Lawn Mower Spitting Out Oil and White Smoke: Easy Fix

Do you want to know why your lawn mower blows white smoke and leaks oil? You are at the right place.

Lawns are one of the best facilities anyone can have on their property. They make your landscape popular envy and help purify the air, trap carbon dioxide, minimize erosion from storm-water runoff, enhance soil quality, decrease land pollution, and minimize temperatures.

If you have been using your mower for quite a while now, you must have noticed a decline in efficiency. Its fuel and oil consumption rate could increase, and the engine’s emission from the smoke could double in frequency. Worst still, the engine might be running a little bit unsteadily.

We have taken it upon ourselves to check for the root causes behind these disturbing mechanical inconsistencies so you don’t have to stress yourself. All you need to do is giddy up and enjoy the ride. Let’s go!

Lawn mower spitting out oil and white smoke

Your lawn mower can blow white smoke for reasons ranging from bad gas, a lousy spark plug, or even a damaged carburetor. But when oil leakage adds to the issue, the reason can differ greatly from this.

If your lawn mower is blowing white smoke and leaking oil, below are the potential causes:

1. Blown head gasket
2. Excessive usage of oil
3. Engine oil rings
4. Lawnmower used or tilted at an angle
5. Crankcase leaks

If your mower has been in use for a long time, then some smoke should be expected, considering the length of usage. The color of an emitted smoke is how you know from what engine it comes. For mowers, the smoke color ranges from white to blue and black.

In this article, our focus is on white smoke. The emission of white smoke from an engine can be an outgrowth of several problems, and while some are easily fixed, others need a strategic and long-term approach.

Before we delve into the whys of mowers blowing white smoke and leaking oil, understanding how the mower engine works makes a lot of sense.

Causes of Lawn mower smoking and leaking oil 

If you recently found that your lawn mower emits white smoke, the most likely cause is oil combustion inside the cylinder. This is why, ninety-nine percent of the time, the reason for both white smoke and oil spill are interconnected.

Below is a list of possible reasons your lawnmower is blowing white smoke and leaking oil.

1. Blown Head Gasket

If the head gasket of your mower’s engine is crappy, partly or blown, oil and coolant leak into the combustion chamber, resulting in white smoke and spillage of oil. Here’s how you know; there will be an apparent marking inside the cover/hood. An immediate repair is advisable to forestall future damage to your mower engine.

Diagnosis:

• Look out for markings, scuffs, or blows around the head.
• Dismantle the engine head
• Find carbon deposits of valves and piston
• If your diagnosis returns as blown, replace it; if otherwise, reassemble all the parts.

Fix:

• Open the engine compartment, and assess all parts.
• Dust the surfaces
• Clean all deposits of carbon
• Assess the gasket’s condition
• If you find it is blown, get a replacement.
• If partly damaged, make do with gasket-sealant paste. A replacement is the best option, though.
• Certain products can give your mower’s head gasket a short-term fix. So you can subscribe to this option if you do not have time.

2. Excessive Usage of Oil

You must exercise caution while filling your lawn mower with lubricant oil, as beauty is always in moderation, not excess. Overfilling your mower’s lubricant oil can result in white smoke and increase the tendency of oil spillage.

Diagnosis:

If you find your mower’s engine blowing smoke, you first want to check the dipstick’s oil level. If the oil level is insanely high, you must take some off until the right level is reached.

Fix:

• Check for the dipstick on the engine’s reservoir; clean it with a cloth, and take the cap off the reservoir.
• Dip the stick for a while and then take it out
• Identify the level corresponding to marks.
• If the oil level appears too high, get rid of some; drain it through the plug beneath the oil pump. You can also utilize an oil hand pump to terminate some from the reservoir.

3. Mower Engine Oil Rings

The oil rings are why the oil between the piston and cylinder cannot seep into the combustion chamber. Any damage to these rings will remove the barrier around the combustion chamber, get the oil into it, and combust with fuel.

Invariably, this issue will result in smoke and, if left unaddressed, will compound into greater faults.

Diagnosis:

Oil rings are parts of the internal engine. Hence, diagnosing correctly is impossible without opening the engine and assessing them. Oil rings have a definite lifespan and should be replaced when due.

Fix:

• You should check the condition of the rings every time you do an engine assessment.
• Replace the piston rings; this is not negotiable.
• Do not attempt fixing it yourself, especially if you are not an expert. Do yourself the favor of seeking the service of a professional.
• Install the right replacement; ensure the sizes and shapes are similar. Kindly refer to the instruction manuals for details if you have to.

4. The mower was Used or Tilted at an Angle

If you use your lawnmower at very steep angles, it could result in oil leakage into the engine block; and not only that, it can also cause smoke. An issue like this can surface after maintenance work on your mower and tilting it.

Fix: All you need to do is put your lawnmower at proper angles, and it will fix itself. It is best to avoid operating on less steep paths, though.

5. Breather Tube

A breather tube is another component of your mower’s engine that can cause trouble. It is a part of the carburetor that is quite significant but often ignored. Anything as minute as a blockage in the tube’s hose will burn your lawnmower.

Fix: Get the breather tube cleaned with some carburetor cleaner.

6. Mower Crankcase Leaks

Crankcase leaks are also connected to the occurrence of white smoke. If your mower’s engine is blowing white smoke, you may want to check the crankcase up should there be any leak.

All the causes highlighted in this content will very well blow white smoke and induce oil spills. Smoke, regardless of the color, and oil spills have toxic environmental effects.

What spilled oil will leave is a permanent dirty mark on the garage floor and whatever location your lawn mower is parked. Although the issues may not be totally or quickly gotten rid of, the careful maintenance of your mower can attenuate the tendencies of white smoke and oil spills.

What if the mower Blows Black Smoke?

Black smoke usually results when more fuel is burned than air. The cause of this smoke is not complicated and can be left unaddressed. All engines are responsive to angles. Hence, when you tilt an engine that contains fluid, it is only normal that some of the oil spills.

In this case, the oil will spill out and result in smoke; it shouldn’t last for long, anyway. In such a situation, you want to keep your lawnmower’s engine running while it burns off the excesses.