k181 is smoking

[JUSS10 250]

i did a search on the site and didn't find much on smoking motors so thats why i started this topic. i just picked up an 854 (most of you have probably seen the post on it) and got it fired up this morning. she smokes. not awful, but visibly in the day light. now, it sounds like the motor last ran about a year ago and i noticed it was low on oil. I added oil so it was where it should be on the dip stick and got it to fire real easy. now my understanding is that if a motor smokes its probably got scored walls or bad rings, is there anything that doesn't require a full over haul that can fix smoking or is there something else that could likely be causing it? any input would be great. thanks

Justin

[rickv1957 75]

The crankcase vent could be clogged or improperly installed causing you problem or just a worn engine that needs freshened up with some new parts,Rick

[Duff 206]

i did a search on the site and didn't find much on smoking motors so thats why i started this topic. i just picked up an 854 (most of you have probably seen the post on it) and got it fired up this morning. she smokes. not awful, but visibly in the day light. now, it sounds like the motor last ran about a year ago and i noticed it was low on oil. I added oil so it was where it should be on the dip stick and got it to fire real easy. now my understanding is that if a motor smokes its probably got scored walls or bad rings, is there anything that doesn't require a full over haul that can fix smoking or is there something else that could likely be causing it? any input would be great. thanks

Justin

I don't know much about the K181S, so some of what follows may not be relevant. Others will jump in and correct me if I'm wrong. The rings and cylinder wall could be the problem, but the valve guides may also be worn. Also, and not altogether uncommon, the crank case breather may be gunked up and forcing oil into places it doesn't belong. I'd start with the breather and work backward from there.

Experts, your advice, please?

Duff

EDIT: Rick and I were typing at the same time; his reply makes me feel better about the clogged breather suggestion! :USA:

[JUSS10 250]

and where might this breather be?

[Duff 206]

and where might this breather be?

It will be somewhere beside the intake where the carb bolts to the engine, I believe. If it's anything like the Magnum engines, it will be a rectangular cover (with maybe diagonally embossed lines) and a small rubber hose coming out that connects to the air filter housing. The governor linkage may partially block it so you may have to disconnect that to get it off.

Rick, am I close here?

Duff :D

[JUSS10 250]

makes sense to me, there is a cover under the carb that is partially blocked by the carb and governor. i will pop that off later. what am i looking for after i take that off? what is it that gets clogged?

[linen beige 15]

What color is the smoke? If it is black, you have a rich fuel mixture. That's a fairly easy fix.

If it's blue/gray then it is burning oil. As mentioned, it could be a stopped up breather, worn valve guides, rings, etc. It could also just be burning oily dust off the outside of the engine and will stop when that is cooked off, but that's likely not the case.

Did you fog the cylinder or add a spoonful of oil before you started it? If it sat for an extended time without being run then there was likely little, if any oil around the rings when you got it. The worst risk from that is that without an oil film protecting the rings they are prone to rusting and becoming stuck in their groves. As engines wear from use the cylinder walls become unevenly worn. Stuck rings can't seal against uneven walls. They are also prone to breaking or cracking as the piston moves if the rings cling to the cylinder wall. Another risk of dry rings is that any rust on them becomes an abrasive grit if the engine is started in that condition. It doesn't take long for that grit to ruin a set of rings, and/or score a cylinder.

You said the smoke is fairly light. I would suggest opening up the breather and cleaning everything there. If the breather wasn't the problem, pull the head. It's probably time to de-coke the combustion chamber anyway. This will give you a chance to evaluate the cylinder and valves, and go from there.

[JUSS10 250]

yeah i thought maybe fuel but its definitely the blue smoke of oil. i probably should have put some oil in the cylinder and let it soak but i just decided to fire it up. I'll work on the breather tomorrow and see if that helps, then go from there

Justin

[dscott2000 1]

Here is a good thread about this exact same issue.

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=19102

Hope this helps! Good Luck! :D

[Buzz 502]

And here's the engine manual you'll need, now and in the future:

http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/tp_2379.pdf

[JUSS10 250]

well i pulled the breather off and its installed correctly. i did mow the yard tonight and it smoked at start up then after a little while the smoke went away. what do i do to go about cleaning this breather? also, if it was blow by in the cylinder, it would smoke all the time correct?

[WH nut 553]

Run it for awhile and see if it clears up. It could be left over from the breather being on wrong. If it still smokes then you will have to look at a rebuild. If it only smokes on start up and on heavy loads run it and keep an eye on the oil.

[JUSS10 250]

keep an eye on the oil for what? cause thats what it does. smokes at start then smokes when you bring the RPMs up till it stays at a set RPM then the smoking is next to gone.

[WH nut 553]

To make sure you dont run it low