oil coming out of breather tube in carburator

[phil burckhalter]

hi,
I have a john deere 445 with a 23 hp liquid. was cleaning the snow from the plow and noticed it missing slightly. I pulled out both plugs, on the right side the plug was brown and tan, on the left side the plug was black and looked like it was misfiring sometimes. I notice that when I went to take out the left plug the there was oil on the outside of the plug on the head. so when I took off the air filter I noticed that it was almost saturated with oil from the breather tube. ( during the summer it was running fine, the air filter was dry) I am hoping it is not blow by from the piston. the tractor has 1,100 hours on it total. I didn't do a compression test to see if the head gasket could be bad. the oil could maybe be the valve cover gasket leaking, someone at one time has half broken off one of the ears on the head, I did buy two extra heads from e bay. thinking I could change the head, put on a new head gasket and see if that has anything to do with it,
thanks for the help,
phil

 

[davesl708]

Sounds like a valve issue. Are the valve covers leaking?
If you already have the extra heads may be the best move is to rebuild the heads and install them.

 

[Yellowfever440]

I think I would adjust the valves and put new valve cover gaskets on and see what happens. I wouldn't rush to putting different heads on at 1100 hours.

 

[phil burckhalter]

thank you yellowfever 440 and daves 1708,
sounds like both of you are on the same path, which is welcome news to me. when i changed the head gasket i put a new valve cover gasket on it but with the one ear being partially broke i have to add some hi temperature gasket to seal it where it was broke, so maybe with being broke and it leaking maybe i should use the head i bought and re do the valves. why i didnt think it is ring blow by is because it doesn't smoke at all, at start or after i have been using it. and it does seem to have good power

 

[BBO]

I notice that when I went to take out the left plug the there was oil on the outside of the plug on the head. so when I took off the air filter I noticed that it was almost saturated with oil from the breather tube. ( during the summer it was running fine, the air filter was dry) I am hoping it is not blow by from the piston. the tractor has 1,100 hours on it total.

I think you have leaking valve cover gaskets and possibly some o-ring blow by.
How sure are you that the air filter was dry all summer long?

Are the valve covers the black plastic with the o-ring style gasket?

 

[phil burckhalter]

I think you have leaking valve cover gaskets and possibly some o-ring blow by.
How sure are you that the air filter was dry all summer long?

Are the valve covers the black plastic with the o-ring style gasket?

yes, they are the black plastic with the o ring. the air filter was dry all summer, the air filter now is somewhat oil soaked. looks like its coming out of the breather tube. the thing that confuses me is there is no noticeable blue smoke coming from the exhust. looked at it last night again and after wiping the carburetor down on Saturday, I noticed more laying under the filter last night.

 

[Yellowfever440]

I was thinking there is a breather valve in the motor that has a thin metal flap and steel wool stuff in it that is a relief pressure I believe. Maybe something happened to it. I think the motor has to be removed to get to it though. Also do it mean piston ring blow by or o-ring blow by?

 

[phil burckhalter]

I am starting to doubt there is any ring blow by? if there was I would think it would be smoking some.. but there is none. what's your thoughts about it possibly being a head gasket, when I put the new head gasket in two years ago, it was an after market gasket, I am hearing that they are junk, so I was thinking of ordering one from john deere. I was reading with overhead valves, if you have a blown head gasket, it forces the gases back into the engine and out the breather.

 

[Yellowfever440]

I'm not sure, I had a 425 and those are carbuerated. It had 700 hours on it and I worked at the dealer so I went through it and did everything the main small engine guy said and when I was done it still got oil on the air filter from the breather tube in the air filter housing. It was the very first couple years of those mowers and he had me put new rings, all new gaskets, new crankcase breather valve and even a new carburetor and it still did. Then he told me the new style piston rings we chromed or something like that and they may never break in perfect because they may never wear in perfect because the facing was so hard. You can try new head gaskets if you feel it's worth it. You can stick that other head on while your doing it.

 

[Yellowfever440]

Another thing I remember him saying was check and make sure you have no other leaks in the crankshaft seals the oil pan and that your dip stick and oil fill cap seal well. You can do a crankcase pressure check buy drilling a hole in your oil fill gap and silicon in a rubber hose into it and making a manometer I think it is called. But you would need a new pill fill cap for when your done. I have a tech manual at home I can send you the specs if you want to check all that out.