Cub Cadet XT1 smoking

[T.H. Hill]

I recently bought an XT1 with an Intelipower engine. It starts fine but it's starting to expel a small amount of white smoke at startup that lasts for about 5 seconds then clears up and doesn't keep smoking after that. Am I looking at the start of a head gasket problem or is this common with the Intelipower motor since it doesn't have a manual choke and I've heard of other owners complain of starting problems with this engine related to the choke.

 

[sgkent]

white or gray? White smoke is moisture. Gray is oil. Does this engine have a radiator and water cooling system? If so I would check the cylinders with a bore scope as soon as possible to see if there is evidence of moisture in the cylinder. Water in a cylinder could hydrolock an engine, bend a rod, rust it, lots of bad things. If it has more than one cylinder and is water cooled then compare spark plugs. If one is whiter and cleaner, that is the one leaking. If it is air cooled, then look again to see maybe it is gray smoke.

 

[hlw49]

Model and spec no of engine

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I recently bought an XT1 with an Intelipower engine. It starts fine but it's starting to expel a small amount of white smoke at startup that lasts for about 5 seconds then clears up and doesn't keep smoking after that. Am I looking at the start of a head gasket problem or is this common with the Intelipower motor since it doesn't have a manual choke and I've heard of other owners complain of starting problems with this engine related to the choke.

Run it

 

[slomo]

Typically a puff on start-up is valve seals. Smoking all the time is rings.

Could be fuel in the oil sump. Pull the oil dip stick and smell for fuel. If so let us know and DO NOT run the engine any further.

 

[T.H. Hill]

Typically a puff on start-up is valve seals. Smoking all the time is rings.

Could be fuel in the oil sump. Pull the oil dip stick and smell for fuel. If so let us know and DO NOT run the engine any further.

I suspect it's getting a small amount of gas into the oil somehow. I've checked the oil dipstick and I don't smell any gas and it's not visible either. The oil is right at the full mark now however, I might have added a bit too much when I changed the oil this year- fresh oil is really hard to see when it's new.

 

[T.H. Hill]

Doing a follow-up on my smoking intelipower Cub Cadet. I'm trying to chase down what's causing a small amount of white smoke at start up for about 5 seconds or less. Doesn't do it every time but I suspect I might have a small head gasket leak and once the engine heats up a bit, it closes the small leak in the gasket. I pulled the shroud off to have a better look and saw a small amount of a brown powder right where the head gasket is. It's not oil though so maybe it's dirt that got past the shroud. ?? Still guessing.

 

[slomo]

The oil is right at the full mark now however, I might have added a bit too much when I changed the oil this year

My man, you need to get in the habit of checking it prior to EVERY mow. On the full mark, not under and def not over.

I pulled the shroud off to have a better look and saw a small amount of a brown powder right where the head gasket is.

Yours is pretty clean. Doing this is a must-do, yearly or more often, maintenance item, on every air cooled engine out there. Download your engine manual and read it a couple times. Lots of good tips in it.

 

[slomo]

Take a small diameter or garden hose at say 3 feet long. One hose end in your ear. Other on the spot at the head you think is leaking. Start the engine. Listen for a chuffing/huffing/puffing sound. Move the hose away from the area to confirm. Listen again.