Oil in breather chamber

[Chadk0329]

Hey, I am getting oil in the breather chamber of my push mower. I have the top of the mower taken apart so I can see inside the chamber. I have read some things, but I am at a loss for where to go from here. Symptoms:
Smoke coming out of air filter
Engine runs smoother without filter
Knocking sound
Any idea where I should go from here? It is a B&S 550E motor
Thanks for any advice.

 

[mechanic mark]

Check oil level on dipstick first, then call auto parts store & ask if they have a compression tester you can borrow. They will charge you a fee for rental & if you return tool in original condition you will get all money back. Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket, that is why you need to perform a compression test. Let us know how it goes, thanks, Mark
Post all numbers from engine, model xxxxxx, type xxxx, trim xx, code xxxxxxx.

 

[sgkent]

if this mower is important to you take it to a good shop. If it is not important to you, and you can afford to screw it up learning to work on engines then continue. I am not being condescending - just concerned that you lack the tools and experience to go on. But if you can afford to get it apart and make things worse then it will be a good learning experience, and if you succeed, you may even get a good running engine.