Fix a Lawn Mower that was Over-Filled with Engine Oil (How to Mower Repair) Smokes! | Easy Solution

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  • čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
  • In today's video, we scoop up a like-new lawn mower with just one issue... its previous owner accidentally filled it with WAY TOO MUCH engine oil. Have no fear, this is almost always reversible.
    Tools/Things You'll Need to get Started
    - A lawn mower with too much oil in the engine (it'll probably smoke on startup)
    - New spark plug
    - Spark plug wrench
    - Oil drain pan
    - Can of starting fluid (just a little spray will do it)
    - Roll of rags (blue shop rags work great)
    - Safe space to work (outdoors!)
    - SAE 30 Oil (to replace if you accidentally drain out too much oil). Lowe's sells a $12 jug of Briggs & Stratton SAE30 Engine oil.
    I see this all too often. I hope this can help at least one of you out! Feel free to leave a thumbs up if you enjoyed and subscribe for more content like this and projects & restorations of all kinds! Subscribe to @backcountrybuilds

Komentáře • 59

  • @blessedinsmallplaces522
    @blessedinsmallplaces522 Před 3 měsíci +6

    Thank you for making this video! I'm a single female who made the mistake of putting too much oil in the lawn mower. Got it fixed and saved me some $$$ thank you 😊

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Awesome! Power to you for getting it done. Best of luck and thanks for watching.

  • @katrenahunter1750
    @katrenahunter1750 Před 26 dny +2

    This was very helpful! Thank you . I'll be trying this tomorrow. I'll come back and leave another review. Hopefully, I didn't do too much damage when I overfilled my mower with oil.

  • @Itscoltonmartin
    @Itscoltonmartin Před 13 dny +1

    Thanks!! I hope this fixes the problem. Idk why I figured it needed so much oil but I filled it up like a gas tank. Whoops!

  • @ramirovillafrancajr4199
    @ramirovillafrancajr4199 Před 11 dny +1

    Thanks bro i like your style of video making and advice. I just got mine overfilled to the TOP by someone. I didn't know and tried starting it like 5 times. It would start then die out then oil started pouring out of the carburetor 😮 Gonna see if i can save it with your advice😂😅

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 11 dny

      @@ramirovillafrancajr4199 I appreciate that. Thanks for watching. Best of luck and tell me how it goes

  • @jgestess2449
    @jgestess2449 Před 5 měsíci +6

    Very helpful. Fixed my mower. Thank you for making this video.

  • @ramongarcia4352
    @ramongarcia4352 Před 21 dnem +1

    Thank you for your advice I did what you suggested and it worked. You just saved me from spending a couple hundred dollars on a new machine.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 21 dnem

      @@ramongarcia4352 awesome! Thanks for watching. Appreciate the feedback.

  • @noahfreeman97
    @noahfreeman97 Před 10 měsíci +7

    You saved me bout 150.oo with the video. Thanks

  • @user-cy3ck4mw8s
    @user-cy3ck4mw8s Před 5 měsíci +2

    6:46 Legend. Just restored an 8 year old Victa (used to be Australian-owned, but the drongos sold to Briggs and Stratton). Stripped the rust, applied rust converter, sanded and painted it with black hammered finish spray paint. Looks so much better than the bright blue it was… but I overfilled it with oil. That tip with taking the spark plug out, and cranking it to get the excess oil out I wouldn’t have thought to do. Gonna try it out and see what happens. Cheers 🇦🇺

  • @torycrowe2475
    @torycrowe2475 Před 3 měsíci +1

    thanks, mower runs like new again. Great video

  • @DanCostello-lm8fc
    @DanCostello-lm8fc Před 4 měsíci +3

    Clean the old plug with carb cleaner or brake cleaner, clean up electrodes with fine sand paper, gently, blow off with compressed air, good to go. Plugs last a LONG time and that’s a newer mower.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před měsícem

      I’ll eat the $5 for peace of mind. I bet you’re not wrong though!

  • @user-nn5ub6lc3j
    @user-nn5ub6lc3j Před 3 měsíci +1

    Thank you for this cuz I had no idea

  • @maureenkosmicki5102
    @maureenkosmicki5102 Před 18 dny +1

    Can I wash my air filter? We tipped ours on its side yesterday and it’s got a ton of smoke and now filter has oil on it too.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 18 dny

      @@maureenkosmicki5102 you might be able to wash it with soap and water, but let it dry out in the sun until it’s completely dry.
      Might be worth the $10 or whatever for a new air filter. Best of luck! Thanks for watching.

  • @TroyProcell
    @TroyProcell Před 15 dny

    What if I have oil coming out the carburetor

  • @BrandieVavoulas
    @BrandieVavoulas Před 2 měsíci +2

    What if I have gas in the lawnmower can I still tip the lawnmower over to drain the excess oil?

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 2 měsíci

      Some might spill out. A lot of times I find a plastic container to dump the gas from the gas tank into, then no spills.
      Best of luck! Reach out if you have any more questions.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 2 měsíci

      Also auto parts stores might have a siphon for a couple bucks to make your life easier. Then throw it in your car in case you or a friend run out of gas in the future! Worth the money hahaha

    • @BrandieVavoulas
      @BrandieVavoulas Před 2 měsíci

      Is there a way to drain the oil without tipping it over? I don’t want to risk getting gas into the other compartments or vise versa

  • @Toy647
    @Toy647 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Thank You!

