# Smoking Kohler engine- Why????



## Dimark1009

OK Fellas heres another "why does it smoke" question....

The patient is a Cub Cadet Lawn tractor model 1210 with a Kohler 12HP K301 engine on it. 

The tractor was given to me because it wouldnt start, It was in pretty good shape so I dedcided to repair it and use it. 

the no start was from an electrical problem which I fixed. 

Now the problem..

The engine starts and runs good, only thing is for the first 30 seconds it bellows a thick grayish / dark colored smoke from the muffler. My shop is 2 bays wide and it almost fills 1 bay with smoke, then clears up and runs fine. 

I just changed the oil in it, I havent mowed with it yet to see if it uses any oil. 

could oil be leaking into the cylinder and being burned off when it's first started? the smoke doesnt smell like gas, I think it's oil related. 

whats your thoughts? 

Thanks, 

Mark


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## chuck_thehammer

first check that the oil is correct, the stick could be wrong for the motor,
if its over head valve, the valve seals could be bad
oil rings could be stinking or going bad, then they get some heat they seal. how long had the motor sat without being started before you got it?

just a couple of ideas


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## Dimark1009

It's not an overhead valve, its an L-head, The oil level is correct, I even printed out a manual for the motor and put in what it said. 

As far as sitting???

It did appear to be sitting for at least a year or more without being run.


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## chuck_thehammer

it could be that the rings are stuck, using it a couple of times may unstick them,
if not put a teaspoon of Marval mistery oil in the plug hole and let it sit for 3 or 4 days,
then restart... if it will not unstick new rings are in order.


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## 30yearTech

chuck_thehammer said:


> oil rings could be stinking or going bad


Hmmm.... Stinky rings??? 

When rings go bad they stink huh?

How do you tell, do you take the plug and and sniff??


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## paulr44

30yearTech said:


> Hmmm.... Stinky rings???
> 
> When rings go bad they stink huh?
> 
> How do you tell, do you take the plug and and sniff??


ROTFLMAO! Maybe they have a shelf-life!? Do you need a odormeter to check them!?

If the smoke is gray, it's oil. Black, it's fuel. Grayish-black doesn't really compute on a flathead horizontal-crank. Only thing I can think of is carb. overflowing some after shut-down, but then you'd notice fuel coming from the air cleaner housing when it's not running. If you suspect rings etc., I'd suggest a crancase vacuum test using a manometer, also called a water column, or do a combustion chamber leak-down test. It could be breather related, but I kind of doubt it.


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## chuck_thehammer

30yearTech said:


> Hmmm.... Stinky rings???
> 
> When rings go bad they stink huh?
> 
> How do you tell, do you take the plug and and sniff??



OK so I miss spelled that word..(STICK) that's what happens when you get old. stiff fingers and bad eye sight... LOL


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## 30yearTech

*Typo*

Hey I knew it was a typo, just to good to pass up.... :thumbsup:


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## chuck_thehammer

that"s OK, I thought it was funny also....


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## paulr44

Me too - much too funny.
me tipe funnny thigs sumtymes two.
I had a guy once tell me his Little Wonder electric hedge trimmer, and I quote, "makes a burnin' noise." Hmmm, wonder if it also makes a clanging smell too?
:hat:


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## paulr44

chuck_thehammer said:


> it could be that the rings are stuck, using it a couple of times may unstick them,
> if not put a teaspoon of Marval mistery oil in the plug hole and let it sit for 3 or 4 days,
> then restart... if it will not unstick new rings are in order.


Speaking of typos - "mistery" oil? Hmm - I get misty sometimes too.
http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/


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## Semiretired48

Everyone missed "Marval", too. Or is Marval the Chinese equivalent to Marvel?


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## chuck_thehammer

paulr44 said:


> Speaking of typos - "mistery" oil? Hmm - I get misty sometimes too.
> http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/



I use the product, not read or sell it. LOL, it works.
thanks for the web site.


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## paulr44

chuck_thehammer said:


> I use the product, not read or sell it. LOL, it works.
> thanks for the web site.


We used to use in the '70's when I worked in an auto-engine rebuild shop in the air-line oiler on some machines.


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## dj722000

Gonna guess your rings are sticking. If it keeps doing it after the mystery oil treatment, you can either live with it or put in new rings. I've seen these do this for a very long time and keep on a runnin. Should at least take the head off and see how much carbon build up there is in the chamber. If theres alot of carbon, then you definitley need new rings as this has been going on for a while. Just a thought.


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## Dimark1009

I put a small amount of automatic transmission fluid in the oil. I have had several auto mechanics tell me they used to do this to engines that sat a while and hadn't been run. that was before all the "new" additives came along. 

I'll run it a while with the tranny fluid in it and see what happens.

Thanks for the help.


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