Subject: [Shop-talk] Did I kill my mower?

From: Dave C <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:57:02 -0700

My wife got the riding mower out a couple of weeks ago, and it was 
initially smoking and running rough.  I attributed it to old gas and her 
tendency to over-choke the engine when starting.  It eventually settled 
down and ran ok.  Today she tried again and got LOTS of white smoke and 
poor power, and eventually it wouldn't run well enough to mow.  I 
checked it this afternoon and found the same problem.  Lots of white 
smoke,  it would sort of settle down, then it would quit.  Investigation 
eventually turned up gas in the crankcase, probably a couple of quarts.  
Apparently the float in the carb stuck open over the winter and flooded 
the crankcase (yes, I failed to close the fuel shut off valve last 
fall).  I drained the oil and refilled the crankcase with good oil, and 
now have the mower on the charger as I ran the battery down during my 
troubleshooting process.  I'll try to start it again later; when it ran 
earlier it didn't make any really scary metal on metal noises; I haven't 
taken the oil filter apart to check for debris in it, either.

The mower is a Kubota T1670, about 13 years old, with a 15 HP OHV engine 
and 40 inch deck.  Until now it's been flawless. One new battery and 
annual oil changes, sharpen the blades at the beginning of the season.  
A new comparable mower from Kubota has a MSRP of about $3500, and I am 
not expecting much of a discount based on past history with Kubota.  The 
new model is 18 HP with a 42" deck.

Do  you think the engine's toast?  If so, do you think it would it be 
economical to have Kubota rebuild it?  (Yes, it's well within my skill 
set to rebuild it.  No, I'm not going to.  Other than routine 
maintenance,  I'm done wrenching on small gas engines.)  Other options?

Thanks
Dave
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From: Todd Walke <[email-masked]> localhost.scooter.p.blarg.net
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:57:55 -0700

I wonder if an oil analysis would be of help in determining the 
condition of the engine.

         If it seems to run OK, put several hours on it first.  Then pull 
an oil sample and send it to a lab.  If the wear metals are higher than 
normal, that would show that internal damage has been done.

         I use Blackstone Labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com)to analyze 
the oil in my cars.  They'll send you a sample kit for free, you pay the 
$25 fee when you send it in.  On the sample slip, you can give some details 
of the gas-in-the-oilpan situation so they know what to look for.

         Also, try contacting them first.  They likely have dealt with 
similar situations and can advise you on how many hours to put on the 
engine before pulling a sample or if you should do anything else first.

         If they've done tests on that engine type in the past, they'll 
have average numbers for that motor.  Those can be compared to your 
sample.  My test reports show averages for both my engine and universal 
averages for my version of the TDI motor.

Todd
Seattle,WA
'86 GTI, Red of course. (exciting racey car) 276,000 miles
'01 Golf TDI, silver.   (new work car)       401,000 miles
'87 Golf, Polar Silver. (retired work car)   654,000 miles <- Gone to a new 
home :(
http://www.pureluckdesign.com <-Ferrari & VW stuff
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