Have I seriously damaged my mower?

[Helen4521]

Can anyone help please? When I was mowing, I ran over a largish stone. The mower made a noise like the stone was whizzing around with the blades then white smoke came out of the exhaust. When I stopped the mower, I tilted it up (only slightly) to see if the stone was still underneath, didn't see it but saw score marks where it had been. The blades still move OK. When I started the mower again, it sounded like a tin can and there was a bit of oil coming out of the exhaust. Have I done serious damage? What should I be checking next? The mower is only 2 years old.

[Dave]

Ouch! yup

[trader4]

With oil coming out the exhaust after hitting a large rock, you have serious damage and it isn't going to be cheap to fix. I'd try to get a rough estimate over the phone on the repair cost range before spending money on fixing it. If it's a low to mid-range mower, you may be better off buying a new one and parting this one out on Ebay. Start with the engine and tell them you hit a rock and it no longer runs, all sales final, as is, etc. That usually gets people interested. I'm amazed at what people will bid on crap like that on Ebay.

[jim]

That is probably not true. The oil coming out the exhaust is probably caused by tipping the engine and getting oil into the crankcase breather and then sucked into the engine. If the engine is running badly it is probably because the flywheel key is sheared. Running the engine with a sheared key will ruin it. Fixing a sheared key shouldn't cost very much.

Except that she said it still ran but sounded like a tin can. I'm not sure what exactly "sounded like a tin can" means, but a sheared flywheel key or the blade hitting some piece of sheet metal might sound something like that to some people. Since there was no mention of excessive vibration I would guess the crankshaft is OK.

-jim

[*Mechanic*]

I'm with Jim on this one but it is still possible that the crankshaft & blade are bent.... a bent blade will sometimes compensate for the bend in the crankshaft and the machine will run semi-true. If the blade is replaced for a new one the vibration may become more apparent.

This is all dependant of what the machine is though..... if its a Honda with a Rotostop Clutch the crank could be fine but the clutch could be damaged causing the "tin can" sound? More information required please.

'Lawnmower World - The home of Quality garden machinery'

[trader4]

If the oil coming out of the exhaust is due to tipping the mower over for inspection, how do you explain the white smoke coming out of the exhaust that suddenly appeared when she hit the rock?

[Eggs Zachtly]

Maybe it only /looked/ like it was coming out of the exhaust at that time, and it was actually the dust from the rock disintegrating. =)

What, in an air-cooled engine, do you think would cause *white* smoke coming from an exhaust port? =)

[lodge keeper]

i have found a bit of a sticker on one off the side panels and what i can read from is as follows

dx 60 pinto mtd 6.5hp r col lawn rider i wounder if this will help in id of my mower a bit more but thank you ery much any way

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------+

[jim]

Pretty much the same mechanism. The smoke was the result of a slug of oil getting through the crankshaft breather. To be any more specific than that, would require knowing what sort of engine/mower this is. How would you explain it?

-jim

[willshak]

Therein lies your answer. It is an MTD DX60 Pinto. It is quite old as the new DX60s are different.

[trader4]

The poster said she "only slightly tipped" the mower. She didn't turn it upside down. I've tipped many mowers over on their side and never had any white smoke come out. In fact, that is how you change the oil on most of them today. The white exhaust smoke also appeared right after hitting the rock while the mower was still running and before turning it upside down. I don't see how hitting a rock, accounts for oil getting into the combustion chamber, unless something is broken internally.

Perhaps we'll hear back about how it turns out.

[Joe]

[Eggs Zachtly]

[big snip]

Since:

1. It's been almost 4 months since the OP, I wouldn't advise holding your breath.

1. They've never made another post, either previously or since, to this group, I doubt they'll followup.

;)