The Robin probably ran at 3600 rpm. Government blade speed regs now dictate that the engine on a 21 inch mower be set at approximately 3050. Oil filter wrenches are available at auto parts stores.

That filter probably got stuck on there rather than being overtightened at the factory, but I'm just guessing. The new shouldn't be more than hand tight, although it may still take a wrench to get it off the next time. You can buy the smallest filter wrench at the auto parts store like canguy said, or just gently use the channel locks again.

Loosen the 10mm bolts that hold the whole carb panel onto the engine and slide the panel back and forth on its slotted bolt holes to adjust the spring tension on the governor. On a 21" mower, the ANSI-imposed 19,000fpm max tip speed means 3454rpm. But to really stay under that, you'd want to set the speed 100-200rpm lower. OTOH, 100-200rpm should make a pretty difference to mowing performance. You can make your own call about what exact speed to set. The link below references a recent thread about this where there is more detail on governed speeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: The mother of all governor setting threads

Thanks Matt and Canguy. Yeah, I'll try an auto parts place for a filter wrench that fits this little filter can. All the car filters I've seen are much bigger than this one. That original factory filter was a tight bugger.

On top RPM, I'll probably set it around 3200. I don't know where it is now but I'd guess 3000. It works for bagging, but probably stinks for mulching.

If this is a "generic" replacement engine, that simply may be the speed it was set at the factory??
Or maybe it's just quieter and sounds slower?

BTW- here's some oil filter alternatives-
Wix Purolator Hastings Baldwin AC MotorCraft
51394 L14476 LF410 B33 PF1233 FL836

Bill - thanks for the tip on the wix filters. I found a substitute for the Kawi filter you can mail order cheaply too. The OEM Kawi is spendy.

Your right, the factory probably has things set conservatively for low noise.

"The OEM Kawi is spendy."

Heh, you should try paying for the Robin filter...which I believe is the same filter as the Kawasaki, at twice the price (that's what happens when the company gets out of the game altogether). I'll look into these substitute brands next time as well. Thanks.

"Bill - thanks for the tip on the wix filters"

The NAPA Gold 1394 & CarQuest Premium 85394
are also the SAME Wix with a different paint job.

I'm doing the very same conversion right now. The engine arrived from TEW and I'm waiting on some parts from Snapper. I found I would have to replace the crankshaft pulley, the blade hub, the engine brake cable, and the throttle control. Did you run across any other incompatabilities? Snapper didn't list bolts for attaching the engine to the body and none came with the engine. Where did you get your engine bolts?

I'm going to miss my Robin. It was an incredibly powerful engine. I have high hopes that the Kawasaki will perform similarly.

wepaddle, the bolts from your Robin will work fine. The Kawasaki is going to be at least as powerful as the Robin, from my experience. You aren't stepping down in performance. You might find the need the grind the front lower corner of the muffler shield off to clear the chute or dome on the Snapper deck. I did, but it depends on what muffler/model your engine has. You could probably just unscrew the shield and use tin snips to nip off just a small bit of the corner.

Using a different filter than the Kawasaki branded filter doesn't void the engine warranty does it?

how on earth did you manage to wear out a robin engine?

"Using a different filter than the Kawasaki branded filter doesn't void the engine warranty does it?"
How would all the Quickie Lube places exist?

Moss-Magnuson Warranty Act precludes manufacturer from forcing you to use their "branded" parts unless they can prove another brand is inferior for the intended use.
The only caveat I would ber concerned about is using a brand that doesn't list your application in their catalog.
Example: Motor Craft filters are excellent, but MC doesn't list them in their catalog for L&G use. I doubt they would willingly pay a warranty claim for your Kaw.
What would really be humorous would be JD trying to deny a claim for using a FRAM! (guess why)

My Robin died of a dead coil. After close to a month of searching my local shop found one for $135! The engine ran strong but had a lot of hours on it from a former commercial (municipal) application. It used a fair amount of oil and smoked. I figured if parts were that hard to find and that expensive I might as well get the Kawi and have a new clean running engine with parts readily available. This is my primary mower so when it's down the grass doesn't get cut. I plan to keep the Robin as a project. Maybe rebuild with my sons.

wepaddle, keep looking in ebay and you'll eventually find a coil. In the meantime, enjoy that FJ180V and you won't be disappointed.

I figured that the warranty would still be okay if a non-Kawi filter was used, but you never know these days. I plan on picking up one of those engine hour meter/tach combos this weekend so I can see what she is spinning at.
I need to figure out where to mount it so it looks clean. I can't believe that I am caring about a lawnmower this much.
I put some vinyl conditioner/protectant on the fan shroud and am looking for a pressure washer to keep the underside clean. Maybe I'll wax it. I figured that since I spent a decent chunk of change on this thing, I might as well get the most out of it by keeping it in shape. I plan on mounting the casters soon to see if I like them. That is part of the reason I got the commercial. I was told that the consumer version doesn't have the ability to mount the casters....

Well I got the mower put back together. It took a few additional Snapper parts to get the Kawi to work where the Robin once sat. All in all it was a fairly easy conversion. I have cut and bagged the yard once. I have to say that as far as mower operation the engines seem identical. The Kawi is a tad quieter and the pull starter seems a little easier. Other than that it's the same old mower. My Robin had a lot of hours on it so I would imagine that it probably had a little more umphf when it was new. I'm pleased with the swap and looking forward to mulching with it next week.

I have a snapper mower, an I swap the Honda engine for an Kawasaki fj 180v engine that I had on a cub cadet that I don't use anymore,I want to be able to still use my snapper blade,but I need to change the pulley underneath,you have any idea what kind of pulley that fix my snapper blade that will bolt up to my kawasaki engine?