Lawn mower muffler smoking. Lawn Mower Smoking And Leaking Oil – What To Do

Lawn Mower Smoking And Leaking Oil – What To Do?

Have you ever been mowing your lawn and the engine starts smoking, or worse, it leaks oil? This is a common problem with lawn mowers, and fortunately, there are things you can do to fix it. We’ve researched what to do if your lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil, as well as some tips for preventing this from happening in the future.

A lawn mower smoking and leaking oil can be alarming. These are both signs that something is wrong with the engine and, if left unchecked, could lead to costly repairs. The good news is that there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem. Here are a few ways to do it:

• Turn off the mower
• Check the oil level
• See the mower’s air filter
• Examine the mower‘s spark plugs
• Inspect the mower’s blade
• Check the gas tank
• See the angle of your lawnmower

Keep reading to get more tips on how to fix the issue and get your lawn mower back up and running in no time. Check out different ways to prevent smoking and leaking oil from your lawn mower.

Signs Of A Lawn Mower Smoking And Leaking Oil

If your lawn mower starts smoking or leaking oil, it’s definitely time for a tune-up. So, it’s important to take action immediately. Continuing to operate the mower can cause serious damage to the engine and could even lead to a fire.

Some of the most common signs that your mower is smoking and leaking oil include:

• White or blue smoke coming from the exhaust
• Oil dripping from the mower onto the ground
• A burning smell coming from the mower
• Strange noises coming from the engine

If you notice any of these signs, shut off the mower and allow it to cool down before checking for leaks.

Is It Normal For A Lawn Mower To Smoke And Leak Oil When It’s New?

Some lawn mowers are shipped with oil already in the engine, so it’s not unusual for them to smoke and leak a little when you first start them up. But then, if your mower is leaking a significant amount of oil or smoking excessively, this could be a sign of a problem.

It’s always best to consult your owner’s manual or contact the manufacturer if you’re unsure. In most cases, a little smoke and some slight leaking is nothing to worry about. but it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

What To Do If You Have A Lawn Mower Smoking And Leaking Oil?

If your lawn mower starts smoking and leaking oil, it’s important to take action right away.

Turn Off the Mower

If your lawn mower starts smoking or leaking oil, it’s important to take action immediately. The first thing you should do is turn off the mower and allow it to cool down.

If the smoke is coming from the engine, it’s likely that something is overheating. Allowing the engine to run for even a few more minutes could cause serious damage.

Check the Oil Level

One of the most common issues with a lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil. In most cases, this problem can be fixed by simply checking the oil level. If the oil is too low, add more until it reaches the full line on the dipstick. If the oil is too high, remove some until it is at the correct level.

It’s also important to make sure that you are using the correct type of oil for your lawn mower. Refer to your owner’s manual for specific recommendations.

Finally, be sure to dispose of used oil properly. Many service stations and auto parts stores offer disposal services for a small fee.

See the Mower’s Air Filter

A dirty air filter is one of the most common reasons for a lawn mower to smoke or leak oil. The air filter keeps dirt and debris out of the engine, and over time it can become clogged with grass and dust.

If your lawn mower‘s air filter is dirty, it can restrict airflow to the engine, causing the engine to overheat and smoke. Additionally, a dirty air filter can cause oil to leak from the engine.

To clean the air filter, remove it from the mower and wash it with soap and water. Allow the filter to dry completely before replacing it. By keeping the air filter clean, you can help prevent smoking and oil leaks.

Examine the Mower’s Spark Plugs

Inspect the mower’s spark plugs and replace them if they’re worn out. A dirty spark plug can also cause the engine to run hot and may need to be replaced.

Spark plugs can become fouled with oil and debris, which can cause the engine to misfire. You’ll know the plugs are fouled if they’re black and/or wet.

To clean the plugs, remove them from the engine and scrub them with a wire brush. If they’re excessively dirty, you may need to replace them.

