If Your Lawn Mower Starts Smoking When Using It, Here's What You Should Do
The Spruce / Almar Creative
The most common reason for a lawn mower smoking is that you have spilled oil or oil is leaking. When stray oil contacts a hot surface, it burns and produces smoke, which might be the problem with your lawn mower.
Other possible reasons are that you have a dirty air filter, or for electric lawn mowers, you are simply causing the lawn mower to work too hard.
Depending on the precise reason for your lawn mower smoking, it's important to fix this issue right away. In this article, we'll find out when smoke signals a minor problem, when it indicates a major problem, and how to fix it.
Safety First
Before you investigate what's going on with the internal workings of your mower, disconnect the spark plug wire for safety purposes.
Why Is My Lawn Mower Smoking?
For gas-powered units, the reason for a lawn mower to start smoking is, more often than not, oil-related. But, occasionally, it is gas-related; and even electric lawn mowers can start smoking.
Of the five reasons listed below, the first two aren't that serious, but the others are and should be addressed immediately:
Oil spilled onto deck during an oil change: If you changed your lawn mower’s oil recently or added more to the tank, you may have accidentally dripped some onto the deck.
Oil spilled onto deck due to leak: A dipstick seal can deteriorate over time. When that happens, if the mower is tipped at too great an angle, oil can leak out onto the deck.
You overfilled the tank with oil: When you put too much oil in your unit, the excess oil can leak into places where it doesn't belong, like saturating your air filter. Check the level on your dipstick to see how full the tank is. If the level is beyond the fill line, the tank has too much oil.
The gas/air ratio in the carburetor is out of whack: The function of the carburetor is to maintain a delicate balance between air and gasoline. But, a dirty air filter can reduce the intake of air into the carburetor enough to throw off this balance. The result is an increase in the proportion of gasoline, which can cause smoking.
Something is impeding the blades on your electric mower: If your grass is too tall, it could put stress on the engine and cause smoking. The blades can also be impeded by running over twine, wire, etc. that gets caught in them, causing burnout.
Take Note of Smoke Color
White or bluish smoke usually means the problem is oil-related (a spill or leak), while black smoke is generally gas-related (an issue in the carburetor).
5 Fixes for a Smoking Lawn Mower
The Spruce / Ashley Craiger
Each possible reason why your lawn mower started smoking listed above has a fix. These fixes could work for non-serious smoking issues:
Quick Fixes to Smoking Lawn Mowers
If the smoking is due to oil that has spilled onto your deck, it will stop once it burns off.
Pour oil carefully when you're adding it to the tank. You'll be less likely to drip any of it onto the deck if you use a funnel.
Check the O-ring (seal) on your dipstick. If it has deteriorated, replace it.
When you have to tip the mower on its side (for maintenance), make sure the side where the carburetor and air filter are located is the side that rests up in the air (not on the ground). That way, if you do have a leak, the oil won't leak into those parts of the mower.
Deeper Fixes for Smoking Mowers
If the smoking is due to your having overfilled the tank, follow the manufacturer's instructions to drain the tank.
When you refill it, be sure to refill only to the fill line. Black smoke indicates a problem with the carburetor and, indirectly, the air filter.
Check the air filter to see if it's dirty. If it is, clean or change your air filter. If the blades on your electric mower are being impeded, eliminate what's getting in their way. If tall grass is making it difficult for the blades, cut the grass before it gets too tall. If a foreign object has become entangled in the blades, remove it.
If none of these fixes work, you may need a new lawn mower. Consider a battery-powered lawn mower before you make a buying decision.
Read the original article on The Spruce.
