gas engine clogging up

[Deodiaus]

I have a TroyBilt powerwasher with the Briggs & Stratton engine I bought at Lowe's a couple of months ago. It has oil, but seems to run while emitting a white cloudy smoke. If I don't have it high enough on the throttle, it dies. I noticed that my spark plug was fouled up, and saw black sand-like material inside. What is the best way to clean that out? Should I remove the top cylinderhead and clean it? How do I do that without disassembling the whole engine. Years ago, I had a Ford Escort with a carburetor. I would pour Magic Mystery Oil in the red can into the carburetor, which was suppose to clean it out. Does that work?

[LouB]

Try taking it back. Engine is messed up

[Ed Pawlowski]

Is this a 4 cycle engine? It should not be loading up on oil. Is the crankcase overfilled? Do you store the machine with the engine turned on its side so oil can run into the combustion chamber? Sound like the engine is about shot to hell already.

I'd read the warranty and take it back to get checked out. That should not be happening inside of a couple of months.

[Hustlin' Hank]

Since it is a Briggs, I am assuming it is a 4 stroke motor ( 4 stroke means you don't have to mix the gas and oil). That being said, you have a air/fuel mixture problem. Usually this is due to the choke not opening all the way or a clogged air filter ( both will restrict air flow). Check both and test without air filter on to make sure choke is oen all the way. This should fix your problem. If it doesn't, then the float or float valve may not be shutting off the fuel to the bowl at the correct level. Again, make sure the choke is OPEN when running.

Hank

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, White smoke? Worse than black smoke.

[HeyBub]

Black smoke usually means a too rich gas mixture.

White smoke means the engine is burning oil. If the normal things - like oil level - are normal, burning oil often means the piston rings are shot or the cylinder is scored, allowing oil from the crankcase into the firing chamber.

The reason "Magic Mystery Oil" worked is that it made the oil thicker and harder to get past worn piston rings.

So, then, if the normal things are normal, the engine is bad.

[Hustlin' Hank]

Altho you are correct about the cause of smoke color, I don't rely too much on peoples evaluation of the color of smoke. I mostly relied on the fact he had to keep the throttle wide open for it to run at all. That merely means he isn't getting enough air. Of course, he could've over filled the oil sump too. But we'll probably never know. :-)

Hank

[Deodiaus]

I think the oil is filled too high, but have to check when it has sat untouched for an hour. Also, I store the powerwasher in the garage on top of bags of concrete. It probably might have tilted. I have a year warrentee. The smoke is white with a light blue haze, probably due to oil getting inside. Yesterday, it would run on the normal setting (as opposed on the start setting), but had trouble starting. Any recommendations on cleaners? I don't want to damage the motor, but if it is shot, then I guess I will try. There seems to be a lot of carbon grit visibile through the spark plug hole on the piston. Yes, its a 4 cycle engine, the oil and gas are in separate tanks.

[Johnl]

If it is oil overfill, take some out, put in a new spark plug, start it and it will clean itself.

[Hustlin' Hank]

I would do what another poster said. Make sure oil level is correct, change the plug and run it at full throttle. It should blow out any major deposits and you'll be good to go. Again, since we can't actually see what you are seeing, it is hard to determine just how much carbon buildup there is. If you are worried about it, take it back and exchange it for another.

Read the manual on the correct starting procedure. Personally, I move the throttle from start to run slowly, after about 5-10 seconds after it starts. This limits the amount of carbon buildup from a rich air/ fuel mixture.

Hank

[Tony]

Most all small engines are made to operate at 2 speeds, idle and full throttle. Don't try to run it in between.