Once the plugs are clean, reattach them and try starting the mower. If it still doesn’t start, you may need to take it to a repair shop.

Inspect the Mower’s Blade

A dull or damaged blade can cause the engine to work harder, leading to smoking and oil leaks. In addition, a blade that isn’t properly mounted can also cause these problems.

If the blade is loose, tighten it up using the appropriate wrench. If it’s dull or damaged, you’ll need to replace it.

Once you’ve inspected the blade, start the mower and let it run for a few minutes to see if the problem has been resolved. If not, there are a few other potential causes you can check, such as the air filter or spark plugs.

Check the Gas Tank

The gas can break down and form a varnish-like substance on the inside of the tank. This can cause clogs and restrict the flow of fuel to the engine, leading to reduced performance and increased wear and tear.

To clean out your gas tank, start draining all of the old gas. Next, add a cup of fresh gasoline and swish it around to loosen any build-up.

Finally, drain out the gas and refill the tank with fresh fuel. If you do this regularly, it will help to keep your lawn mower running smoothly for years to come.

See the Angle of Your Lawnmower

If you notice that your lawn mower is leaking oil and smoking, it’s essential to look at the machine’s angle.

The blade should be level with the ground, and the engine should be slightly higher than the blade. If the engine is lower than the blade, it can cause oil to leak into the engine and start smoking.

By taking these simple steps, you can keep your lawn mower running smoothly and prevent potential damage to the engine.

What Are The Consequences Of A Lawn Mower That Smokes And Leaks Oil?

A lawn mower that smokes and leaks oil can have some consequences.

• First, it can be a fire hazard. The oil can drip onto the hot engine, causing a fire.
• The smoke can be harmful to your health. Breathed in, it can irritate your lungs and cause respiratory problems.
• The leaking oil can pollute the environment. It can contaminate soil and water and harm wildlife.
• Finally, a smoking and leaking lawn mower is unpleasant to use. It emits toxic fumes and makes a mess of your yard.

If you have a smoking and leaking lawn mower, it’s essential to take it to a repair shop as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may put yourself and your surroundings at risk.

Is It Possible To Fix A Lawn Mower That Is Smoking And Leaking Oil By Yourself?

If your lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil, it’s essential to take action quickly to prevent further damage. In many cases, you can fix the problem yourself with a bit of time and effort.

While it may tempt you to fix the problem yourself, it’s important to remember that lawn mowers are complex machines, and attempting repairs can be dangerous. In addition, many lawn mower manufacturers void the warranty if repairs are attempted by anyone other than a licensed technician.

So, the best action is to take your lawn mower to a qualified repair shop. The technician will diagnose the problem and make the necessary repairs. While it may cost you some money upfront, you’ll save time and hassle in the long run.

How Can You Prevent Your Lawn Mower From Smoking And Leaking Oil?

Lawn mower maintenance is vital to keep your machine running properly. Over time, the engine oil breaks down and degrades, causing it to smoke and leak. You can prevent this by regularly changing the oil and using a higher-quality oil.

In addition, check the air filter regularly and clean it as needed. A clogged air filter can cause the engine to run hotter than usual and smoke.

Finally, make sure that you keep the lawn mower’s deck clean. Grass and other debris can build up on the deck and cause the blades to become imbalanced. This can strain the engine, causing it to smoke and leak oil.

By following these simple tips, you can keep your lawn mower running smoothly for years.

Final Thoughts

The lawn mower smoking and leaking oil can be a scary sight. But, don’t worry. there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the issue and get your machine running like new again. Review the list above, or reach out to professionals for the best options.

To get more tips on keeping your gardening tools, see our posts below:

Oil Coming Out of Exhaust Lawn Mower: Causes and Cures

If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you know that exhaust from lawn mowers can be a major health hazard. Not only is the oil smelly and potentially dangerous, but it can also contain harmful chemicals that can cause respiratory problems. If you want to avoid any nasty surprises, it’s important to take note of the warning signs that your lawn mower is emitting oil in excessive quantities.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at the different types of oil that come out of lawnmowers, and what you can do to avoid being affected by them.

