445 blowing smoke.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

Any of you guys have any suggestions. I have a 445 aws with about 385 hours on it. I think it might be a 2000 or newer, not for sure. Anyway the last two times I mowed grass the mower would be mowing and running fine and then start bellowing white smoke. This happened intermitently it seemed to happen under load. It did it a few times yesterday and when it started to do it I shut the deck off and it quit. It would only do it for a few seconds but it was definetly not normal.. I do not think it it actually burning oil, I think it is loading up on fuel. Do this engines needs valve adjustments or something that could be causing this? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

beenthere · May 24, 2010

Seems if loading up on fuel, you would detect a change in the sound of the engine or a change in the rpm. Either of those happen at the same time you see "smoke"?

Is the smoke for sure coming from the exhaust pipe? Is there any smell (odor) connected with the "smoke"?

Might check the compression on each cylinder, and check for anything loose on the engine or carburetor.
Check both plugs, and wiring to the plugs.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

Smoke is coming from the exhaust. It sure acts like it is loading up on fuel. I thought it might be bad gas but I put in fresh and it still does it.

nmu98 · May 24, 2010

beenthere said:
Seems if loading up on fuel, you would detect a change in the sound of the engine or a change in the rpm. Either of those happen at the same time you see "smoke"?

Is the smoke for sure coming from the exhaust pipe? Is there any smell (odor) connected with the "smoke"?

Might check the compression on each cylinder, and check for anything loose on the engine or carburetor.
Check both plugs, and wiring to the plugs.

445 are Fuel injected.......

Try running some fuel injector cleaner through it. Many people swear by seafoam. I would make sure the connections are clean on the battery and on the computer board. Check your air cleaner and make sure there is not a film of oil in the intake, if there is, wipe it clean.

beenthere · May 24, 2010

No loss of power? No change in rpm? Hmmm?

Right, these are fuel injected.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

When it start to blow the smoke it does bogg down like you just kicked the mower deck on but it doesn't do it but about 2-3 seconds. NO smoking on idle or higher rpms. I well try the fuel injector cleaner.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

Has anyone ever had any problems with head gaskets on these mowers? How would I determine head gasket? Low coolant, compression check, water in oil? Thanks for all the ideas.

nmu98 · May 24, 2010

A head gasket leak could have water in the oil, oil in the water, neither, it could reduce compression, or many other things.

I do not know the exact date, but sometime 2000 and prior, these engines were built with nylon teeth on the camshaft. Those were known to go bad and skip teeth or strip. If your engine does this all the time, I bet thats your issue. If it does it on and off, it might be a stuck injector or......

beenthere · May 24, 2010

What is the serial number of the 445 (xxx out the last three digits for security if you'd like).

OLD FARMER · May 24, 2010

I had a similar thing happen to me with a scotts rider, I had motor oil in the carb from too much oil in the engine and blow by tube sucking it into the carb on rough ground, probably not it but a thought.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

I will have to get the serial number tonight and post it. It doesn't blow smoke all the time it is just random. Thanks for the help.

xrjohndeere · May 24, 2010

I was unable to retrieve the serial number because part of the tag is missing. Is there anywhere else on this tractor where the number would be? On the air cleaner housing it says manufacture date 1199. I checked the oil, it does not look like there is water in it but it is way over full, about one to one and half inch above max and I am sure when I changed the oil way back when I did not over fill it. I am wondering if gas may have gotten into the crank. I can't tell for sure. How can you tell if there is gas in the oil? I smelled it but I can't tell for sure. If it is gas, where would it be coming from. I started the tractor and it fired right up, ran like a champ. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Gittyup · May 25, 2010

Don't know if this has anything to do with it. But the owner's manual on my 425 does say to adjust the valves. Don't recall the exact hours, but i think it is around 400 - 500. Pretty easy to do. Just gotta buy new valve cover gaskets when you do it.

will v · May 25, 2010

First - if the oil is that full, drain it and put some new oil in there. The correct amount is 1.5-1.6 quarts. I would then run the motor to see if you still have the same problem. On this engine there is a crankcase vent tube that runs into the mouth of the intake manifold. If your oil is this full it stands to reason that the oil is getting sloshed up into the intake and burning off. Hopefully this is your problem.

If you still have the problem, and you notice the oil level is going up I think it's safe to say you are getting water/coolant into the oil through a failed head gasket or cracked cylinder bore. Is your coolant level low at all? If you are getting water in the oil it has to be coming from somewhere and the radiator will have to be low as a result. I highly doubt you have fuel getting into the oil.

Check these couple of things first. If you change the oil and have the correct amount in there and you are not filling up the crankcase with water/coolant there are a few electronic issues that can arise also. Go to the deere owning/operating section of this site and look up my post on the problem I found and finally resolved just recently. In short I had two independent problems - head gasket, and MAP sensor but there is a ton of detail in that post..

Will

xrjohndeere · May 25, 2010

There is no water in the oil and the coolant level is full. I noticed it does this when on a hill. I am going to drain the oil and run a compression check to see if there is any leak down and look at the plugs to see if they are getting fouled. I do believe there is gas getting into the crank not water. I know I did not overfill with that much oil. Thanks for all the advise.

nmu98 · May 26, 2010

I probably does it on a hill since the oil moves to the downward side of the engine and probably gets pushed out the crankcase breather tube into the intake.

If you had gas in your oil, your oil would small like gas and be pretty thin. I would guess that once you change oil and put the correct amount in, this tractor will be fine. Be sure the tractor is level when filling it with oil.

xrjohndeere · May 27, 2010

Drained the oil out and put new in. It was about 3/4 of a quart over full. I don't know how this happened. It was running fine and didn't smoke anymore when I cut the grass. I am going to keep an eye on the oil level and see if it rises. There was no water in the oil I removed and I do not think there was any gas. I must have been drinking when I changed the oil the last time. Thanks for everyones help..