.

Install the lifters into the holes in the engine block.

Place the head gaskets onto the edge of the engine block, and then slightly press them down with your fingers. When installing head gaskets, ensure they do not cover any of the ports in the water jacket. Secure each head to the engine block by tightening the bolts with a wrench.

Install the pushrods. When you do this, ensure the pushrods fit into the bores of the lifters. When done, place the rocker-arm assembly on top of the pushrods. Position the tips of the pushrods onto the base of the rocker arm, then tighten the rocker arm's nut with a wrench.

Install the intake manifold on the top of the engine block. The purpose of installing an intake manifold is to allocate the air/fuel mixture in the individual cylinders. The intake manifold often comes with gasket. Usually, the gasket used on the intake manifold is a type of silicon sealant called RTV, or room-temperature vulcanizing.

Install the valve covers -- metal housings that protect the valves inside. Your engine is now ready for the installation of the final parts; these include fuel filter, fuel pump and fuel injection system. They are installed followed by the attachment of your engine to the engine compartment.

Program the engine control unit, or ECU, in your pulling truck. This is done to increase your engine's power and fuel efficiency. Simple hand-held programmers are available to tune your vehicle's engine. Plug your programmer into the diagnostic port of your vehicle, and follow the specific instructions for your engine.