Big Jon
Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2013
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 19
I've got a 48" Cub Z Force S with a Kohler Command CV680 engine with just over 150 hours on it. The mower is run on a fairly flat lawn & the only time it's run in any kind of dirty conditions is in the fall when I mulch leaves with it. It has never used any oil and gets a complete service & cleaned up every November before I put it away for the winter. It's a '13 model, so it's being run less than 20 hours per year. It has always had a mulching kit on it. It gets blown out after every mowing and the air filter has never gotten dirty. The only thing I did different last fall when I put it away was when I filled it with gas and poured Sea Foam in the gas tank, I added an extra 2 or 3 ounces just to empty the bottle.
This spring when I started it up the first time it smoked. A lot... As soon as the motor warmed up it quit smoking, ran fine, and had good power, just like it always has. I wondered at the time if it smoked so bad when I started it because of the extra Sea Foam I had added when I stored it for the winter. I idled it down a couple of times to open & close gates & each time I throttled it back up it would blow out a cloud of gray smoke for a few seconds and then clear up again. When I finished mowing I let it cool down & then blew it off with my leaf blower like I've always done & then put it back in my shed. I checked the engine oil the next day and had to add 6oz. of oil. (Kohler 10W30 Synth. blend, which is the only oil it's ever had) Once again, I've never had to add a single ounce over the past 8 years. I did check the muffler tip & it was typically clean, with just a bit of dry, gray residue on my finger.
I decided since there was no noise, knock, or power loss in the engine, to mow at least one more time before checking with my dealer about what was going on. The second mowing was an exact replay of the first except instead of using 6 ounces of oil it only used 2 ounces. I decided to keep using it. The 3rd mowing, it acted exactly the same as the first 2, except that I had to add about 4 ounces of oil. The muffler tip was black when I checked that time & slightly moist.
After that I checked with my dealer and one other dealership & told them what happened & both of them suggested I keep using it & see if it gets any worse before bringing it in to get checked. One of them suggested possibly checking valve adjustment. The other dealer said it has hydraulic lifters & won't need the valves checked...
I mowed for the 4th time today & it's another repeat of the first 3 mowings. Lots of smoke on startup, then running clean with great power & no unusual engine noise. I got puffs of gray smoke each time I would idle it down & then go full throttle again. I did notice today that after letting it cool down for 10 minutes and then blowing it off like I always do, that the red oil light cycled on & off after I started it to put it back in the shed. It went out & stayed out when I throttled it up. I have not noticed it coming on while mowing, but I suppose it's possible... This has always happened occasionally for a few seconds when I start the engine cold. I guess it's time to get it checked out. Any thoughts before I haul it in?
This spring when I started it up the first time it smoked. A lot... As soon as the motor warmed up it quit smoking, ran fine, and had good power, just like it always has. I wondered at the time if it smoked so bad when I started it because of the extra Sea Foam I had added when I stored it for the winter. I idled it down a couple of times to open & close gates & each time I throttled it back up it would blow out a cloud of gray smoke for a few seconds and then clear up again. When I finished mowing I let it cool down & then blew it off with my leaf blower like I've always done & then put it back in my shed. I checked the engine oil the next day and had to add 6oz. of oil. (Kohler 10W30 Synth. blend, which is the only oil it's ever had) Once again, I've never had to add a single ounce over the past 8 years. I did check the muffler tip & it was typically clean, with just a bit of dry, gray residue on my finger.
I decided since there was no noise, knock, or power loss in the engine, to mow at least one more time before checking with my dealer about what was going on. The second mowing was an exact replay of the first except instead of using 6 ounces of oil it only used 2 ounces. I decided to keep using it. The 3rd mowing, it acted exactly the same as the first 2, except that I had to add about 4 ounces of oil. The muffler tip was black when I checked that time & slightly moist.
After that I checked with my dealer and one other dealership & told them what happened & both of them suggested I keep using it & see if it gets any worse before bringing it in to get checked. One of them suggested possibly checking valve adjustment. The other dealer said it has hydraulic lifters & won't need the valves checked...
I mowed for the 4th time today & it's another repeat of the first 3 mowings. Lots of smoke on startup, then running clean with great power & no unusual engine noise. I got puffs of gray smoke each time I would idle it down & then go full throttle again. I did notice today that after letting it cool down for 10 minutes and then blowing it off like I always do, that the red oil light cycled on & off after I started it to put it back in the shed. It went out & stayed out when I throttled it up. I have not noticed it coming on while mowing, but I suppose it's possible... This has always happened occasionally for a few seconds when I start the engine cold. I guess it's time to get it checked out. Any thoughts before I haul it in?
