Wonderful advice. To clear out debris I tipped my lawnmower on the wrong side. When I righted it I found the air filter had oil in it. After starting the lawn mower had a lot of white exhaust and burnt oil dripping out the exhaust. The oil was half full. So I did take the spark plug out and primed the engine a few times, put the spark plug back in and it started. The white exhaust lasted about four minutes before clearing so I finished mowing the lawn and managed to stay out of the doghouse. Thank you. Prior to starting I did put more oil in it.
This video just helped me turn on my lawnmower after not working for 1 year...was gunna throw it away and did what u did...and bam it turned on!!! Thanks!!! God bless
Just overfilled my very first new mower. Started smoking, and me thinking that it was cuz I went on an angle, continued working then realized what I've done. You're a lifesaver, thank you for this video, very informative and easy to follow. Mower works great now, gonna try to mow the backyard tomorrow and see if everything is good to go. I was scared that I've damaged the engine.
Thanks for these videos. I did this last summer and my mower has not worked well since. I'm watching your videos learning how to maintain my mower and get it running well again.
Had a customer come in with a Ariens walk behind mower (pretty nice mower) and stated that it stopped working and she noticed it was low on oil. So....She filled it all the way to the top of the dipstick tube. This did not solve her problem of course and brought it into the shop for repairs. After pumping out numerous quarts of oil out of the mower (maybe 3 to 4) and filling it with the proper amount, the reason the mower stopped working in the first place was it ran out of gas.... Stories from retail small engine repair. Happy new year to you! Looking forward to more repair videos and whatever vintage things you might find in your adventures.
Thank you so much for the video. Im not very handy. I just moved in to a house that has a yard and my neighbor gave me an used lawn mower. I have never used a lawnmower. The 1st time i cut the grass, it worked like new. The 2nd time, i put almost a whole quart of oil and I was wondering why there was tons of smoke coming out of it. Now I know. Now, i have a weekend project.
Sir after watching a ton of videos of how to get my brand new mower to start after running it without oil the first day I got it smh your video was the only one that told me to empty the oil, and to spray the spark plug. I did that, plus sprayed some pb blaster in the cylinder and voila my mower runs beautifully...one pull and it starts! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this video!!
I bought a mower with a similar problem to this just before christmas. When I started it the first time it smoked more than any mower I've ever seen so I checked the "oil" level and it was indeed way over filled. When I emptied it out though it appeared the previous owner had been using something like diesel as an oil substitute.....thin like water and I'm amazed it survived as it's a generic chinese mower!
I had this happen with my Snapper SP80, Briggs 725exi since I had drained the oil and gas last fall. I had kept the original included oil container and could swear I remember originally putting the whole bottle of oil in per the directions on it, it was a 15 oz "Briggs" branded container, so I refilled it from a new quart and put the whole "Briggs" 15 oz container in and it started smoking when started, checked the oil, too much, but I left it figuring it would just burn out excess once the smoke stopped which it did in a few seconds, and ran fine but smoked and coughed on a steep embankment but finished mowing.Then yesterday I was mowing and hit that embankment by the road and it smoked and coughed but that stopped and I continued mowing and a couple of minutes later it just quit running like it was out of gas but wasnt. So I checked the gas, it was a good half tank, would not start. So I dumped the extra oil out and cleaned the plug, wouldnt even try to start, so I came here for ideas and this was THE video! I wound up removing the carb and completely flushing it all out, bowl removed and all, and put the gas line on it and let some gas flow thru it with the bowl off, put it all back together and it started right up. There was obvious oil in the carb throat and filter, nothing sprayed or ran out of the plug hole though, so it was just the carb had oil in it and that was probably blocking the flow/atomization of the gas. It's possible not all the oil drained out last fall, and possible I filled the container with more oil than the 15 oz, so the engine had too much oil but not a LOT of extra, just enough to foul the carb Had one guy try to tell me to forget it, that the extra oil caused scoring of the cylinder, scrap it and buy a new one! Nope I didn't believe that, it had compression, it had spark, the only thing left was the engine wasnt getting the gas right.
Subscribed... I learned a few things. To bad you are not next door as I have multiple outdoor tools I need serviced not only do you know what your talking about but damn CHEAP. I took my HRX217 mower who is supposed to be a professional to install a new adjusting lever and he messed everything up. Self propel not working right had a retainer clip and few washers not installed... the gear was installed the wrong way so i had to remove and reinstall. Now here I am studying the wheel diagram to order what ever was missing.... to think he charged me $60 to screw it up.
Cool I have seen that before. On a 3-in-1 Yardman with bag with Briggs 625 on it that I got for $15. I was going to sell it after I fixed, but decided to keep it. And basically donate it to my son for whenever he has a mowing job in the neighborhood.
I had that on a curb find mower I picked up. I pulled the plug and the oil just spewed out all over the driveway, haha. Thanks for the video, Hank. At least you can still work on stuff. It's been so cold here that I haven't ventured into the garage.
