OK, that was weird

[woodlandfarms]

I am mowing inside one of my ponds. One wall I try to climb must be around 60 degrees or so. I know I can't make it but I can scoot up it a bit till I loose traction and back down.

Well, last night I am going up it (basically 3 feet from the base at the most, but the back end is getting to the 60 mark) and the engine makes a weird noise And suddenly slows down blowing a lot of black smoke, Instantly I back off the hill, the engine chugs back to life like nothing happened.

I did have around half a tank so I was pondering fuel starvation but the blue / black smoke throws me. It did not happen again but I kind of weenied on a repeat thinking I was putting sort of weird strain on the system.

Also, this all went down really quickly (from start to conclusion) basically a big puff of smoke and enough time for me to turn my head and say what they to the noise and to roll back and the incident was over.

Thoughts?

Carl

 

[Bird]

Wild guess only! You tilted the engine far enough that somehow got some motor oil into the cylinder. Burning motor oil made the black smoke.

 

[MossRoad]

I was also thinking too steep an angle and somehow the governor got wacky.

Do you even have a governor? I don't know how that engine works. :laughing:

 

[brin]

I may be way off base but one time I blew the engine..threw a rod on a log splitter I had pulled into the woods and I had it hooked up behind my little JD riding mower but I parked it at a steep angle so it was not level...I threw the rod because I starved the engine of oil..I am certain of that so I agree with Bird and I would suggest you be real careful how long you spend at that sever of an angle or you may ruin your engine...just a thought.

 

[20 20]

This is the reason I keep water in my ponds "mowing inside one of my ponds"

Does your engine have a low oil shut down? If you were at enough of an angle a sensor might have thought the engine was low on oil and started to shut things down?

 

[woodlandfarms]

You may have something there with the low oil shutoff. It could be oil in the cylinder but its a long way to go in this machine.

This engine is rated to 45 degrees, I have always assumed side to side and never considered front to back (I guess it would be the same) but this is way beyond that level. It is fun to push the PT to that level, will have to get the wife to snap a pic. I ponder if I had chains if I could make it up the embankment.

Carl

Oh, and I wish we could keep water in this pond, I guess the source is too seasonal.... Our other ponds are full year round.

 

[BobRip]

You may have something there with the low oil shutoff. It could be oil in the cylinder but its a long way to go in this machine.

This engine is rated to 45 degrees, I have always assumed side to side and never considered front to back (I guess it would be the same) but this is way beyond that level. It is fun to push the PT to that level, will have to get the wife to snap a pic. I ponder if I had chains if I could make it up the embankment.

Carl

Oh, and I wish we could keep water in this pond, I guess the source is too seasonal.... Our other ponds are full year round.

Carl, I see that you do really push your equipment. Running at 60 or an engine rated at 45 degrees is really asking for it. Please don't complain about PT when you do blow it. Sorry to be so negative, I don't wish you bad luck on this, just it's easy to see a future post "I blew my engine"

 

[flyingcow]

I am mowing inside one of my ponds. One wall I try to climb must be around 60 degrees or so. I know I can't make it but I can scoot up it a bit till I loose traction and back down.

Well, last night I am going up it (basically 3 feet from the base at the most, but the back end is getting to the 60 mark) and the engine makes a weird noise And suddenly slows down blowing a lot of black smoke, Instantly I back off the hill, the engine chugs back to life like nothing happened.

I did have around half a tank so I was pondering fuel starvation but the blue / black smoke throws me. It did not happen again but I kind of weenied on a repeat thinking I was putting sort of weird strain on the system.

Also, this all went down really quickly (from start to conclusion) basically a big puff of smoke and enough time for me to turn my head and say what they to the noise and to roll back and the incident was over.

Thoughts?

Carl

**** quick reaction!!!! Ride On !!:thumbsup:

Very impressed.

 

[J_J]

I believe the engine is being choked out by air starvation.

I believe the smoke, blue was caused by oil, and the black smoke was caused by the throttle open all the way, with the low speed on the machine, almost stalling the engine, less air, more diesel, equals black smoke. My Kubota will do that when I try and force it to go faster by pushing on the drive pedal. It should clear up as the increased speed of the machine will allow the air volume to increase, and the engine will have a combustible mixture, with no, or little smoke.

 

[ponytug]

Dear Carl,

I must say you really get your PT into things. I can't toss any rocks, as I slid mine this afternoon and nearly tipped it over, while turning around. It seemed as if I spent an eternity leaning up hill, while the tractor slipped close to the tipping point. One of those, safe at 25 degrees, then presto, pot hole, slip, and poof- at least one wheel in the air and the machine is moving with gravity.
Just a few comments:

MR- you are right these machines have govenors, but I don't think it is the govenor, since govenors rely on the speed of the rotation to spin some weights outward that apply force against springs, so they don't really rely on gravity. That isn't to say that being so far off axis might not cause it to get wacky; just that it isn't obvious to me why it would.

JJ: air starvation would meet the symptom, but it would be good to know the cause- Carl- did you check your intake filter vaccum gauge which would indicate an air starvation?

I'm leaning toward the steep angle idea that Bird and Brin teed up. I think that the severe angle would cause oil to be getting onto the crankshaft and sprayed up on to the pistons, and the rebreather... I would bet on something like the crankcase ventilation getting a slug of oil, and dumping it into the air intake, and thence into your engine.

I'm with Bob- this sounds like a rapid way to ruin an engine, no matter what the cause.

Finally, enquiring minds want to know, why, in one of the wettest states in the union, don't you have water in your pond?

All the best,

Peter