lawnmower smoking.. what does it mean?

[sassynsweet]

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?

[WandaRing]

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?
:sc I'm not sure either but if the oil light comes on while drivig the car...or any light for that matter...I pull over and stop. Smoking lawnmower does not sound good unless of course it's just had sex...but then if a lawnmower was having sex....I'd worry.

[redcat]

sassy, is it an older mower, with a 2 stroke engine? Maybe it just needs a couple more strokes ~ get the motor runnin' again....lol

Seriously, first thought would be water in the gas, or possibly a problem with the pistons or rings...but hopefullly someone can give you some solid information. Good luck!

[rj1002]

:sc I'm not sure either but if the oil light comes on while drivig the car...or any light for that matter...I pull over and stop. Smoking lawnmower does not sound good unless of course it's just had sex...but then if a lawnmower was having sex....I'd worry.

Where do you think weed-whackers come from?

[pagirl]

sounds like it's running rich on oil...too much oil in the gas... but what do I know LOL

[MarriedQt]

Your grass may be wet also and is over heating the motor.

[Brink]

Well, white smoke's better than black smoke!

What model is it? What's the manual say?

If you're absolutely sure you're low on oil and gas, refill. The smoke could be because of that. You could have a leak, though! Where's the smoke coming from? Exhaust?

Is it the first time you've used it in a while? Have you been tipping it over? Is it new? Is it an even lawn? So many possibilities, you might be better off consulting the internet!

[sassynsweet]

ok.. my turn to make you laugh ...

it was low on oil.. and i know from the boat.. oil means smoke... soooooo
i ran to the store with 3 minutes to spare before it closed.. they had locked the door.. and i had to knock and beg... they took pity on me and sold me a thingy of oil....

so .. i pour it in.. dang, they should make colored oil!!! how the heck are you supposed to see that on a silver sticky?!?!?! turns out.. i over added.. but i thought maybe over was better than under... so i tried again.. still smokin. so.. i finally gave in and got the manual. Ok .. now.. you need to understand .. i am an IT geek .. we do NOT read manuals until it's a last resort .. it's an unspoken oath. I couldn't find the dang drain plug (my nephew usually does this!!) .. and it said to just tip it and let it drain out the fill tube.. so .. i do .. and it's black .. now.. why wasn't it black on the stick?!?!?!?! anyway.. i dumped it all.. and put in the new oil.. but of course.. i don't have enough cuz i had already added some.. but I got it up to the add line anyway.. I only had 10 minutes of mowing left if that!

crossed my fingers.. started it up .. it coughed a bit to let me know it was quite perturbed with me.. then let me finish the last bit of grass.

so.. any inventors out there.. make RED or LIME GREEN oil.. and make it show up on the darn stick thing the color that it is inside! Heck.. add glitter to it if you have to!

[Brink]

Ha...you must really want that grass cut! Reminds me of the time I begged my local shop to sell me some barbeque sauce at closing time!

Sounds like it went off while in storage. Good job for draining it all out before adding your new oil!

Problem solved now? No more smoke? Just need to add more oil up to the max line?

[sassynsweet]

i hope it's solved.. lol .. won't know until next week now! I couldn't just leave it half cut.. well.. i could, but.. well.. i had to look at it.. lol I'll have to stop and get more oil to max it.. but a little at a time next time.. geesh. a see through window would be wayyyyy better than a dang stick! boys and sticks .. i'm sure it was invented by a boy!

[Brink]

Or invented by a female, but a man took all the credit!

Yes, you don't want carburettor trouble so don't keep running it without enough oil!

Also, you might want to drain it next time before you store it!

And what's wrong with half done? It's not like it's a haircut!

[sassynsweet]

it IS like a haircut!! it looked like a mohawk.. all clean around the edges with a tall center.. lol

no.. had a female invented it .. it would have been pretty.. with a window to look in so we wouldn't have to get dirty to check it. better yet.. if invented by me.. i'd make it wireless.. so it could send me an email and tell me what's wrong!!

[SunnyD]

It means you need a LawnBoy:)

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?

[Brink]

While you own all the intellectual rights, I'd get down the patent office quick!

Never know who might be reading these boards!

Would you give it a happy face too? Like those vacuum cleaners?

[rj1002]

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?


Just wondering. White smoke? Doesn't that mean we have a new pope?

[pagirl]

LOL... you two are funny... thanks for making me laugh!!!

[sassynsweet]

mower just sent me an email.. said to tell pa she's welcome ..

I had a lawn boy sunny! I wanted exercise! maybe the lawn boy could serve dual purpose? :sc

[Brink]

When you market the product, throw in the free lawn boy! I don't think it'll harm your sales!

[scoobertina]

omg, omg, now I start to panic... smokin lawnmowers.... noooo nothing can go wrong... not now when all is going good... please say lawnmowers don't break down.... can't happen, can't happen... don't even think it...

