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Hi all! First time poster.

I have a bit of a problem... I think.

I have a Troy-Bilt self propelling push mower that I bought brand new late last summer. I planned on changing the oil before I started mowing this season since the manual says to change after the first 5 hours of mowing (which is about the amount of time I mowed last season). I decided to mow last week one more time and it went fine... stalled out a couple times on the thick grass since I was mulching, but it started back up fine.

Today I went out and bought some oil and was planning on changing today before mowing... but decided to go one more time before changing the oil. So I got about 2/3 done with my lawn... stalled out (mulch mode again, semi-thick grass)... started back up... went a little longer then stalled out with white smoke, oil cap popped off and oil spewed out... crap (may not have put the oil cap on tightly when I was checking it earlier today). Freaked out a bit... Checked to see if it would start up... it did and I quickly stopped it.

So... I poured out the old oil and filled it back up with new oil (engine was still hot)... :/ Started it back up... a little more white smoke and then it stopped... so I finished the last 1/3 of the lawn with it set to spray grass out the side without any problems....

Question is - did I do anything too harmful to my mower?

Thanks all!

Sounds to me like you have a sticking float needle. When you stopped the engine, the needle did not seat, allowing fuel to flow into the cylinder and crankcase. When you started it back up all this fuel ignited and you saw the results. Did you do anything harmful? I doubt it. What I would do is replace the float needle and seat, to prevent this from happening again. If you can't do it, it should be a cheap fix at the service center.

Rivets said:

Sounds to me like you have a sticking float needle. When you stopped the engine, the needle did not seat, allowing fuel to flow into the cylinder and crankcase. When you started it back up all this fuel ignited and you saw the results. Did you do anything harmful? I doubt it. What I would do is replace the float needle and seat, to prevent this from happening again. If you can't do it, it should be a cheap fix at the service center.

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Do you think this is the case even though I was able to finish my yard without any problems or smoke?

That's my best guess, as I don't have to unit in front of me. I can only go by what you describe.