My son in law borrowed our lawn mower, Honda. He had to put in oil and gas. I watched as he mowed his lawn and that thing was spewing white smoke like you would not believe. What could he have done and can it be undone?

Did he use the wrong oil OR the wrong fuel?
Did he OVER fill the oil? any of these can cause that problem... KennyV

Originally Posted by Tillie

My son in law borrowed our lawn mower, Honda. He had to put in oil and gas. I watched as he mowed his lawn and that thing was spewing white smoke like you would not believe. What could he have done and can it be undone?

I'd say the fuel he put in was a gas/oil mix...hopefully that is the problem and it's nothing mechanical. Overfilling the oil would aerate it badly and cause a lack of lubrication...which means possible rapid piston ring wear and a real cause of white smoke.

Hopefully that's what happened. We have two gas cans outside, one with gas and the other with the gas/oil mix. We usually use the mowers so we know the difference; but he probably didn't. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Tillie

Hopefully that's what happened. We have two gas cans outside, one with gas and the other with the gas/oil mix. We usually use the mowers so we know the difference; but he probably didn't. Thanks.

HEY EVERYONE !!!
I am going to pass along one of my favorite tips to all of you on this forum:

How many of you want to clearly identify something in a gas can, or a sprayer, or mark parts, etc?

Go to a home center store like Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc. Visit the kitchen section and you will usually find a large, wall hung sample board for counter top Formica samples. Grab a half dozen (don't be greedy) of the off white samples every time you visit the store. Use a permanent marker (Sharpie or whatever) to write on the sample:

"40/1 gas oil mix" "Gasoline only" "Weed killer" "Plant fertilizer" "Roundup" or whatever your identification needs are. Then use the little pre-drilled hole in the sample to hang it on the item you want to identify, using a cable tie.

THERE YOU ARE. Anybody know of a cheaper, more convenient method to mark things? And one again, don't be greedy grabbing the samples, or we will end up paying for them down the road.

Hi Good idea

We have a new Pope!

Originally Posted by berniebenz

We have a new Pope!

Good one !!! Wish I had thought of it.

I make sure to label everything. Although the mower would probably be OK in that case I do not want to risk having the wrong chemical put in to the wrong tool/machine.