Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): gas leaking, alternate solution, oil level

Question
There seems to be gasoline leaking out my exchaust of my john deere riding mower. I mowed grass one day and put it out in the shed , went back in several days later and found gas all over the floor. I cleaned everytnig up trying to see where the gas was leaking from found nothing. I tried to start the mower and it would run for about 5 second , with the exchaust being being thick and heavy gray white smoke and it looked like gas was being sprayed out the muffler. Do i have a warped head or something like that? the mower is two years old 17.5 hp koelher engine. i used it three times this year with no problem and i changed oil at the being of the season.

Answer
For what ever reason the inlet needle in the carburetor leaked.  This caused gas to flow into the engine.  Does the engine oil smell like gas?  Is the oil level too high?

You need to change the engine oil before you run the engine any more.  Also, to fix the problem you need to remove, dis-assemble and clean the carb; you may have to replace the inlet needle.

An alternate solution is to install an inline fuel shut-off valve somewhere in the fuel line.  You can shut the full off after you are done mowing.  This will not fix the problem but will prevent gas from entering the engine.

Let me know what you find.
Eric