Clouds of smoke on start up

[charleneje]

Craftsman 21HP 46" cut, Model 91728852, engine B&S Platinum 331977​

I have written about this mower before, I just don't know what to do anymore I went out to use the mower this afternoon and there was thick smoke coming out of the exhaust and it kept on stopping so I continued restarting it and after about 45 mins I managed to keep it running not at normal speed but it did run I tried to drive it around my yard to see if it would clear out yard is 3/4 acre it stopped halfway around the yard when I finally got it running again it would not drive the transmission acted up anyway after messing with it for a while I managed to get it to drive back to my house. There is alot of sprayed oil under the hood and under the fuel pump or whatever is attached to the side at the left rear top of the engine air cover it sprayed oil over the chassis and front of the mower deck. I have replaced the head gasket numerous times the last time I worked on the head to get it good and flat and then put an annealed solid copper gasket on it, I also replaced the carburetor and it had run just great until I parked it for 3 weeks as I said, can anybody give me good suggestions before I cart it of to the scrap yard. I bought this mower new in 2014 and it has given me nothing but trouble ever since I brought it home from Sears never will I buy another Craftsman mower again, I had several used Craftsman mowers that gave me excellent service but its obvious Craftsman mowers are not worth buying anymore. Guess I will go to work on my old Allis Chalmer 916H and get it running again.

 

[hlw49]

Check the engine oil to see if it is over full from gas leaking into the crank case from the carb or maybe even fuel pump.

 

[Richard Milhous]

Recommend checking the spark plug to see if it's fouled.

 

[charleneje]

Hi the oil is barely showing on the dipstick and the spark plug is looking good it isn't fouled at all. Thank you for your suggestions someone here suggested taking it apart to see if the rings had broken causing pressure in the crankcase my problem with that is I am not only 71 yrs of age but I'm disabled as well stopping me from lifting the engine out I have checked and the most I can lift is 40lbs. When I said here I meant a nieghbor

 

[Richard Milhous]

If the ring was broken the plug would be fouled.

 

[slomo]

Does it have an oil filter? Is it leaking there? You said oil was spraying all under the hood.

Oil dipstick loose or no O-ring on the under side of the stick?

Breather hose not connected?

 

[charleneje]

Does it have an oil filter? Is it leaking there? You said oil was spraying all under the hood.

Oil dipstick loose or no O-ring on the under side of the stick?

Breather hose not connected?

Thanks for the suggestion the oil filter is tight there is a breather with small tubes attached to the plastic engine shroud at the rear the down facing tube from that was spraying oil onto the mowing deck. The mower sprayed oil out of the exhaust I don't know if the oil had drained from the engine into the muffler or if the engine cylinder had filled with oil but the smoke was so thick when it did run that I could not see through it and it just about ran like that for about 45 minutes it was just as well it was outside and the wind blew from behind me blowing smoke away from me I started it the following day and it tried to run ok but then ran out of gas, I have been to busy to get more gas and work on it anymore. I had to undo the dipstick to check the oil so I guess oil wasn't coming out of there.

 

[slomo]

Sounds like someone has been playing around with the engine. Are you saying a breather hose is OPEN and points down towards the deck?

Post up several pictures so we can see what you are working with.

 

[charleneje]

Sounds like someone has been playing around with the engine. Are you saying a breather hose is OPEN and points down towards the deck?

Post up several pictures so we can see what you are working with.

yes there is a breather system that attaches to the dipstick tube. I took the plastic engine shroud of and also took of the tappet cover when that came loose alot of oil poured out it smelt strongly of gasoline, I previously replaced the carb the last time I changed the head gasket. SLOMO you might remember that occasion because you was trying to help me then, but then I imagine you helped alot of people, I was the one that didnt connect the wire to the bottom of the carb and the engine wouldn't run properly, until I connected the wire the next day anyway it ran good for a few weeks until I didn't use it for a couple weeks then this problem started I am guessing the engine filled up with gas out of the fuel tank while it was sitting, I am putting pictures up as requested plus a picture of where the exhaust blew oil out for 45 minutes that is the mower 2 pic, the mower1 pic I highlighted the breather control or whatever it is, the others are pictures of the engine after getting sprayed with oil. The breather control in mower pic 1 doesn't seem to do anything but that is how it has always been from new, one tube from the dipstick tube leads to it then couple of tubes of it go nowhere. I figure I will just turn the gas of when the mower is sitting I had already put on a turn off valve as seen in the pictures. Any advice would be very welcome.

 

[bertsmobile1]

That is the impulse fuel pump because the engine or at least the blower housing is off something else.
If it is blowing oil out the hole then the diaphragm inside is busted.
If you have a gravity system ( tank higher than the carb ) then you don't need it so block off the tube at the dip stick or get a repacement dip stick without the outlet .