  • @Nahina7
    @Nahina7 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Appreciate the advice saved me some nagging 😂

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před měsícem

      Hahahaha. Glad it helped. Best of luck and thanks for watching

  • @johnma1280
    @johnma1280 Před 3 měsíci +1

    My mother's mower was blowing smoke and the engine slowly died. I realized it was over filled w oil. I will drain the oil and replace the spark plug but is there a chance any mechanical damage such as oil hydro locking the engine or blowing piston rings?

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci

      Yes, chances are with extended periods of time with too much oil can cause catastrophic failure.
      But, drain it out, fill to proper height and hope for the best!

  • @16CasualGamer
    @16CasualGamer Před 3 měsíci +1

    So I just filled my oil, but I overfilled it in my lawnmower and now My oil that just added to the lawnmower is basically almost almost black and like I said it's brand new oil. I just had to overfilled it. It doesn't smell like gas.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Worst case, get it to the proper level in the safe zone between the lines, double check it to make sure it’s enough oil and not too much, then run it for 30 seconds or so, then drain it all oil and refill with new oil.
      In my opinion, Its worth the few dollars worth of oil for the peace of mind to just do another oil change.

    • @16CasualGamer
      @16CasualGamer Před 3 měsíci

      @@backcountrybuilds OK thank you I was just worried because the color of the new oil that I had added was already dark brown when I drained it but thank

  • @honkeytonkjohnnygumbo1137
    @honkeytonkjohnnygumbo1137 Před 4 měsíci +1

    What if there was gas in the crank case. What should u do?

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 4 měsíci +1

      I’ve had it happen countless times. Usually the cause is carburetor… the old gas gums up the carb and causes the needle/seat to remain in the down position, so the carburetor keeps calling for fuel… that’s my guess.
      Remove the carburetor, disassemble, clean it out. Drain the old gas out of the tank before reinstalling the carb. Drain the bad oil out and replace with new oil.
      What model mower do you have? Might be able to send you some videos of a carburetor teardown.

  • @dennisnash255
    @dennisnash255 Před 3 měsíci

    How was the Air filter? Was there any oil in it?

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci

      If I remember correctly, there was not. But not a bad idea to check the inside of the air filter, as I think the PCV valve spits back into the airbox.

  • @amandaduncan6927
    @amandaduncan6927 Před 3 měsíci

    Could over filling the oil also cause the cord to not pull? I put oil in it. It started smoking white so I shut it off and now the cord won’t pull 😅😮

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci

      Yes, it could cause that. I would take the spark plug wire off of the spark plug, drain the oil out (don’t start it without oil), put the proper amount of oil in - only up to the safe zone line, then with the spark plug out, pull the pull cord over like 20 times. It will feel super easy. Then get a new spark plug and it should fire right up.
      My fear is also it might’ve been run with too little oil, which can cause engine damage, overheating, and the engine to seize, hence the pull cord won’t work.
      Hope this helps. Best of luck!

    • @amandaduncan6927
      @amandaduncan6927 Před 3 měsíci +1

      I did initially put oil in it before running and it mowed the yard twice before I added more and the white smoke happened but since it was a used mower 😅 just hoping this is from my mess up and not a previous mess up.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 3 měsíci

      @@amandaduncan6927 ok. I’d follow the instructions above and see what happens. You don’t happen to live in the greater New England area, right? I’d be happy to help hhaha

  • @ragingbull1267
    @ragingbull1267 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Let it smoke, keeps mosquitoes away !

  • @travis3212
    @travis3212 Před rokem +1

    Should really say on or by cap watch how much there are some people like a widow who would not know this fixing my mower now

  • @KarlsBerg87
    @KarlsBerg87 Před 2 měsíci +1

    this happened to me, i Overfilled to the max, the oil was foaming and white smoking, also the filter for the air entry and the filter was pouring oil out, filter was full of oil, and now that i empty it, is no smell of gasoline in the oil removed, but now the exhaust pipe is leaking black oil when on.

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 2 měsíci

      Ok, sounds like if you follow this video you should be in good shape!
      First step, fill the oil to the proper level (safe line). Don’t be afraid to double check it! Make sure the mower is on a level surface. Also if you just ran the mower, wait a few minutes to let the oil seep back to give you a true reading of the oil level.
      Remove your air filter, since it’s likely oil clogged like you said! There’s a tube (PCV valve) that dumps excess oil back into the filter housing. It’s worth the $10 for a new air filter!
      Then, since it was overfilled, it likely clogged the spark plug with oil. Remove the spark plug, pull the pullcord until no more oil comes out. Then put in a new spark plug.
      Once you’ve got the oil clogged filter removed, oil to the correct safe zone level, oil out of the spark plug hole, and a fresh/clean spark plug, fire it up!
      It’ll probably smoke until the excess oil burns off, but after a few minutes you should be back in business and the smoke should stop.
      Once the smoke stops, let it sit for a couple minutes and recheck the oil level! Best of luck.

    • @KarlsBerg87
      @KarlsBerg87 Před 2 měsíci

      @@backcountrybuilds thanks I'll buy the spark plug today, but what to do with the black oil that appear to be burning inside in the piston, that black come from exhaust pipe

    • @backcountrybuilds
      @backcountrybuilds  Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@KarlsBerg87 it’s likely excess oil that made its way from the crankcase into the combustion chamber. With any luck after the oil is at the correct level, the heat of the motor should burn the excess oil out of the combustion chamber and the smoke should stop.

  • @ellybean5868
    @ellybean5868 Před měsícem

    0