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Experienced gardeners share their insights in answering this question :
Ether ring are bad or you have a unseated valve seat

How to Identify and Fix Common Gardening Problems ?

We provide a variety of viewpoints on how to identify and fix common gardening problems. Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced gardeners :

Blue or white smoke coming from your engine usually indicates burning oil, which can be caused by: Overfilling the crankcase with oil. Incorrect oil grades. Operating engine at greater than a 15 degree angle.
Your lawn mower`s carburetor regulates the ratio of gasoline to air mixture. If the carburetor isn`t getting enough air, the mixture has a higher percentage of gasoline, which can create black exhaust smoke. It`s possible that a dirty or clogged air filter is preventing sufficient airflow into the carburetor.
In such cases, your first step after the mower cools down should be to check the air filter. If it`s clogged, the combustion chamber may not be getting enough oxygen, resulting in a too-rich fuel mixture that will cause the engine to run poorly and even spew smoke.
You Lose Power in the Middle of Mowing:

Here`s why this happens and what you can do: Dirty Air Filter on Your Lawn Mower: Clean or replace. Dirty Spark Plug: Clean or replace. Build Up of Clippings & Debris: Clean underside of your lawn mower deck as noted above.

Another symptom commonly associated with a problematic carburetor is black smoke coming from the exhaust. Black smoke coming from the exhaust is an indicator that the engine is running excessively rich, or using too much fuel.
Smoke often leaves car engines as a result of overheating. This can be caused by faulty wire casings, heated residues on the engine block and overheated liquids including oil, transmission fluid and brake fluid. There may also be a fault in your coolant system, or your engine may not have enough lubricant.
White Smoke

In extreme cases, you will need to replace your head gasket. At the first sign of white smoke you can try head gasket repair treatment to seal the leak before you do serious damage to your engine.

A lawnmower engine commonly smokes on startup because the oil level is over full. Other common causes include: Mower stored incorrectly. Wrong oil type.
If you have a riding mower like a lawn tractor and there is white smoke, this is usually an indication of excessive oil being added to the reservoir, or you may have a fault with the carburetor. It could also be a sign of a blown head gasket, but that is more rare.
Replace dirty or clogged fuel filter. Replace old gas with fresh gas (properly dispose of old gas). Check oil level and add if low. Adjust cutting height of mower before cutting tall grass.
Broken, damaged or corroded wire. Timing. Improper spark plug gap. Faulty ignition coil.
The most common answer to, “Why is my car smoking but not overheating?” is that there`s a type of fluid that`s landed on the engine. This can be motor oil, fuel, transmission fluid, coolant, or even condensation. It can cause your engine to smoke because it`s burning off that fluid from the engine.
White Smoke Coming From Exhaust: Explained

White smoke from your exhaust means coolant is exposed to your engine`s combustion process. In most cases, this is the result of a blown head gasket, but a cracked engine block or cylinder head could also be the cause.

When a radiator hose blows, it will create a spray of coolant which can get into the engine. This will cause white smoke that looks similar to steam and a pungent odor. Another cause of smoke is if the engine is burning oil due to a leaking seal or faulty valve or piston ring.
White Exhaust Smoke

White smoke billowing out of your exhaust means that coolant is likely leaking into the cylinders. This usually happens when there has been a breach in the head gasket, which makes the coolant create this white steam.

White Smoke & Dies

This is a sure sign that oil has made its way into the carburetor and is blocking the gas feed jet. Most times, repeated starting and running of the engine will clear the oil. However, if you cannot run the engine long enough, you may need to clean the carburetor.

To fix blue or gray smoke: The easy way is to add a bottle of Motor Honey Oil Treatment to your motor oil with each oil change. It`s specially designed to reduce oil burning and stop smoky exhausts. The hard way is an engine overhaul, which is about a hundred times more expensive and a thousand times more work.
Black exhaust smoke

When your exhaust pipe gives off black smoke, one of the things to get worried about are bad or worn out spark plugs. It means fuel burning in the combustion chamber is not being done 100 percent or burnt fully. It also means that air is not being well mixed with fuel to burn effectively.