Delmont Industries LTD hey man it’s weird weather even for here. It was 70 degrees on Friday. Usually it’s in high 50s low 60s during the day this time of year.
Took a tour around the neighborhood and found a lawnmower sitting on the side of a house. $20 and looked it up was $160 new. Watch your carb cleaning video. And now I'm sitting on a 2017 mower for $20 and a can of carb cleaner thxs.....
both our lawns are not growing, but for 2 different reasons. im being assulted with cold, sunday morning was -4. suprisingly its going to be in the 50's this Friday, but after that were going back to the deep freeze.
😅TYVM - a simple mistake to make. Forgive the excuse, awaiting cataract surgery, eyesights not what it used to be. I guessed this could be a common error: too much clean SAE30 on a clean dip stick is difficult to see even with better eyesight than my own. I wasnt 100% sure how to drain (on its side). I appreciate the advice to pull the plug for a few cranks. B&S @20oz isnt clear w/dipstick is guide & unknown amount in the case. TYVM for helpful videō.
My late step father in law overfilled his lawn mower and it dropped a valve, destroying the motor. You were lucky. I always fill my outdoor power equipment up to the fill line and maybe slight above but never to the point you found.
I have a lawn tractor, and I use summer oil. And I think it has 1-2 ounces over the max. I ran it a couple times with the amount. Because I didn’t know if it would burn any oil. Is it fine running on ever so slightly too much oil. It seems to run fine.
It seems I get them either overfilled or nearly empty. I took a year old Troy Bilt in on trade last year that the previous owner put a full quart of oil in.
@@hanksgarage_ Just "recycled" one today. I didn't want to get too dirty this evening, but I got it to putter and run. Tomorrow, I'll drain everything out, go through it and get it running right. At least I know the starter cord works correctly.
Hey, I made the oil mistake, drained it, refilled it, let it settle, however there is still smoke, does this mean the engine still has oil in it ? Do I have to remove the spark plug to get all the oil out ? It’s a Troy Bilt push mower, only a year old.
I just ripped my mower to clean underneath and started and it was smoking. The oil looks as high as that but is it because it was on its side or just too much. It was running fine before I tilted it. I guess I'm going to let it sit til tomorrow and try again. If it still smokes I'll empty some out.
Sad to say I just tried to run my john deer the following spring after having it serviced AT my john deer dealership. I noticed it burning oil . Checked the oil level and saw it was half way up the dipstick! FROM THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE. So far I've taken about 1/2 quart out. Waiting for it to settle for accurate reading. Going to try this procedure to clean it out. Just wanted to give a heads up to never assume that the "proffesionals" always do it right. ie...double check and don't assume....and thanks for the vidio
Even if there is residual oil left in it. It will all just burn off and look like an old steam train. Draining out the proper amount as you said is just fine.
Hank's Garage thankyou for the confirmation. Took almost a litre out of it, cleaned the plugs, ran a little seafoam through it. It was a little rough for a bit , but it's running good now.👍makes me wonder how a tech could make that big of an error with the new oil. I can see a quarter of an inch or so over (dip stick) but a litre is ALOT. And then not to catch it by double checking the level. It's an expensive machine to have potentially ruined by mistake. Oh well....stuff happens just glad it survived. Lesson learned on my part
When changing the oil on a Sears Craftsman lawnmower with a 6.5 Briggs and Stratton engine do you check the oil level with the dipstick screwed all the way in or just placed on top of the oil filler tube ?
@@hanksgarage_ Hi. I did some more research and on the model I have it states to screw in the dispstick to check the oil level. I had to drain some oil out of the engine to get the correct level. Thanks for your response.
My male friend overfilled my Victa 127cc lawnmower with engine oil, it was smoking a lot. I emptied the extra oil out but now I can not pull the rope to start it. It looks like it’s stuck. Any help, please. It’s a new mower.
Try removing the spark plug. Give the cord some pulls and see if oil comes out of where the spark plug was connected. Reconnect spark plug and try starting again.
How soaked in oil does a foam air filter need to be? Does it need to have just a little bit of oil or enough that it drips as soon as you touch the foam?