Oil Coming Out of Exhaust Lawn Mower – Fix Issues

It’s a well-known fact that oil is bad for the environment. We use cleaners to clean up oil spills, and why doctors suggest we stay away from fried foods at good restaurants. But even though we’ve been warned of the dangers, I’ve never seen anyone take it seriously before.

If your lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil from the exhaust, don’t panic. There are several things you can do to troubleshoot the issue. This article provides information on what to do when your lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil from the exhaust and transmission on Briggs and Stratton blowing oil out of the exhaust. By understanding the potential causes of this issue, you can take the necessary steps to fix your issues.

Potential Causes

When you notice oil coming out of your lawn mower’s exhaust, it cannot be easy to diagnose the cause. First, you have to do is check your oil level. If you need more oil, make sure you have a funnel handy and fill up the tank before starting the engine.

If this isn’t the problem, take a look at the following potential causes:

Your air filter may be dirty or clogged

The air filter for your lawn mower is located inside the engine compartment and filters out dirt and debris before it reaches the engine itself.

If you haven’t changed your air filter in a while or if it’s full of dirt and dust, you could have an oil leak from it when you’re mowing your lawns. To fix this problem, change out your old air filter for a new one every month or so and clean off any excess debris that may have accumulated on top of it before installing it again.

A spark plug may be loose or damaged

Your belt may be slipping on your motor housing (this will cause a squealing noise)

Oil Leak From the Engine

If you’ve recently changed the oil on your mower, check to ensure there isn’t a leak on the engine itself. The oil filter housing may have come loose, or an O-ring might have been damaged. You’ll need to tighten the housing or replace the O-ring, but it’s an easy fix.

Worn Bearing

When a bearing wears down, the engine will make more noise than usual. This is usually because the engine can no longer move smoothly due to worn-out parts inside the engine housing.

As a result, you may notice an increase in smoke coming from your lawnmower and an increase in oil leakage from your exhaust pipe.

If you think this might be happening with your lawnmower, check the oil level first and then see if there is any excess oil around any bearings inside the engine housing. If so, this may indicate that one or more parts are worn out and need replacing immediately.

Faulty Oil Filter

Another potential cause of oil leaking from your exhaust pipe could be a faulty oil filter! An old or damaged filter can cause many different problems with how your engine runs and performs over time – including leaking oil into other machine parts.

Air Filter

The air filter cleans the air that comes into your engine, so it shouldn’t cover in oil. If it is, the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced. If you’ve recently changed the oil in your lawn mower, the oil may have gotten on the filter and contaminated it. Cleaning or changing the filter should solve this problem.

Briggs and Stratton Blowing Oil Out Exhaust

• If none of these steps work, then it may be time to take your mower into a repair shop for service, as they can diagnose and fix problems like this quickly and easily if they are willing to look at small engines like yours (usually free).

Lawn Mower Smoking and Leaking Oil from Exhaust

A lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil from the exhaust.

The most common problem with a lawn mower is smoking and leaking oil is a worn out or damaged piston ring.

The piston rings are made of rubber so that they will wear down over time. As they wear down, they start to leak oil into the engine’s combustion chamber.

This causes excess smoke that comes out of your exhaust pipe. The other possible cause is that you have a bad valve stem seal or a bad valve cover gasket leaking oil onto your spark plug wires or into their boots.

To fix this problem, you will need to remove the spark plug wires from both sides of your engine by removing their boots from their spark plugs and pulling them off.

Next, locate the leaky piston ring by looking at the bottom side of your engine, where it connects to its crankcase cover (which contains its crankcase).

You should see an oily spot on one side or both sides of this connection if you have worn out piston rings on this part of your lawn mower’s engine.

Final words

If you notice oil coming out of your lawn mower’s exhaust, you can do a few things. First, make sure that the oil comes from the exhaust and not somewhere else on the mower. If it comes from the exhaust, you may need to take your lawn mower in for repairs.This article is meant to be about something completely different. Hope you find the article useful.

