Ducati Monster Forum

What would cause oil to come out of the muffler?

I last used the mower a couple weeks ago and all was fine. Today I go to start it as always and it doesn't start right away like normal. I pull it a couple more times and I see oil dripping out of the muffler. It finally starts and then dies. Starts again and sputters a bit as the oil burns off. After a couple mins it runs just fine, like nothing ever happened.

The mower is a Briggs and Stratton 5hp 4 cycle gasoline engine from Yard Machines...

1.  Are you positive it was oil?  Not just carbon-fouled water.

2.  Are your valves in spec?  [laugh]

Seriously, oil out the exhaust is never a good thing.  Think about how the oil would get there.  First it has to get around the piston - bad piston ring.  And then out the exhaust valve.

But being that's it a lawnmower, I wouldn't worry too much about as long as it seems to be working alright.

Oh, and I didn't that one could actually get grass to grow in Arizona.

Yeah, it was definitely oil. I saw and thought it may be dirty water, but it was oil. The smoke screen when it started confirmed that.

I know how it could get there, but was asking why.

And yeah, we get grass to grow. I was mowing my back yard but just put down 1500 sqft of BOBSod in the front yard...

WTF Chris?! 

How could oil come out of an electric lawn mower?!

Oh..you don't have a plug-in electric lawn mower like the rest of the state!! 

Screw that. Those things are pieces of junk!

no sh*t!!  I had to get one though for my lil' patch of grass in AZ.   [roll] I gave it to my sis before leaving.   

It's a Briggs.  Run it.   

You're not storing it on its side are you? My grandfather was adamant that I didn't store his or my lawnmower on its side, saying that he reckoned oil would seep into places it didn't belong....   ???

I have an old Briggs that if tipped too far towards the muffler side will do the same thing.

It's only about 30 years old, so I don't think it's worn out.  ;D

Pouring oil into the air filter because you can't find the oil fill tube could do it.  So I've heard.

Unless it was recently tipped on it's side a compression test is in order.

Just stick a bunch of photovoltaic panels on the top of it, and call it a day. I hear you guys have lots of potent sun.

Not stored on it's side, but when fished mowing, I tip it forward against a wall to hose off the underside of it. I think the last time I did that, it spent more time than normal in that position. That was the night my dog got out and I had to chase him through the neighborhood for a couple hours...

maybe you need to run higher octane fuel in it?  what's the owners manual recommend?  I only run premium in my power equipment.

Yup.  It's the tipping.  Mine did that (leaked oil through the muffler) when I would tip it up to hose off the crud underneath.  I gave that up after about the 3rd time I mowed the lawn.  Now, I just live with the crusty stuff underneath.  And no more oil through the muffler . . .

You must be joking, cause that has nothing to do with putting oil through the muffler...

dead serious.

I run those new E3 spark plugs and 100 octane in my Honda and have no problems whatsoever.

When I had a lawn, I used to have this kind of mower...very low maintenance. 8)

(http://69.49.181.24/v/vspfiles/assets/images/push%20reel%20mower.jpg)

The lawnmower was $100 3 years ago. If it dies now because I'm not putting race fuel in it, then I feel I got my money's worth...

How can you even think that with a straight face?   [laugh]

kinda reminds me of that audio clip of the guy with the bad ass IROC-Z from a while back  [laugh]

i think it has something to do with the honda comercial where the honda minivan sounds like a F1 car. yea, it makes all honda owners think they have some kind of high performance vehicle.

they don't?

and I was talking about my Honda lawn mower, BTW.

Didn't some guy named AZMullet post that??

not sure.  Did you?

or was it BizzaroHerb?

or what were the other names the two of you made up?

 ;D

Herb came up with AZMullet all on his own.

That IROC clip was some funny stuff! 

yes it was.  ;D

ah, the good old days!

 [evil]

Well maybe not all but I will tell you that my S2000, may it rest in peace, was a pretty hot car and I would have another in a sec, oh yeah I would try to not flip it on its head too  :-[

ok, the s2k and the nsx(dont tell me its not a honda) aside, a honda is nothing but a grocery getter, contrary to popular belief and what the owners manual says, all hondas do not require premium fuel, most certainly not a lawn mower.

I was completely kidding about running premium or race fuel in my lawn mower.  I mean, come on, it is the internet, but do you believe everything you read?  Especially on here?  [evil]

hell, if I can find some old fuel to drain from something else, it goes in there.

I've known NAKID for quite a while, and was just jerking his chain a bit.  ;D

;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7RcjT2LYUE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7RcjT2LYUE)

WTH is that piece of shit...

Eastman Industries has taken the lawn mower to a new level (literally). The Hover Mower is designed to hover slightly above the ground on a cushion of air, making it more maneuverable, extremely light, easy to propel and able to reach previously inaccessible places like extreme inclines, wet grounds, and tight, difficult to get at places.

2stroke, so its s'posta burn oil http://www.thegreenhead.com/cool-stuff/2005/05/hovermower-by-eastman-industries.php (http://www.thegreenhead.com/cool-stuff/2005/05/hovermower-by-eastman-industries.php)
 

So it's light and maneuverable but loud as hell and smokes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MTL3uGGWhw

major PITA to sharpen though....... :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omO_NlizEPU&NR=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omO_NlizEPU&NR=1)
need more power?

The newer ones are supposed to stay sharp at least 5-8 years...at that frequency I would just pay someone else to do it.

How is that even possible? Are they made of tungsten?

I don't have one of these (apartment, no lawn), but seen them recommended

http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/brill/brill_razorcut38.htm

Damn ricers...

WHen it hovers over the grass and never contact it theres not much abuse to the blades.

BOT

the tipping for sure, just happened to have the exhaust port open this time is my guess

When it is over filled with oil or tipped, oil can come out of either the carbs (rather the air filter that is attached to the carb assembly) or the muffler.  Just know this from first hand experience.  dont forget to check your oil level.

This is one of the most stupid mods ever.  My regular lawnmower as well as any other gas mower can do (chop up watermelons and shrubs) what that nos powered motor could do.  Now if it was able to pull you across the yard at 20 mph while at the same time spinning the blades fast enough so that the grass is properly cut the first pass, then i would be impressed.  Nothing special about it or rather usefully functional about it.

They've been around for quite a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flymo

mower wheelies will cause that.

I used to wheelie my Dad's skid-steer mower.  [evil]