Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Briggs & Stratton blue smoke - help?
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cosmicdaveus
06-24-04, 04:32 AM
My 17hp Scotts rider emitts a light blue smoke at idle after it has been used for a while. When it's cold it idles fine (no smoke) and there is no smoke as long as the throttle is running on anything higher than idle. I changed the oil (SAE 10-40) and filter, as-well-as the air filter. Oil film appears in the air intake and the breather is not clogged.
Any help would be appreciated.
Any help would be appreciated.
littleworker
06-24-04, 08:31 AM
Hey Cosimicdaveus,
I think you probably have oil in the carbeuator or you have had to much oil in the lawnmower and it is burning it. Make sure your oil level is no more than 1/4 of an inch above the recommended level on the dipstick. Also, if your carbeurator has bowl on it, you might want to take it off and make sure it is clean and there is no oil in it. Make sure you remove all of the gas out of the tank before you do. My pushmower was smoking and would only run for a little bit so i done those things plus changed the airfilter and it ran fine. I hope it helps because it is and easy fix. let me know how it goes and do you have a Briggs and Stratton engine?
I think you probably have oil in the carbeuator or you have had to much oil in the lawnmower and it is burning it. Make sure your oil level is no more than 1/4 of an inch above the recommended level on the dipstick. Also, if your carbeurator has bowl on it, you might want to take it off and make sure it is clean and there is no oil in it. Make sure you remove all of the gas out of the tank before you do. My pushmower was smoking and would only run for a little bit so i done those things plus changed the airfilter and it ran fine. I hope it helps because it is and easy fix. let me know how it goes and do you have a Briggs and Stratton engine?
cosmicdaveus
06-24-04, 10:46 AM
It is a Briggs and Stratton Intek - 17hp. I just ran it for 20 minutes on idle with no porblems. The smoke starts after I have run the mower with blades running for 30 minutes or so and then set the speed to idle - wait a few seconds and then the light blue smoke starts.
puey61
06-24-04, 12:50 PM
First of all, you need to change the oil and use SAE30 (straight 30 weight) oil. This alone may be the trouble, but if it doesn't fix the problem you may have an air leakage problem in the crankcase. The exact whereabouts will have to be determined by you. It could be a seal or a gasket related to the crankcase. With an oil film in the intake this indicates oil is not being removed from the breather well enough. An overfilled oil situation will, as well, cause this trouble...Be sure the engine is not overfilled with oil.
cheese
06-25-04, 01:12 AM
Agreed, you have the wrong oil in it.
cosmicdaveus
07-02-04, 10:20 AM
Thanks everyone for the advice. I replaced the oil with sae30 hd and the blue smoke went away. I'm not sure why but that's OK.
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
cheese
07-03-04, 01:34 AM
The 30 weight is a thicker oil. 10w-30 is 10 weight oil with viscosity index improvers. They break down in the extreme heat of a small engine and the oil reverts to it's original 10 weight form. This is thin enough to get past the clearances in the rings and vlave guides and burn in the combustion chamber, causing the smoke.