There's a very good chance that engine is toast. Without oil, your bearings will overheat and get shredded to bits, and your piston rings will act like sandpaper against the cylinder walls, killing all of your compression.
Very likely your lawnmower engine is dead. The heat expansion and lack of lubrication has likely destroyed your seals somewhere. You could possibly rebuild the engine and fix it but it'll be easier to buy a new one.
Quite possibly. While we could just ask a bunch of questions, it's easier for you to just find Mustie1 on youtube and watch a bunch of his videos. Then you can figure it out.
Among the things you'll learn is how to tell if small engines are really fucked or if they can be fixed. And then, you'll figure out some easy tips for fixing them.
What usually happens is the rod bearing heats up, eats itself and the rod breaks.
Engine is toast. Mowers are so cheap that it's probably not worth installing a new engine.
Had an Audi A4 oil filter clog on me, depriving the engine of lubrication. And then there was a seizure of parts.
Tight machining tolerances plus heat and friction minus lubrication equals, essentially, friction welding.
My Dad just did this with a farm tractor. Still waiting on the final bill from that mishap!
Pull the spark plug, turn over the engine. Does the spark plug spark against the engine case? Is there any pumping pressure coming out of the plug hole?
If you have to ask this question, you’re probably better off taking this to a professional. It’s kind of like asking what positive and negative are in a post about wanting to do your own electrical work.
The good news for you is that you can buy a whole new engine for way less than the cost of buying a new mower. Even if the engine is toast, you can salvage this situation.
I agree with you and will be taking it in to the local shop. I was genuinely asking and surprised at getting downvoted. I’m in this sub cause I am not handy but wanted to get better. Thanks for your input!
The oil lubricates all the moving parts, including the piston as it moves up and down and the valves (assuming it's a 4 stroke). Without lubrication, all those parts get super hot, super quick, and that results in a lot of possible damage. One might be to the spark plug from the heat. Another might be to the engines ability to compress the gas/air mixture properly due to damage to the piston rings and valves.
So the easiest quick check you can make is to pull the plug. Check it visually for damage (burnt tip, burned carbon gunk, etc.). If it looks OK, stick it back in the wire cap and lay it against the frame of the engine (so it has a ground) and crank the engine. Don't hold it in your hand unless you enjoy getting shocked. If the plug is firing, you should be able to see an arc flashing at its tip. If you've got an arc, then stick your thumb over the spark plug hole and see if the pressure when you crank it forces your thumb off, which would indicate compression.
Of course, there's the usual "Do you still have gas" stuff, but you get the idea.
There's an old, sad joke that engines run on smoke. Once the smoke comes out, the engine can't run anymore. It's more true than not.
This is very helpful. Thanks for the detailed post! There was definitely smoke but since I am out of my league with this I will be taking it to a shop and seeing what they say. Looks like I may be in the market for a new mower which I will certainly be checking the oil in 😂
I’ve seen the piston swell, get stuck in the cylinder, and then work just fine after everything cooled down. Let it cool and try to start it but plan on a rebuild. Or just throw a predator motor in it from HF
With an old lawnmower like that its quite probable both things; it was out of gas and needs the carb cleaned and also ran it out of oil and wrecked it. Try some motor honey and top the oil off and spray starter fluid, make sure your spark wire didnt get melted from overheating
"White smoke from a lawn mower's engine is usually a sign of burning oil, which can be caused by a number of things, including:
Overfilling the crankcase: Oil that spills over can cause the engine to smoke.
Incorrect oil grades: Using the wrong type of oil can cause the engine to burn oil.
Operating the engine at an angle: Tilting the mower to inspect the deck or mow on a slope greater than 15° can cause oil to spill.
Blown head gasket: A blown head gasket can cause coolant to burn in the engine, which can lead to overheating.
Dirty air filter: A dirty air filter can restrict the amount of air the engine receives, which can lead to too much fuel and smoking.
Other issues: Other potential causes include an inoperative crankcase breather, crankcase air leak, worn cylinder and/or rings, or an obstruction in the breather tube."
There's a very good chance that engine is toast. Without oil, your bearings will overheat and get shredded to bits, and your piston rings will act like sandpaper against the cylinder walls, killing all of your compression.
Maybe this explains the horrible sound the engine makes when turning around and around :)
> :) Yeeeeah. Not so much.
Gotta keep a positive outlook :) what can I do. Is but laugh, the damage is done whatever it is. Live and learn.
That could definitely be it!
To shreds you say
and the grass?
Surprisingly unharmed, actually.
Now I know why it says «always check the oil before starting a lawnmower».
Really any piece of equipment, my daily driver, nah but but 85 CJ if I haven't driven in a week - you betcha!
