Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - rebuild mower

I have a yardman mower that is in good condition, The only question I have is that when I don't use my mower often it will smoke at start up for awhile does it need a new set of oil rings?:thinker:

Bluish-white smoke? If so, it could be due to rings. Using thin oil can also contribute. If it only does it at startup and at times when you haven't used it in a while, then I'm not sure I'd worry much about it. If it gets to the point of using oil, then it might be time to rebuild.

Thanks cheese,you're right it is the color you discribe and what type of oil is best for push mowers ? what grade? Do I replace the rings and that will solve my delema in the near future.

There are other factors to consider before you go ahead and replace the rings...cleanliness/effectiveness of the crankcase breather, oil condition and viscosity (I recommend SAE 5W30 synthetic), overfilled oil level, angle of the engine at rest (combustion chamber tilted slightly downhill), condition of valve guides and condition of the piston, rings and cylinder. Any of these could cause oil smoking at startup.

Thanks puey61 ,but I have to ask You how to tell if the crankcase breather is bad? symtoms?:also I was using SAE 10W30 oil that I had in my garage.:thumbup:

I don't know if its any matter or not but most of the small engines I have call for sae 30 in summer and 5w30 in winter. Since multiviscosity oils are thinner when cold I would imagine it would be easier for it to seep into the combustion chamber. I suppose before tearing it all aprt I'd try just sae 30 oil and see if it gets any better. how old is this machine?

legal v8 ,It is 5 yrs old going on 6 now do most auto parts carry this type of oil.so was the oil that I was using to thin or thick :thumbup:

multiviscosity oil is anything that has two numbers with a "w" in the middle. 10w30 and 5w30 for example. this means that it is 10wt when cold and 30wt when warm, likewise with 5wt and 10wt respectively. SAE 30 or "straight 30" is 30wt all the time. Auto parts stores carry a large variety of oil weights including SAE 30. It may or may not make a difference in the smoking part if the engine is close to worn out. Did you get the machine new or used?

This multi grade oil myth has been around ever since Phillips 66 did a cleaver marketing job back in the 50s when they convinced people that they had a product that defied the laws of physics. Try to get an oil rep to tell you directly that their oil will do this. I never was able to. What they will say is it never gets thicker than 30 or thinner than 5,but I have had cars that would not start in winter with 10w 30 and changed them to 10w and they fired right up the next morning. Another thing to try is to take a jug of 10w 30 out side in winter then pour it out the next morning and tell me that it is 10 weight. Just my observations not ment for general consumtion. RW

If only they had Synthetic oil in those days...

Thank You all for the info, I learned something new, can I use snythetic oil ?just thought I'D ask legal v8 the mower I bought it from a local hardware store that had it displayed for missing parts on the throttle body But was new.:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

You can use Mineral oil (standard oil) or Synthetic. I use mineral oil because of the cost and I use SAE30 in all of my small engines year round. I'd suggest using mineral oil myself because it is a little thicker when cold so it will be less likely to smoke on startup... Though it may not completely remedy the smoke, it should lessen it to some degree.

Thanks legal v8, I'LL give it a try. Till next time you all have a safe MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Thanks for the info:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


GOD BLESS:)