One of the reasons for black or white smoke is a malfunctioning fuel pump, making your engine get a rich fuel mixture. In most cases, a bad fuel pump is giving a lean mixture, so this is not a common one.
Spark Plug Issues

Examining the spark plug regularly is essential because a dirty one can cause various problems, and smoking is one of them. If the spark plug is dirty or too old, or if the plug`s gap is too large, it won`t start the mower and will sputter black smoke.

If there`s a short circuit in the starter system, the starter motor will likely heat up and release smoke. And if you have wire problems, your ignition switch might end up being faulty too. For example, the ignition switch might still run the starter motor even when the engine is on.
Is SAE 30 Oil The Same As 10W-30? No. Unlike SAE 30, SAE 10W-30 is multi grade oil. SAE 10W-30 has SAE 10W viscosity at a lower temperature and SAE 30 viscosity at a hotter operating temp.
Oil Spillage and Leakage – If oil spills on the engine, it can burn and send up smoke without there being any overheating. The smoke will be blue or gray. Leaking Coolant – If you see white smoke under the hood, it`s most likely burning coolant that has come into contact with the hot components beneath your hood.
The carburetor oil leakage phenomenon, is caused by the destruction of the balance system.

Discover Relevant Questions and Answers for Your Specific Issue

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Toro clear won't start – Toro Power Clear 621 R
ANSWER : Bad gas , plug ,air filter , no spark ck all need all 3 to start

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Starts and stops starts and stops blowing snow, is the belt lose or waren or streched ? model 3650 6.5
ANSWER : Take the black cover off of the side (left) and look at the belt. It is probably worn out.

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Won’t start While using the blower last week it stopped. Afterwards would not start. The unit did not smoke during operation or when it was stopping the last time. Replaced spark plug, took off carb, cleaned and put back together. Still no start… Tried a little starting fluid. Sputtered a little, like 2 sec and then stopped..
ANSWER : This engine may well have seized, remove the muffler and check the condition of the piston skirt through the open exhaust port, any signs of scuffing and the machine will have to come apart to assess the damage.

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My power washer wouldn’t start. I replaced the spark plug and it started right up. but spray was a bit sporadic and then it began billowing thick white smoke and stopped running?

Any thoughts.

ANSWER : White smoke IS NOT fuel related. you twit! white smoke indicates oil consumption. they let anyone answer these things

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Motor starts, stops, starts, stops etc never running completely. not putting out much water pressure. not building pressure??
ANSWER : Is you nozzle plugged? That is what this sounds like.

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Mower start up and runs, but starts to cut back, and smokes just a little bit. The mower stops smoking when it throttle up. It will continue to run but not at full throttle. I can hold a finger gently over the fuel primer bulb and it will throttle up for a small time.
ANSWER : It sounds like she’s being deprived of the correct fuel / air mixture due to a dirty carburetor (the biggest problem with mowers when gas is left to sit for a period of time). If you do not know how to take the carburetor apart and clean it thoroughly, then I suggest taking it to the local shop (hardware store or mower shop) and having it tuned up. It’ll probably be just fine and worth the money. Hope this helps and good luck.James

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Mower won’t start. Toro mower..engine won’t turn over. Cleaned sparkplug…checked air filter..weather cool. Followed instructions for cold engine…prime witrh three pushes of the bulb..wnon’t even hint at a start..
ANSWER : Something everyone over looks is oil. Did you check the oil? You seemed to mention everything else but. If you have a low oil switch with low oil it will not start

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My trimmer starts but after warming up stops and wont start again
ANSWER : After it stalls take the fuel cap off and put it back on and see if it starts,maybe the cap is bad or clogged and not letting air in to equalize the pressure of the fuel being used

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