White Smoke From Lawn Mower: Possible Reasons Effective Solutions

It happens a lot when you see the lawn mower white smoke then dies. It’s disappointing and people get frustrated if it happens during the mowing season.

Fret not! It may simply indicate oil spillage on the engine which has a simple fix.

However, you are in the right place to learn why you are seeing the white smoke from the lawn mower and how to solve the problem yourself. so, you will learn how to stop a lawn mower from smoking in the future.

Why Is Your Lawn Mower Blowing White Smoke?

Not just your mower, any motor engine can emit white or blue smoke for numerous reasons. Luckily, you don’t need the help of an expert to figure out such problems and fix them.

I will tell you exactly when you need to take it to the repair shop later in this article.

But before fixing it, you need to know why it happens in the first place. Once you know all the possible reasons, it will be easier for you to take preventive measures.

White or blue smoke from your mower engine simply indicates burning oil. And here possible reasons why are your lawn mower white smoke and sputtering:

• You are using the wrong oil grade/poor oil grade.
• The crankcase is overfilled with oil.
• Faulty breather of the crankcase.
• There is an air leak in the crankcase.
• Expired cylinder or any rings in there.
• An obstacle in the breather tube.
• Lawn mower blown head gasket
• Engine is operating at more than a 15-degree angle.
• For storage or oil change, if you tilt the mower engine on its side. Mowing steep heels may result in the same problem too.
• Damaged piston rings or cylinder.
• Pouring engine oil in excess of its capacity shown on the dipstick.

Let’s explain each of the problems more elaborately. I will explain what to do to solve or prevent these problems as well.

How To Stop A Lawn Mower From Smoking?

A smoking lawn mower does not mean the end of its lifecycle. There are plenty of fixes when the lawn mower blowing white smoke and won’t start smoothly.

As you have seen, there could be plenty of reasons for white smoke and sputtering, there are plenty of solutions as well. You need to fix that particular reasons.

So, here I have listed some fixes on each of these problems:

You can’t fix the problem yourself. That’s why I started with this one first. This is the most serious reason why the engine is emitting white smoke which may cost you money to fix.

The head gasket seals the area where the combustion happens. You can find it in between the cylinder block and head.

You will notice a lot of smoke of any color like white, blue, or black if the head gasket breaks. Other than the smoke, you may other symptoms like a strange noise, oil leaks, and extra pressure in the crankcase.

A damaged head gasket means there is no proper sealing. Even a tiny leak in the head gasket will result in oil leak into the cylinder from the combustion chamber.

As plenty of oil will rush into the cylinder, the engine won’t most probably start. Or, it may stop running suddenly.

No matter how long you keep the engine running, the smoke won’t go away until you seal the leak. It’s very hard to fix because it’s not repairable and you must replace the gasket.

Luckily, a new head gasket is very inexpensive and you should replace the old one instead of trying to fix repair yourself.

As part of the regular maintenance of your mower, changing the mower engine oil is crucial. But for that purpose or for any other reason, if you overfill the engine with oil, you may end up having a smoking problem.

Of course, your mower needs the engine oil to function smoothly and to keep functioning for a long time. But you must ensure not to overfill it. You should not be putting in less oil than needed to.

When it comes to engine oil, keeping the optimal balance is important. Whereas less oil will result in friction from the lack of lubrication, excess oil will enter the cylinder causes problems like emitting smoke.

Putting less oil is more damaging than overfilling it. But maintaining the optimal level is crucial.

Overfilling the engine with oil will not only result in white smoke, you may even notice the oil is coming out of the engine muffler. But don’t get too scared of it.

The easy fix to this problem is not to overfill it in the first place. Normally your lawnmower should not need more than 20 ounces’ engine oil. But fill it up with the exact amount.

Every now and then, read the user manual of your mower to remember the recommended amount of engine oil needed.

