QuestionUm, WOW! I pulled the dipstick and the level was overfilled and it smelled like gasoline. Amazing. I never would have guessed that in a million years.
I pulled the carb off and didn't find much but there was a small amount of dirt in that inlet area. Since the carb overhaul kit came with an inlet needle, I changed it plus some of the seals.
I'm going to drain the oil and change it and the filter. Do I need to flush it by putting a little oil in then draining it before I put all the oil in and fill the oil back up? Is there anything else I need to do?
Once again, thanks!
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I have a B&S V-Twin 18.5 HP OHV engine, model 407777 on my lawn tractor. I used it a few weeks ago to finish picking up the last of the leaves. It worked fine. This weekend I dropped the cutting deck and attached the snow blade. No problems so far. The temperature outside went from 50 to about 20 in those few weeks but my garage where the tractor is stored stays generally above or near freezing.
I went to start the motor and it began to smoke badly out the front end as soon as it started. I shut it off immediately. Good thing I did. There was a combination of oil and gasoline all over the front, including the muffler. It smelled like gas and evaporated quickly but left a black stain on the floor and inside the engine compartment. It squirted toward the front and on top of the muffler. I can't see where the liquid came from and don't know how to diagnose it without trying to start the tractor and potentially starting a fire. What are the possible problems and solutions? I ordered the repair manual and it should be here in a few days.
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Remove the spark plugs first to prevent a fire hazzard.
Next, check the oil level and see if the oil smells like gasoline. If it does, then the carburtor inlet needle leaked and allowed gas to enter the engine. If the oil is overfilled and smells like gasoline then you need to drain the oil and refill.
I would also inspect the carburetor to see if there is some debris inside. The debris could be a small drop of water or small sediments. You need to clean all this out. I would even clean the fuel tank and replace the fuel filter.
Let me know what you find.
Eric
AnswerI would drain all the oil/gas. Let it drain over night. Fill it up to the correct level. Run the engine just enough to warm the oil. Drain again...refill and warm again.
We do this a total of 3 times to get as much of the oil/gas out of the engine.
If the engine is difficult to crank then remove the spark plugs. Crank the engine to remove oil from the cylinders. Reinstall the plugs and start engine.
As a tip, you might want to remove the muffler and soak in parts cleaner to remove some of the oil/gas that is in the muffler. This will help reduce smoking. Make sure you let the muffler dry over night or so to reduce the risk of a fire. You can even run or soak the muffler in a non-flamable cleaner after soaking in part cleaner.
Let me know if this helps.
Eric
