Snapper smoking

   / Snapper smoking #1  

MrChris

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
341
Location
Georgia
Tractor
Mahindra 3215HST
Fired up my 2003 33" Snapper riding mower today and white smoke billowed out of the exhaust. It's got the 14.5 HP B&S engine. Shut her down and noticed oil spray around the area of the spark plug, spark plug wire and muffler. Cleaned up the oil, started her up. Got the white smoke again and more oil spray around the same areas. Any thoughts??
 
   / Snapper smoking #3  
I'd be willing to bet it's a blown head gasket.
 
   / Snapper smoking
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Well, turns out HeeHaw is partially right. I decided to check the oil level and it was indeed high. I wasn't sure why because I had just changed it the beginning of the season, but I drained some out of the engine until it was at the proper level on the dipstick. Started the engine up and no more smoke. However I noticed the oil was somewhat thin and when I smelled it, it definitely had a gas smell. Evidently when I tilted the machine up on it's back support to take the blade off and sharpen it this week gas must have leaked into the engine oil. Now if you own a Snapper mower you know that you are allowed to do this for cleaning the underside of the deck. It was actually another key reason why I got the machine. Ease of cleaning. The gas tank was about a 1/4 full when I did this. There is an electrical connection on the bottom of the carburator bowl. Not sure if this has anything to do with shutting the gas off so this doesn't happen. Any way I drained all the oil out. Put new oil in. Checked the level. Started her up and cut the yard. Ran fine. No oil spray. No smoke. Checked the oil level afterwards. Level fine and had good oil consistency. Any thoughts on how gas got into the oil?
 
   / Snapper smoking #5  
It likely got in when you raised your machine. It could also get in if your needle and seat in the carb is dirty / damaged. Id check your oil on a frequent basis, at least for a little whilt to be sure that you dont have anything wrong with your carb.

More remote ways, would be intermittent spark causing flooding or damaged rings/cylinder allowing gas to blow by.
 
   / Snapper smoking #6  
i put a manual shutoff valve on the gas line of my snapper, because the needle valve would not shut off and i got a lot of gas in the engine, thus making the oil level high..it didn't happen when it was running, but if i stopped it without the manual shutoff, i would occasionally get gas in the oil....since it was such an easy fix, i haven't bothered to try to figure out why it happens sometimes and not other times..i have a 14hp kohler on this snapper..
heehaw
 
 
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