After filling the engine with oil, use a dipstick to make sure the oil level is within the optimal level as indicated in the dipstick. Remove the excess oil if it indicates any overfill.

Removing excess oil is not easy. You have to drain all the oil first, then pour the recommended amount again. That’s why it’s better to get it right the first time.

Read the manual to see whether your lawnmower has an engine with splash lubrication method or not.

If it has the splash method, the engine will splash a little amount of oil automatically on different parts of the engine to keep them lubricated. The rest of the oil will sit at the bottom of the engine.

Mowing the steep lawn or tipping your mower may result in oil entering the cylinder and start burning. When the oil in the cylinder starts burning, you will see the white smoke emitting.

When you replace the blades or want to have a look under the deck, you may unwittingly tip the mower to its sides. So, mowing on the steep heel and tipping over are two common reasons why the cylinder may fill up with oil.

The simple solution to this problem is to keep the engine running idly until all the oil burns up that has gotten into the cylinder.

To prevent the same problem from happening again, I must refer to the user manual of your mower. There you will find exactly how to tip over the mower or whether you can mow on the steep heel.

Unless it is not suitable to mow steep heels, you should not mow on the surface with more than a 15-degrees slope.

If you have to tip over the mower for maintenance work, you should do so by keeping the carburetor and air filter facing upwards.

Of course, this does not apply if you own a tractor mower. Then you have to figure out other kinds of reasons.

Another common reason for having a smoking lawn mower is the failed or damaged piston rings. If you don’t maintain your mower properly and regularly or you have a really old mower, this problem is pretty much inevitable!

There are plenty of reasons why the piston rings get damaged. But the most common reason is the worn-out or dirty air filter.

The worn-out air filter can’t prevent the dust and other tiny particles from entering the combustion chamber which ultimately damages the piston rings.

Having the damaged piston ring is bad news. This is why…

Because the piston rings of your mower control the engine oil. And it supplies the required amount of oil (which is very little) to the piston to keep the moving smooth inside the cylinder.

It also removes any excess oil from the combustion chamber. So, when you got the damaged piston rings, it can’t stop the oil to enter the combustion chamber. Ultimately, it can’t prevent the burning up of the oil and the white smoke.

The reason I said having the bad piston rings is bad news because you can’t repair it yourself unless you are a professional and you have the special kind of tools required for it.

The damaged piston rings mean you have a damaged cylinder issue as well. Repairing the piston rings also means a complete engine rebuild.

If you are hell-bent on repairing it, take it to any professional repair shop. But the wisest decision would be completely replacing the engine with a brand new one!

All the modern lawn mowers come with a 4-stroke engine. Whereas a 2-stroke mower engine can accept mixing oil in the fuel, it’s a big no for a 4-stroke engine.

If your mower has a 4-stroke engine, it means it’s more reliable and requires less maintenance than any 2-stroke mower. You don’t need to mix oil in its fuel. This is where some people make their mistakes.

Mixing the oil in the fuel for a 4-stroke engine will result in burning the oil with plenty of smoke. To make things even worse, running the engine with mixed oil will lead to damage to the engine!

By mistake, if you put the oil in the fuel engine, you can remove the oil simply by running the engine until the contaminated gas runs out. Then you can put the clean gas into the fuel tank again.

Removing oil by running the engine will result in while smoke for sure. If you want to be on the safe side and want to remove the oil without running the engine, follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Get a pan to collect the oil from the fuel tank.
• There is a fuel line connecting the fuel tank and the engine. Locate that line.
• Remove the fuel line from the fuel tank end. You can simply undo the clip holding the line and pull it off.
• Keep the pan in place to collect the oil from the tank as soon as you remove the fuel line from the tank. Make sure you don’t have any spilled gasoline scenario. It’s a serious fire hazard.
• Now, locate the carburetor to remove oil from there too. Locate the carburetor bowl located right underneath the carburetor.
• Unscrew the nut from the carburetor bowl to remove the oil from there and collect it with the pan.

