Engine Specifications of a John Deere 316

• With an eight-year production run, the John Deere 316 lawn tractor rolled out of showrooms between the years of 1984 and 1992. It was slightly different than the larger 318 model that was in production during the same era. The two lawn tractors shared the same engine, and although advertising materials downplayed the 316's overall horsepower, technical and repair manuals list the engine's power output as the same as the more upscale model.

Manufacturer and Size

• The John Deere 316 was built around an 18-horsepower engine manufactured by Onan. The two-cylinder engine was capable of sustaining up to 3,600 rpm. Originally equipped with the Onan P218, which was essentially the same engine with a 0.8 liter capacity, though midway through the tractor's production run, it was retooled with the Onan P218G engine, which had an engine size of 0.7 liter.

Engine Construction

• Onan manufactured the engine with cast-iron cylinder liners for the 316 and the 318 alike. Cylinders on both the P218 and the P218G featured an 83 mm bore with a 67 mm piston stroke length. The engine was equipped with a battery-operated starter engine.

Cooling and Air Flow

• The Onan P218 series engine used in the 316 was an air-cooled engine, and relied on foam and paper air cleaners in its manifold.

Oil Capacity

• The 316's engine held 1.7 quarts -- 1.6 liters -- of oil.