B&S Intek V-Twin blowing blue smoke

[motoman]

Go to this thread..."Two way tractor tool DIY." See pic tool holding Intek flywheel. Puller is very simple . Any two jaw puller or "flat bar" type puller can be used. There should be two tapped holes near the 1-1/4" flywheel nut to attach the puller. Ask if still unsure,

 

[motoman]

Richard, you are really going to get mad and upset with me for saying this. (And so will a few other people on this forum). What you are blaming on B&S is not their fault. I would really like to see your air filter and maintenance records. I have seen this situation too many times before, lack of consumer maintenance, blame it on the manufacturer. This problem did not happen overnight. That tube should have been seen by whom ever was doing the periodic service. I'll bet the tube was on there when you bought it. Did B&S take it off after it was purchased? You never said how old the unit was. Who has been doing the yearly service, could they be the problem? I have been teaching engine repair and repairing engines for 35+ years and yes manufactures make mistakes. Have you ever heard of recalls? This was not a manufacturers mistake,(based on what you have posted) but the consumers problem for not following maintainence instructions. I have fought with the manufactures when I see problems which are not the fault of the consumer, but in this case I am going to side with B&S, this is your fault.

Not sure I agree that BS is not a culprit in the case of the loose crankcase tube. Elsewhere in this forum is a write- in about warranty issue with it. I finally discovered my Intek tube was NOT seated in the annular ring onto the intake horn after SEVERAL YEARS chasing deposits on the intake, Always careful air cleaner maintenance. The bottom radius was unseated impossiblr to see.

 

[JAKSHA]

Hello all,

New member here looking for some advice on my Craftsman mower. It recently started smoking real bad, and using up oil at an alarming rate. I know you're going to hate me for this, but I kept adding oil and kept mowing. Hey, the grass was REAL long! I knew I had a problem, but figured I'd address it once the forest was cleared. It took two refills to finish my 1 acre lot. After a while it sounded like it was running on one cylinder. I pulled the plugs and sure enough, the right side plug was gunked up real bad. I put in new plugs and some stop leak and kept going. This was meant as just a band aid until I could finish the lawn. Thing was, stop leak didn't help.

I purchased a B&S Repair Manual yesterday. The guy at the store said he suspected the Breather Tube. Once I figured out what a Breather Tube was, I found that it had come loose from the Air Horn! I cleaned everything up real good and reconnected that tube. Fresh oil, new filter, and gave it a whirl. No luck, still blue smoke real heavy.

So, given my limited knowledge here's my thoughts. I am suspecting either a blown head gasket or bad rings. My problem now is that the book calls for a Flywheel Holder at $65 and a Flywheel Puller at $15. I am afraid of investing in these tools only to find I can't fix it. Quite frankly, funds are limited.

So here are the main questions:
1 - Is there another way to get the flywheel off safely without those tools, or at least can I make my own Flywheel Holder?
2 - What are your thoughts as to what the problem could be?

Important Details
Mower:
Craftsman DYS4500
Briggs and Stratton Intek V-Twin 24HP OHV, Model 445677-0827-e1

Me:
Electronics Technician
Pretty handy with tools
Know little to nothing about motors. However, changed my own timing belt, drive belts, and alternator on my Honda Civic two weeks ago. (Love those Hanes manuals!)