A lot of friends come to me with questions about their
generator, snow blower, and lawn mower engines. Every so often, I’ll feature
answers to my most-received small engine questions.
Help! Smoke is coming out of my engine!
Pause. What color is the smoke?
White or Blue Engine Smoke
If your engine is emitting white or blue smoke, it likely
means your engine is burning oil. Maybe your crankcase has too much oil in it
or you’re using the wrong oil type. According to the guide
to lawn mower oil compiled by the folks at Briggs & Stratton:
- SAE 30 oil is best suited
for operation at 40° F and higher (5° C and higher). It’s a good,
all-purpose oil.
- 10W-30 works up to 100°
F (-18 to 38° C) is better for fluctuating temperature
conditions. This grade of oil improves cold weather starting, but may
increase oil consumption at high summer temperatures.
- Synthetic 5W-30 -20 to 120° F
(-30 to 40° C) provides the best protection at all temperatures
as well as faster, smoother starts.
- 5W-30 is best for cold
conditions—use it in your snow blower!
Other possibilities include a crankcase air leak, busted
head gasket, or worn cylinder. TroyBilt has a great
guide explaining how to troubleshoot this issue further.
Black Engine Smoke
Adjust your carburetor! Check out this video on how to
adjust a carburetor on a Tecumseh engine.