Of course, there will be some leftover oil inside the carburetor bowl. I strongly recommend removing the leftover oil as well. You can find plenty of good carburetor cleaners from online stores like Amazon easily.

FYI: Do not tilt the mower while draining fuel from the tank or the carburetor bowl. It will spill the oil into the carburetor or the cylinder.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Does White Smoke From A Lawn Mower Mean?

Answer: It indicates either a blown head gasket of your mower or moisture in the combustion chamber. You need to replace the blown head gasket ASAP or remove the moisture from the chamber.

How Do I Fix White Smoke From My Lawn Mower?

Answer: If it’s happening due to the blown gasket, replace it immediately. But there are plenty of other reasons for the white smoke. If it’s for the spilled oil, burn off that oil.

Why Is My 4 Stroke Lawn Mower Smoking?

Answer: Most likely you have put mixed oil in the fuel tank. Remove the mixed oil from the tank and from the carburetor bowl and put clean gasoline again.

How Do I Know If My Lawnmower Has A Blown Head Gasket?

Answer: Well, if your lawnmower does not start or is dropping out and there is an oil leak, your mower has a blown head gasket issue.

Will Too Much Oil Cause White Smoke?

Answer: Yes. If you overfill the engine with oil, you will notice white smoke with grey or blue tint. Because the engine will be burning the excess oil that has entered the combustion chamber.

Why Is My John Deere Tractor Blowing White Smoke?

Answer: As per the company itself, you got nothing to worry about. It’s normal that your new John Deere tractor will be emitting white or blue smoke during the initial break-in period because it consumes oil during that period.

Sum Up

Of course, blue or white smoke from lawn mower is concerning. But as you have seen, there are plenty of easy fixes to stop a lawn mower from smoking irrespective of the color.

As long as you know the right lawn mower burning oil fix, you can take preparation for the mowing season in full swing! Share it with your friends so that they can learn what to do when there is mower white smoke and won’t start.

Den Hicks

Traveler, food lover, interior designer, and blogger. I love gardening a lot! I designed my home myself with the help of my beloved wife. You are welcome!

Why Is My Lawn Mower Blowing White Smoke?

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Getting a big Cloud of white smoke can be scary. Most people don’t expect it to happen — but why is it even happening?

Why is your lawn mower blowing white smoke? The truth is, it could be one of these reasons:

• An air leak in your crankcase
• An overfilled crankcase
• A broken or not working breather in your crankcase
• Poor grades of oil
• If you tilted the engine for more than 15 degrees (even if just for storage)
• If your cylinder is worn out
• Head gasket broke

Of course, just knowing what caused your lawnmower to blow white smoke is not enough — you also have to know how to fix it. So, if you want to learn more about these issues (as well as

some other problems that may be the cause of white smoke), as well as the solutions, read on.

Common Reasons a Lawn Mower Is Blowing White Smoke

As mentioned, there are some common reasons why your lawn mower may be blowing white smoke. It happens often — much more often than you’d think — and most of these problems are easy to troubleshoot, but more on that later.

For now, let’s just take a look at all of the possible reasons why your lawn mower may be blowing white smoke. Some of them you’ve already seen at the beginning of this article. Here they are:

• Tilted engine, as the most common reason for white smoke blowing out of your lawnmower (no lawnmower should be tilted at an angle bigger than 15 degrees).
• Oil issues such as overflowing oil or wrong type of the oil are the second most common cause, and it’s often very easy to fix.
• Leaks are another common issue, and they could cause even more problems if you leave them be.
• Broken parts such as the head gasket, cylinders, etc. need to be checked for once in a while to prevent these issues.

Other than these causes, there are some less common ones, but it’s good to be aware of them, just in case you are one of the people it happens to. Here they are:

• Blocking of the breather
• Putting more oil than the dipstick shows
• Damaged piston rings

Fortunately, all of these are easy enough to repair. There’s no room for panic. First, you need to shut your machine off and let it cool down. Then, you can move on to some solutions.