[Huzyerdaddi]

it means your lawnmower has picked up a bad (cancer causing) habit and will be a very bad influence on your young, impressionable weedeater.

[WandaRing]

Where do you think weed-whackers come from?
That just sounds soooo painful! :yks

[MarriedQt]

Well I'm just glad you figured it out in time to finish the lawn!


PS
Annie I have that exact bear keychain.......too funny!

[AL(m)]

Hmm just a thought from another techie...... try an electric lawn mower......... no smoke only sparks........:scok.. my turn to make you laugh ...

it was low on oil.. and i know from the boat.. oil means smoke... soooooo
i ran to the store with 3 minutes to spare before it closed.. they had locked the door.. and i had to knock and beg... they took pity on me and sold me a thingy of oil....

so .. i pour it in.. dang, they should make colored oil!!! how the heck are you supposed to see that on a silver sticky?!?!?! turns out.. i over added.. but i thought maybe over was better than under... so i tried again.. still smokin. so.. i finally gave in and got the manual. Ok .. now.. you need to understand .. i am an IT geek .. we do NOT read manuals until it's a last resort .. it's an unspoken oath. I couldn't find the dang drain plug (my nephew usually does this!!) .. and it said to just tip it and let it drain out the fill tube.. so .. i do .. and it's black .. now.. why wasn't it black on the stick?!?!?!?! anyway.. i dumped it all.. and put in the new oil.. but of course.. i don't have enough cuz i had already added some.. but I got it up to the add line anyway.. I only had 10 minutes of mowing left if that!

crossed my fingers.. started it up .. it coughed a bit to let me know it was quite perturbed with me.. then let me finish the last bit of grass.

so.. any inventors out there.. make RED or LIME GREEN oil.. and make it show up on the darn stick thing the color that it is inside! Heck.. add glitter to it if you have to!

[sassynsweet]

Hmm just a thought from another techie...... try an electric lawn mower......... no smoke only sparks........:sc

i considered that.. but i got this free with my American Express points :) and the ratings were much better on this model :) who am i kidding .. it was FREE!

[Bandit]

It means the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence! :lmao

[OICurready4me]

ok.. my turn to make you laugh ...

it was low on oil.. and i know from the boat.. oil means smoke... soooooo
i ran to the store with 3 minutes to spare before it closed.. they had locked the door.. and i had to knock and beg... they took pity on me and sold me a thingy of oil....

so .. i pour it in.. dang, they should make colored oil!!! how the heck are you supposed to see that on a silver sticky?!?!?! turns out.. i over added.. but i thought maybe over was better than under... so i tried again.. still smokin. so.. i finally gave in and got the manual. Ok .. now.. you need to understand .. i am an IT geek .. we do NOT read manuals until it's a last resort .. it's an unspoken oath. I couldn't find the dang drain plug (my nephew usually does this!!) .. and it said to just tip it and let it drain out the fill tube.. so .. i do .. and it's black .. now.. why wasn't it black on the stick?!?!?!?! anyway.. i dumped it all.. and put in the new oil.. but of course.. i don't have enough cuz i had already added some.. but I got it up to the add line anyway.. I only had 10 minutes of mowing left if that!

crossed my fingers.. started it up .. it coughed a bit to let me know it was quite perturbed with me.. then let me finish the last bit of grass.

so.. any inventors out there.. make RED or LIME GREEN oil.. and make it show up on the darn stick thing the color that it is inside! Heck.. add glitter to it if you have to!

First off...the fact the the oil that poured out was black means that you needed to do an oil change on that oil. The oil has broken down and the black is dirt from the engine. You may have ruined the engine if you didn't drain the old oil out of it.
I was going to state that the white smoke is from overfilling the engine with oil, but you figured that out on your own. Good job!
On another note... if you still have gas left in the mower and you don't think you will be cutting the grass again the rest of the year, run the engine until it runs out of gas so it won't gunk up the carburetor over the winter. The gas you still have in the gas can you use to fill up the lawn mower you should then pour in your gas tank in your car. It will go bad over the winter unless you add a gas stabilizer in it but, to be honest, why bother. Just pour it into your own car and get new gas next year.
Good luck.

