Kohler CV25 ASAM Failed
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Pricing note: the prices and availability in this article were checked in September 2026 and are subject to change. Always check the retailer’s current price before buying.
One thing up front: the swap described here is unofficial, not something Kohler endorses. It also solves a real and expensive problem. An owner of a 1997 Craftsman GT with a Kohler CV25 (spec CV25-69511) had the original ASAM, the Analog Spark Advance Module, and ASAM units fail with age. Per Kohler’s own bulletin PB 265, the only Kohler-approved fix when an ASAM fails is the MDI (Magnetic Discharge Ignition) conversion kit, part 24 755 308-S, which comes with its own flywheel and two new ignition modules and is not cheap. The owner had a 2005 Kohler CV740 donor engine with the newer DSAI (Digital Spark Advance Ignition) and asked on My Tractor Forum whether he could move those DSAI parts onto the CV25 instead. The short answer is that it is feasible, cheaper, and unblessed.
Quick Answer
Kohler’s official answer to a failed ASAM on a CV25 is the MDI conversion kit 24 755 308-S, $222 to $314 at dealers in September 2026, flywheel and two new ignition modules included. The unofficial alternative is to transplant the DSAI spark advance from a Kohler CV730 or CV740 donor: the speed advance module 24 584 31-S, its two ignition modules, and its flywheel, moved as a set. Bought separately those parts cost as much as the kit (a flywheel alone is $175 used or $207 and up new, and the DSAI module is itself discontinued), so the swap only wins on price if you already own the donor, as the forum poster did. Kohler does not document or bless the swap. Want a supported fix with a warranty, buy the kit; have a CV740 in the corner, the DSAI swap is the one the forums use.
ASAM, DSAI, and MDI: what the alphabet means
Three systems, one job. ASAM is the older analog spark advance module on the CV25, a separate box telling two ordinary coils when to fire. DSAI is the later digital version on the CV730 and CV740, a separate 12-volt module with its own pair of ignition modules and its own flywheel. MDI is Kohler’s magneto-powered retrofit for when either dies, with the advance built into the modules and no box at all. The one fact that governs the swap: the speed advance module and its flywheel are a matched set, which is why the MDI kit ships a flywheel and why a DSAI transplant means the DSAI flywheel comes along too.
What it applies to
Kohler CV25-69511 Command Pro V-twin and ASAM-equipped variants in the CV23 and CV25 range; PB 265’s 25 hp kit is written for spec numbers 68xxx and 69xxx, while the 22 and 23 hp ASAM engines (specs 66xxx, 67xxx, and 76xxx) get a different kit, 24 755 307-S, which converts them to fixed CDI ignition instead. The donor DSAI parts come from any Kohler CV730 or CV740 series engine with DSAI. Confirm both your failing engine and your donor by spec number before you start moving parts.
The part numbers, official and unofficial
- ASAM (original CV25): the speed advance module is 24 584 09-S (24 584 10-S on some specs). Kohler has discontinued both with no direct replacement, which is why PB 265 exists.
- DSAI (CV730/CV740 donor): the speed advance module is 24 584 31-S, working with the DSAI ignition modules Kohler lists for the CH/CV740 (24 584 52-S, 24 584 63-S, or 24 584 89-S) and the DSAI flywheel 24 025 58-S, now superseded by 24 025 122-S. Kohler discontinued the whole 12-volt DSAI system in 2013 (bulletin PB 259) and sends those engines to MDI kit 25 707 03-S, so donor parts and old stock are all there is.
- The CV25’s ignition modules (coils): 24 584 36-S, which replaced 24 584 15-S and 24 584 11-S. It fits the ASAM-era CV22 and CV25 and the non-DSAI CH730 and CH740, which is why it turns up in listings for both engines, but a DSAI donor uses its own modules, so the coil is the one number here that is not part of the swap. It is not the DSAI brain, and a new pair will not revive a dead ASAM.
- MDI (Kohler’s official answer): conversion kit 24 755 308-S for 25 hp engines with spec numbers 68xxx and 69xxx, per bulletin PB 265: two MDI ignition modules, a flywheel, a duplex lead, and instructions. This is the sanctioned, supported route.
Verify each of these against your specific engines; Kohler revised them across production, and dealer lookups now point the DSAI module at MDI kit numbers of its own.
The buying landscape
| Path | What | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unofficial DSAI swap, donor in hand | Speed advance module 24 584 31-S, its ignition modules, and the DSAI flywheel pulled from your own CV730/CV740 | $0 beyond the donor | Cheapest only if you already own the donor; not Kohler-blessed |
| Unofficial DSAI swap, parts bought | Used DSAI flywheel 24 025 58-S on eBay, new 24 025 122-S at dealers, plus a 24 584 31-S if you can find one | $175 used flywheel; $207 to $312 new; module not found | Costs as much as the kit and buys a discontinued system |
| Official MDI kit | Kohler 24 755 308-S: two modules, flywheel, lead | $222 to $314 | Sanctioned; four online dealers had it in stock at check, AppliancePartsPros did not |
| Ignition module (coil) only | Kohler 24 584 36-S, genuine | $45 to $114 | $45 to $80 genuine on eBay, $114.18 at AppliancePartsPros in stock (affiliate link below); fixes a bad coil, not a dead ASAM |
Prices above were checked in September 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm the current price at the retailer before buying.
In September 2026 the used DSAI parts were thin: eBay had used Kohler twin flywheels at $150 to $175 and no 24 584 31-S modules at all, as you would expect for a discontinued 12-volt part. The MDI kit comes through Kohler dealers and online parts houses; AppliancePartsPros lists it as no longer available, so the coil is the part it can actually sell you.
Where to buy it
- CV730/CV740 DSAI parts on eBay: donor flywheels from Kohler-twin parts sellers, $150 to $175 used when I checked; the 24 584 31-S speed advance module was not listed at all, so watch for parts-out engines instead.
- Kohler 24 584 36-S ignition module at AppliancePartsPros: the genuine coil under MTD’s KH-24-584-36-S number, $114.18 and in stock when I checked. Buy it if a coil tests bad; it will not cure a failed ASAM or DSAI module.
- Kohler Command ignition components on Amazon: aftermarket options; check current price and verify fitment.
- A Kohler dealer or online parts house: for the official MDI conversion kit 24 755 308-S, $222 to $314 when I checked, if you want the sanctioned path.
The takeaway
- Kohler’s official ASAM fix is the MDI kit 24 755 308-S (two modules, flywheel, lead), $222 to $314 in September 2026.
- The unofficial alternative is transplanting the DSAI speed advance module 24 584 31-S and its flywheel from a CV730/CV740 donor; it only beats the kit on price if you already own the donor.
- The speed advance module and flywheel are a matched set; move both, never just the module.
- 24 584 36-S is the CV25’s ignition coil, not the spark advance module and not part of the DSAI set; a new coil fixes a bad coil, nothing more.
- This swap is not Kohler-blessed; verify part numbers against both engines before moving anything.
- Want sanctioned and supported? Use the MDI kit. Want cheaper and you have a donor? Use the DSAI swap.
An aging spark advance module does not have to mean a new engine, and it does not have to mean the kit either if a CV740 is already sitting in the corner. The DSAI swap is one of those repairs the service bulletin will never mention, which is exactly why it is worth writing down.