I have a small Troy Bilt push mower from Lowes that has run fine for the past 4 years. This season it's starting to blow white smoke out of the muffler after running for about 30 seconds. It seems to run fine aside from this. I'm not very knowledgable about engine maintenance. It's a Briggs & Stratton. Since discovering the problem:
* I drained some of the oil out since the level seemed a bit too high
* The mower was on its side to remove the blade earlier this year. Yea, not good I know.
* I removed the spark and pulled the cord a few times, and nothing came out
* I changed out the air filter, but it wasn't real dirty anyway.
* oil seems to be getting into the muffler when I remove/examine it
Is it safe to run & burn off (I'm hesitant since it gets very hot and smokes for a while after stopping) or does it need more extensive work?
Unless it is spitting oil out the muffler and getting all over the deck it should be safe to run. the cause of oil smoke can be various. Could be oil seaping past rings causing a smoky start. Could be from oil overfill, rings getting worn, even storing with the spark plug slightly down..
