help. sudden stall of lawn mower. gas in oil reservior.

[Nose]

I took my lawn tractor out for the last mow of the season, and wouldn't you know it? After about three minutes, it stalled suddenly and spewed out a big cloud of blue/gray smoke. I pushed it back around to the garage, looked around the engine for anything unusual and decided to try it again. (This all took about ten minutes, and therefore it probably cooled a little bit). It started, but ran kind of rough, and I think there was slightly more smoke than usual. Then, again after about

2 minutes, it suddenly stalled again with a cloud of smoke. The engine is a 5 yr old Briggs and Stratton, model 287707. I went to check/change the oil, and over 1/2 gallon of oil/gas mix (mostly gas) came out. Somehow the gas is leaking into the oil reservior. What has happened? What do I need to check?

[m Ransley]

Your float is stuck, rebuild the carb and flush out the gas by having 2 oil changes, dont run it it is now lubbed by gas, take out the plug and crank it likely its full of gas too. if you still want to mow keep the gas shutoff till you are ready to run it, but change the oil, run it 1 minute and change it again. Stop after a few minutes to see if oil level is going up, if it is just stop for the year. It should only happen , the flooding, when the motor is stopped, but running with diluted oil will kill a motor.

[Rich256]

Why change oil more than once? I can't see that the tiny amount left could do any damage. It will evaporate within seconds.

[Bob]

gas by having 2

out the plug and

to mow keep the

oil, run it 1

see if oil level

only happen ,

with diluted oil

amount left could

Personally, I would do the change it twice thing. Oil is cheap, engines are not. Any gas is going to change the chemistry of the oil.

Bob

[Harry K]

Be absolutely sure that the plug wire cannot spark against anything while you are cranking it. This happened to me last spring. If there is gas in the cylinder it comes out in a fine spray. One spark and you would have a flame thrower. After the oil change, etc., I installed a gas line shutoff valve. They are cheap.

Harry K

[Don Young]