fuel in the oil in Kohler commander CV 16 S engine in craftsman ride on mower

[corney]

this engine normaly starts by pushing throttle control to top of travel (Choke position) pull back one notch when engine starts...lately it seemed to flood while cranking in choke position but it would start if the choke was opened and though it would miss and sputter it would finally clear itself also NOTE immediately at start dark moist smoke from exhaust changing to normal... now for the bad stuff.....It started this AM (all above conditions present) and after running for about 5 min. began to really miss and emmitted heavy white smoke, (vertual clouds) then clear itself for a min.or so, then start to smoke and miss again. I shut it down, got it back to my shop, drained the oil and got about a gal. of gas and oil mix...
.I've thought about a needle valve seat problem (this system does not have a gas shut-off valve)
I'm thinking of installing a fuel shut off, adding fresh oil and trying it again..BUT..I'm wondering if by starting it again I might cause further damage if the gas in the oil pan results from some other internal problem.

learned comments or advice appreciated...thanks......CORNEY

 

[EngineMan]

this engine normaly starts by pushing throttle control to top of travel (Choke position) pull back one notch when engine starts...lately it seemed to flood while cranking in choke position but it would start if the choke was opened and though it would miss and sputter it would finally clear itself also NOTE immediately at start dark moist smoke from exhaust changing to normal... now for the bad stuff.....It started this AM (all above conditions present) and after running for about 5 min. began to really miss and emmitted heavy white smoke, (vertual clouds) then clear itself for a min.or so, then start to smoke and miss again. I shut it down, got it back to my shop, drained the oil and got about a gal. of gas and oil mix...
.I've thought about a needle valve seat problem (this system does not have a gas shut-off valve)
I'm thinking of installing a fuel shut off, adding fresh oil and trying it again..BUT..I'm wondering if by starting it again I might cause further damage if the gas in the oil pan results from some other internal problem.

learned comments or advice appreciated...thanks......CORNEY

You wasting your time and money just to renew the oil, better to have the carb cleaned and reset first, that is where the problem lays I feel, you can fit a fuel tap, but you have to keep remembering to turn it on and off...! have the carb fixed then renew the oil, it should run fine after that, you may need to clean up the plug(s) a little, if oily..!

 

[MARK102661@AOL.COM]

Engine Man is right, the problem is the carb. Don't waste your money or time. I went through the same problem. When I tried to fire my WildCat up flames shot
out of the muffler like a big fire ball. Scared the do do out of me. Checked plugs and engine was full of fuel. Ended up having the carb rebuild. Your float needle is stuck wide open. DO NOT just change the oil and try it again. You will do way more damage.

 

[onan38]

Had the same thing happen to mine last year.Lucky i have a close friend that works on small engines for a living.Told me the old carb was toast and ordered a new one,then he also put a new head gasket on it (told me that once it gets gas in the oil it wouldn't be long until the head gasket would go from the fuel getting in there.)He also flushed it 2 times with new oil. I felt really lucky it only cost me $150.

 

[corney]

Engine Man is right, the problem is the carb. Don't waste your money or time. I went through the same problem. When I tried to fire my WildCat up flames shot
out of the muffler like a big fire ball. Scared the do do out of me. Checked plugs and engine was full of fuel. Ended up having the carb rebuild. Your float needle is stuck wide open. DO NOT just change the oil and try it again. You will do way more damage.

Hey Guys....thanks for your input...sorry for the delayed thanks...Yes, I changed the needle valve AND SEAT ( a further point to remember, in this kind of situation, be sure to also change the oil filter regardless of how new it is)

I was lucky that on my application I was able to remove the float bowl and needle / seat assembly from the carb without having to completely tear down half the engine in order to remove the whole carb...

I checked the float level to confirm it was correct, thoroughly cleaned the bowl and gasket, put in the new needle / seat and re-installed.....NOTE..I also installed an in-line fuel shut-off...While my system was not originally factory equipped, in my case the gas tank is located HIGHER than the carb, I figured relieving the needle valve of any gravity pressure would help forestall any future problem.

installed fresh oil (which I'm going to change far sooner than my normal 25 hours, and cleaned the spark plug.

It's been starting and running fine since.

As to the head gasket problem mentioned by one of the responders, I'm not sure I see the connection. In my humble experience a four-stoke head gasket problem is usually a result of an overheating problem rather than anything to do with fuel mixture..However, live and learn....Thanks again guys...happy summer...Corney

 

[EngineMan]

Thank you for the feed back.:thumbsup:

 

[flowpo]

I had a similar problem with my 16 horse Kohler. I was mowing one evening and smoke started boiling out of the exhaust so I killed it and found out the oil was full of gas. I am not sure how the oil was getting in the combustion chamber, maybe it was so thin it went by the rings, but I don't know for sure. I finally figured out it was the diaphragm in the fuel pump that had worn thin and gas was going into the crankcase through it. I bought a new fuel pump online and installed it and all my problems went away. I was proud of myself for figuring that one out.