[sassynsweet]

First off...the fact the the oil that poured out was black means that you needed to do an oil change on that oil. The oil has broken down and the black is dirt from the engine. You may have ruined the engine if you didn't drain the old oil out of it.
I was going to state that the white smoke is from overfilling the engine with oil, but you figured that out on your own. Good job!
On another note... if you still have gas left in the mower and you don't think you will be cutting the grass again the rest of the year, run the engine until it runs out of gas so it won't gunk up the carburetor over the winter. The gas you still have in the gas can you use to fill up the lawn mower you should then pour in your gas tank in your car. It will go bad over the winter unless you add a gas stabilizer in it but, to be honest, why bother. Just pour it into your own car and get new gas next year.
Good luck.
thanks! it was actually smoking when it was low on oil.. black oil.. so i guess it was just trying to get my attention .. it worked! Yes.. I always run both the mower and snow blower till it runs out of gas .. my neighbors love that too .. since they usually have at least half a tank left when i decide to do this ;)

[Catman354]

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?
If its white smoke you probably have some engine problems, black smoke usually means you got oil on the top of the engine and blue smoke usually means that you are running to rich.

[Brink]

omg, omg, now I start to panic... smokin lawnmowers.... noooo nothing can go wrong... not now when all is going good... please say lawnmowers don't break down.... can't happen, can't happen... don't even think it...

Scooby; you just need to find a 'fix-it guy' you don't mind calling out! When you meet somebody you like, let it be known you need some shelves, but you've got nobody at hand with a drill!

That's how my wife lured me in when we lived in the same apartment block. She had so many heating problems, I'd swear she had a poltergeist!

Play the damsel in distress for a little while, see who's willing to come to your aid!

[Lacey]

ok.. i'm pretty darn intelligent.. about a lot of things.. but there's a couple things I know I'm totally ignorant about .. electrical stuff.. and motors!

So... I'm out mowing the lawn.. trying to make the last bit of gas and oil last thinking i only need one or two more cuts... when the mower starts making some funny noises... and starts billowing white smoke! I wait.. it kinda stops.. so i keep going ... it makes it through a swipe.. and does it again ... stops... then again ... I finally gave up .. as I'm sure it was annoying the heck outta the neighbors too .. lol

Help?


LOL......I'm thinking something to do with the motor?

I've had it happen, I just can't for the life of me remember what it was, I think it had something to do with the oil filter or something simple. But I remember getting scared thinking it was going to explode LOL

[Ottoman]

Sassy, that is so cute. I can't believe you got so much action on the lawnmower thread.
Interesting.....but predictable.
Most of the men tried to analyze and explain or solve the motor problem.
The women tried to solve your emotional problems caused by the motor problems.

Now, I just hustled my butt down to Sears yesterday because my old, old lawnmower totally gave out. So bought a new one. Brought it home, opened the box and presto, new lawnmower.
It STARTED on the FIRST PULL!! (oh, yes I added gas and oil!!!)
However, when I finished the front yard and moved to the back....it would not start.
So, mechanical me, here, just pushed it into the garage and parked it overnight.
Looked on the internet this am for warranty proceedure.
On way out, decided, what the heck, gave it a pull and it STARTED right up?????
Hmmmmm.
Guess I'll give it one more chance. Besides, mowing season is just about over here.
YEAH!!!

[FizProf]

White smoke: usually indicative of a blown head gasket or cylinder head...assuming you have a 4-stroke engine (where you don't mix gas and oil...you put them in in separate openings?)...this is BAD NEWS

If the smoke is, on the other hand, tainted with gray/black...maybe it is a clogged air filter and you're getting incomplete combustion and stalling out...which could also result from very fouled spark plugs...both are cheap to change.

If you have a 2-stroke engine...(do you add gas and oil together?)...the engine is supposed to smoke...but if it is doing it more than usual then it could be either the spark plug again or the piston ring needs to be replaced.

[crow_worc]

Lawn boys also make lawnmowers that you don't mix oil with the gas. Ever try a self propelled mulching mower? Wear your glasses when you check the dipstick...:lf

[sassynsweet]

lmao you guys are too funny! yes crow.. i got the kind where you don't mix.. cuz i got tired of not being able to use the gas at the end of the year in my car.. besides.. it was more messy :) And yes.. I got the self propelled mulcher cuz i'm not gonna bag.. again.. green hands do NOT go well with a blue outfit! I also got electric start cuz I don't have enough ooooomph to pull that hard :)

It amazing how much action this thread got.. and is much appreciated.. I know where to come when other thingamajigs break around here!

[FizProf]

.. green hands do NOT go well with a blue outfit!

blue outfit?...that looks like black leather to me...or am I going color-blind in my old age?:yks

[sassynsweet]

well sure.. NOW it's black leather .. I mow the grass in the blue mini skirt ;)

[FizProf]

well sure.. NOW it's black leather .. I mow the grass in the blue mini skirt ;)

Oh I wanna see I wanna see...oh please oh please oh please...

[FizProf]

And by the way...Are you sure it was the lawnmower that was smoking and not your blue miniskirt?

[gina99]

Sounds like you may have a problem.

[sassynsweet]

darn.. it's in the cleaners... sorry! hmmmm good point.. now i wonder!

[Krystal]

Ok, so the lawn mower was free......now you have the money to hire someone to use it!