How to Fix the Most Common Causes of White Smoke in Lawn Mowers

While white smoke looks scary and like a serious issue, it’s actually not. You can fix it in no time if you just follow some simple steps. Naturally, you may not know immediately what caused the smoke, but it doesn’t hurt to test some of these solutions out until you get it right.

Cause #1: Lawn Mower Tipped Over

Starting with the most basic cause of white smoke in lawn mowers, this one is also the easiest to fix. You’ll also know if this is the cause right away. Has your lawn mower been tipped at an angle greater than 15 degrees? Maybe you stored it that way, or you accidentally moved it like that.

Most people end up with this issue because of cleaning under the deck or even because they are emptying the chute. When they do this, the oil moves from the crankcase to the cylinder, and once you start mowing again, your lawnmower starts to smoke.

In some cases, the oil will leak too.

The best solution for this is to put the lawnmower upright, check the oil in the crankcase (add more if necessary), and then let the engine run until the smoke dissipates. It’s a simple solution, although it may not be comfortable for your neighbors because of all the smoke.

But if you have a tractor mower, this will usually not be the case, so you have to look for other causes.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDIY.com for this article. This post was first published on 2020-05-25.

Cause #2: Oil Issues

In general, your lawnmower will take a little over a pound (near 0.5 l) of oil. This is a really small amount, so it would be no wonder if you overfilled the crankcase once in a while. It’s common. To prevent it, just check the level and the amount carefully before moving on to mowing.

Often, people think that a little oil can’t hurt anyone, especially not the lawnmower, but the fact is that it could be very bad for their engine. Most engines work on a system of splash lubrication, and if the oil level is higher than the paddles, it won’t work well.

In this case, the engine is blowing white smoke because it’s trying to burn all of that oil. You can fix it quickly by draining the oil and then let the engine run until the smoke is no longer present. It’s a quick and simple solution, just like with the first cause of white smoke.

While extracting the excess oil could be bothersome, especially on some models, you should do your best because it will make the process quicker.

If the oil smells like gas, you shouldn’t run the engine, though. This will mean that your carburetor seal is broken. In this case, you want to make the fix to the carburetor and then change the oil before using the machine again.

If you try to run the engine without adding proper oil and fixing the problem, you could damage the engine because the oil will be too thin (because of the gas).

Another thing that could happen is that the oil has found the way to the carburetor, and then the gas can’t get to the jet. If you run the engine a few times, you will be able to spend that oil, and the smoke will go away. If it seems like it won’t work, you should clean your carburetor.

For one, you’ll have to turn your engine over and then spill the oil from it. Then, you can replace the plug and try again. There are more detailed cleaning measures for the carburetor, but try them after you try this first as it’s simple, and it might just solve your issue.

You could also put oil in the gas tank by accident, which is a common mistake. To fix it, just drain the oil and put in the gas. Run the engine for a while afterward, so the remaining oil clears out, and the smoke goes away. Again, you could clean the entire carburetor.

Cause #3: Head Gasket Issues

If your head gasket breaks, you’ll probably see a lot of smoke. It’s less common too, but it’s still possible — harder to fix, too.

A head gasket is a part lodged in between the cylinder head in an engine and the cylinder block, and it serves the purpose of sealing the area where the combustion happens. Some common symptoms — other than white smoke — of this problem are oil leaks, more pressure in the crankcase, a strange noise, etc.

To fix it, you have to replace it.

Final Thoughts

White smoke tends to be concerning, but it’s usually an easy fix. Far more dangerous for your lawnmower is blue or black smoke. With white smoke, it’s just a matter of fixing a simple issue and letting the engine run until the smoke is no longer there.

Keep in mind that new lawnmowers tend to blow white smoke for a while until they get started and adapt to everything. So, don’t get alarmed if you see this on your first mowing round with your new mower.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on 2020-05-25.