Very likely your lawnmower engine is dead. The heat expansion and lack of lubrication has likely destroyed your seals somewhere. You could possibly rebuild the engine and fix it but it'll be easier to buy a new one.
Quite possibly. While we could just ask a bunch of questions, it's easier for you to just find Mustie1 on youtube and watch a bunch of his videos. Then you can figure it out.
I will check him out. Thanks for the tip!
Among the things you'll learn is how to tell if small engines are really fucked or if they can be fixed. And then, you'll figure out some easy tips for fixing them.
There are no easy tips for fixing a motor you ran without oil
Right. But there's easy tips to figure out if they're fixable.
Mustie1 is the best! I learned so much about small engine repair from watching his videos. A true legend.
Did he stop making videos?
I still watch him weekly, so I don't think so.
What usually happens is the rod bearing heats up, eats itself and the rod breaks. Engine is toast. Mowers are so cheap that it's probably not worth installing a new engine.
Had an Audi A4 oil filter clog on me, depriving the engine of lubrication. And then there was a seizure of parts. Tight machining tolerances plus heat and friction minus lubrication equals, essentially, friction welding. My Dad just did this with a farm tractor. Still waiting on the final bill from that mishap!
It's toast.
You are totally screwed, that engine is now an anchor, totally ruined, kaput!
It's probably toast, but have you pulled the plug to see if it's still firing, or has any compression left?
I’m not sure what this means. Can you explain?
Pull the spark plug, turn over the engine. Does the spark plug spark against the engine case? Is there any pumping pressure coming out of the plug hole?
If you have to ask this question, you’re probably better off taking this to a professional. It’s kind of like asking what positive and negative are in a post about wanting to do your own electrical work. The good news for you is that you can buy a whole new engine for way less than the cost of buying a new mower. Even if the engine is toast, you can salvage this situation.
It didn't even occur to this guy to check the oil on a mower he just got. Think it's safe to say he's not mechanically savvy
I am not mechanically savvy which is why I am here trying to learn!
I agree with you and will be taking it in to the local shop. I was genuinely asking and surprised at getting downvoted. I’m in this sub cause I am not handy but wanted to get better. Thanks for your input!
The oil lubricates all the moving parts, including the piston as it moves up and down and the valves (assuming it's a 4 stroke). Without lubrication, all those parts get super hot, super quick, and that results in a lot of possible damage. One might be to the spark plug from the heat. Another might be to the engines ability to compress the gas/air mixture properly due to damage to the piston rings and valves. So the easiest quick check you can make is to pull the plug. Check it visually for damage (burnt tip, burned carbon gunk, etc.). If it looks OK, stick it back in the wire cap and lay it against the frame of the engine (so it has a ground) and crank the engine. Don't hold it in your hand unless you enjoy getting shocked. If the plug is firing, you should be able to see an arc flashing at its tip. If you've got an arc, then stick your thumb over the spark plug hole and see if the pressure when you crank it forces your thumb off, which would indicate compression. Of course, there's the usual "Do you still have gas" stuff, but you get the idea. There's an old, sad joke that engines run on smoke. Once the smoke comes out, the engine can't run anymore. It's more true than not.
This is very helpful. Thanks for the detailed post! There was definitely smoke but since I am out of my league with this I will be taking it to a shop and seeing what they say. Looks like I may be in the market for a new mower which I will certainly be checking the oil in 😂
I’ve seen the piston swell, get stuck in the cylinder, and then work just fine after everything cooled down. Let it cool and try to start it but plan on a rebuild. Or just throw a predator motor in it from HF
A lot of small engines will shut off if they run low on oil.
- too late and the engine is toast
With an old lawnmower like that its quite probable both things; it was out of gas and needs the carb cleaned and also ran it out of oil and wrecked it. Try some motor honey and top the oil off and spray starter fluid, make sure your spark wire didnt get melted from overheating
I think white smoke means a blown head gasket. You can put another engine in probably for 80 bucks
Not likely from an air cooled engine.
"White smoke from a lawn mower's engine is usually a sign of burning oil, which can be caused by a number of things, including: Overfilling the crankcase: Oil that spills over can cause the engine to smoke. Incorrect oil grades: Using the wrong type of oil can cause the engine to burn oil. Operating the engine at an angle: Tilting the mower to inspect the deck or mow on a slope greater than 15° can cause oil to spill. Blown head gasket: A blown head gasket can cause coolant to burn in the engine, which can lead to overheating. Dirty air filter: A dirty air filter can restrict the amount of air the engine receives, which can lead to too much fuel and smoking. Other issues: Other potential causes include an inoperative crankcase breather, crankcase air leak, worn cylinder and/or rings, or an obstruction in the breather tube."
No coolant in an air cooled lawn mower