@@hanksgarage_ I'd have another question for you. I'm very new to combustion engines, so I don't know much about them yet. It's related to your video. I didn't overfill my brand new lawn mower but rather tilted it on the wrong side to clean the under + change the wheel height (on this model, I need to remove all wheels and screw them back on into the desired height holes!) and it stayed this way for at least half an hour. When I brought back the lawn mower to level, I noticed it had leaked oil and a bit of gas on the ground, from the air filter. I removed the air filter, cleaned it (hence why I need to oil it), and left everything sitting there for 6-8 hours to check how much fluid would drain, which wasn't much more than a few tablespoons. I was wondering what I should do next. I still have 95+% oil in the oil tank so I don't need to put more. If I understood correctly, my next step would be to try to start the lawn mower and if successful, just let it burn the excess oil as white smoke, BUT if the pulling cord is abnormally stiff, then I 'd need to remove the Spark Plug and pull 15-20 times on the Cord to help drain what's left inside (you said "to drain the cylinder" but I don't quite know what it means) before cleaning the Spark Plug and starting the lawn mower (after reassembly of course). Am I wrong?. • Since I only tipped the lawn mower on the side and never tried to start it since (so no damage), would I need to completely drain the oil and replace it or is this just for when you overfill it? (My oil is brand new by the way) • If I need to clean the Spark Plug, what should I use? Do I absolutely need some specialty product or is there some more common things that can be used? Sorry if this was long! Thanks again! P.S.: I'm not a 13 yo. I'm an experienced DIY'er, I've always learned anything I needed to in order to build/fix anything; I've just never used much gasoline engines since I've always been living downtown in a big city and I don't have any need for a car.
@@christiangauthier727 it’s ok that you had it tipped over. Any residual oil will burn off and show as smoke when running it won’t hurt anything. Cleaning plugs I use carb cleaner
@@christiangauthier727 once the oil goes past the rings it creates a near perfect seal and boosts the compression and feels very hard to pull. Hence pulling the plug and letting it free wheel all the oil out. You won’t get it all but as long as you get most of it that’s fine
Tell me if I'm right or wrong overfilling a lawn mower motor with oil will calls it to blow oil in your carburetor and out the exhaust I accidentally overfill my mower with oil when I was changing it I was cutting grass and it blew out a big Puff of white smoke
Well what to do after overfilled 🪔 oil, I suck it out til it almost need some oil back in it, but it still spited spattled out oil. And smokes, and wouldnt start😭, it's only 40 days old, what the next step??
Mine smokes and I never ever have over filled it with oil. I fill the oil so the oil goes to the half way point in between the 2 lines. It starts for 3 seconds and then it stops. It has a clean filter clean carburetor. I have no clue why the damn thing wont start.
Hank's Garage I enjoyed your video. Very simple process and yes, I made the previous owners mistake. I followed the instructions on the machine but turns out I only needs 1 qt. Instructions says 1.5 qt. Now I know because I drained the oil and carefully monitored the dip stick. Thank You. 👍
I have this same issue, I emptied the oil, replaced with the correct amount, checked the oil, checked it again, let it run for 4-5 mins, the smoke still comes out in significant amounts, checked the oil again, still fine, run it again for 5 minutes, still smoke..... What am I doing wrong? I am using the correct oil for the Honda GCV 160 currently at the correct level, still lots of smoke no matter how long I run it.
If it never stops smoking, then oil may be getting into the combustion chamber. The means the seal(s) that keeps the oil separate from the gas is blown/worn so it needs replaced.
How do I do this for a ride on mower that has a key to start instead of a pull string? I got a used mower and the oil was really old so I decided to change it. Unfortunately I listened to the sticker on the inside of the hood and added 56 ounces of oil, which I soon realized was way too much.
@@hanksgarage_ I ended up draining the oil out of it then I took the spark plug out and turned the crank by hand. The oil didn't really shoot out like in the video but it did spew out slowly. After about 15 minutes I decided I had had enough and put it all back together and started it up. It started right away but I have been having issues where when I shut it down it won't start back up unless it sits for like ten minutes. I didn't think it would turn over without the spark plug in it, but if you think it will help I'll do it over the way that you said to do it. Sorry for the long response and thanks so much for the help.
If anything oil is getting on to the plug and interfering with the spark. I cant think of anything else that would cause that issue...As for expelling all the oil out, on these bigger motors they need to be run with the starter to hit higher rpms, doing it by hand you'll get some but not all the oil out.
We used to drain the oil from underneath our old Toro mower. We had to get rid of it because over the years it accumulated a lot of holes in the deck. Not safe. We got an MTD mower and I hate it that we have to turn it on its side to get the oil out. What moron thought that up. So I got a large plastic medical syringe and attached some plastic tubing to it to fit in the oil chamber and suctioned oil out then removed the filled tubing and ejected it into an empty gallon container. The rubber stopper on the syringe came off a few times, but we managed to get the oil out eventually. The owners manual specifically said not to turn the mower on its' side at more than a 90 degree angle, which is what we would have to do to drain all the oil out. Couldn't the oil mix with the gas if you do that? Also, I'm a woman and I have to do this myself many times. The darn mower is heavy and I'm afraid it could fall on my leg or foot. I'm gonna stick with the plastic syringe method because they're pretty cheap (can get them on Amazon), less messy and relatively easy to do. It took a long time to fill the oil because I made sure to wait for it to settle before I checked the level. When I have to change the oil again next time, I think I'll use one syringe to remove the old oil and another to transfer new oil from the bottle to the oil chamber on the mower.
What you are doing is called "evacuating" the oil. Instead of using the syringe you can buy a cheap little oil evaluator instead. Like this one amzn.to/2YVKfNv
