Craftsman riding mower using oil
#1
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: usa
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Craftsman riding mower using oil
I have a craftsman riding mower with a 21 hp briggs platinum engine. it is burning about 5 oz. of oil every 20 minutes or so. it runs fine. oil looks like it has a black carbon in it. any ideas?
#6
I just had a similar scare earlier this Summer when an older B&S Engine started smoking and burning oil. I started looking into honing the cylinder and getting some oversized rings for a Winter Project.
But then a Friend of mine suggested that I re-adjust the carburetor and see if leaning out the air-fuel mixture might help AND checking the cooling fins to make sure I hadn't loaded them up with grass clippings/debris and caused the engine to run hotter.
I re-adjusted the carburetor from scratch and vacuumed out the engine shroud and all cooling fins (including those in the flywheel) and what do you know . . . . no more smoke or excessive oil consumption!
The engine had probably been running too rich or too hot . . . . or probably both.
So now I've got a vacancy among my Winter Projects.
But then a Friend of mine suggested that I re-adjust the carburetor and see if leaning out the air-fuel mixture might help AND checking the cooling fins to make sure I hadn't loaded them up with grass clippings/debris and caused the engine to run hotter.
I re-adjusted the carburetor from scratch and vacuumed out the engine shroud and all cooling fins (including those in the flywheel) and what do you know . . . . no more smoke or excessive oil consumption!
The engine had probably been running too rich or too hot . . . . or probably both.
So now I've got a vacancy among my Winter Projects.
#8
When was the last time the oil and filter was changed?
Any signs of a leak? Look around the base of the engine, if a twin the sump gasket is suspect. Either way could also be a head gasket...
Any signs of a leak? Look around the base of the engine, if a twin the sump gasket is suspect. Either way could also be a head gasket...
#12
Member
Drain the oil out of it into a clean pan and use a little gasoline to rinse out the engine. Then carefully go through the oil to see if there are any metal pieces (filings). That would tell us if it may have internal damage.
#13
Since it started suddenly, I would suspect a blown head gasket. Does it billow smoke at times, then clear up, then smoke again, etc...?
#15
I bought it new from Sears....oIL and filter changed annually. ...why harassing me?
However, you gave an even more vague reply to a specific question, than you gave info on your equipment.
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Welcome to Doityourself.com. We love to help people fix their equipment. Before you seek our advice, however, there are a few things you need to provide. We need:
WHAT IS THE EQUIPMENT (Riding mower, push mower, generator, etc...)
NAME BRAND OF YOUR EQUIPMENT ...and model of the equipment if the problem is with the equipment, not the engine
NAME BRAND OF YOUR ENGINE ...if your problem involves the engine
WHAT MODEL NUMBER IS YOUR ENGINE... and list the hp if you want, if the problem involves the engine
CLEAR DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT IS DOING, WHAT IT DID PRIOR TO THE PROBLEM, AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO TROUBLESHOOT IT SO FAR.
If you don't provide this info, we will still attempt to help you , normally by first asking you to provide the info. Help us help you. You can imagine how many people don't give us a clue as to what we are trying to diagnose. It gets frustrating. We can't answer in detail when we have no detail.
Okay, now go to the board, click the "Post new thread" button, and give us a holler! There are a lot of good folks here that love to help and enjoy the challenge. Many of us are shop owners or supervisors, and do this for a living, and a lot of us are hobbyists, but the cumulative knowledge here probably equals or surpasses that of any other site and we'd like the chance to prove it!
See you on the forum!
WHAT IS THE EQUIPMENT (Riding mower, push mower, generator, etc...)
NAME BRAND OF YOUR EQUIPMENT ...and model of the equipment if the problem is with the equipment, not the engine
NAME BRAND OF YOUR ENGINE ...if your problem involves the engine
WHAT MODEL NUMBER IS YOUR ENGINE... and list the hp if you want, if the problem involves the engine
CLEAR DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT IS DOING, WHAT IT DID PRIOR TO THE PROBLEM, AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO TROUBLESHOOT IT SO FAR.
If you don't provide this info, we will still attempt to help you , normally by first asking you to provide the info. Help us help you. You can imagine how many people don't give us a clue as to what we are trying to diagnose. It gets frustrating. We can't answer in detail when we have no detail.
Okay, now go to the board, click the "Post new thread" button, and give us a holler! There are a lot of good folks here that love to help and enjoy the challenge. Many of us are shop owners or supervisors, and do this for a living, and a lot of us are hobbyists, but the cumulative knowledge here probably equals or surpasses that of any other site and we'd like the chance to prove it!
See you on the forum!
As I posted earlier, and cheese has also posted on, I agree sounds like a possible head gasket.