Have you ever been in the frustrating situation where you are mid-mowing your lawn, there’s still half the lawn to go, and then your mower breaks down and starts smoking?
Not only is it frustrating, but it is also alarming when smoke suddenly starts clouding the air around your mower.
If this is a problem that is troubling you and your outside work duties, just know that there are ways to fix a smoking lawn mower.
We will go over how to fix your smoking lawn mower no matter what the cause of the smoke is.
Why Does Fixing a Smoking Lawn Mower Matter?
When your lawn mower starts smoking, that means that something is wrong with it.
Maybe the oil is leaking and burning as smoke, maybe the internal machinery is getting too hot, no matter the reason, it’s causing damage to your mower.
Using a broken mower is both unsafe and will only damage your mower further. If you keep trying to push it to finish up your lawn and mow beyond that, you’ll eventually wind up with a mower that is completely unusable.
Then you have to spend so much more money having to get a new lawn mower when buying any materials to fix it would have been much cheaper.
Even if the color of the smoke indicates that the issue in your lawn mower is minor, it is still better to be safe than sorry.
How to Fix a Smoking Lawn Mower
Different reasons will cause a lawn mower to start smoking. To know how to fix the issue, you first need to know what the cause is.
Each cause of the smoke, and each color of smoke, will lead you to a different way of fixing your lawn mower.
Burning Oil
The first problem that you might occur with your lawn mower has spilled and burning oil.
This will create white or blue smoke that will cloud around your lawn mower. This usually happens because there was an overflow of oil and it got spilled out through the movement of the mower.
Solution:
To fix this problem, first, let the mower completely cool down so you don’t burn yourself.
Go to the oil reservoir, you should see some spillage if this is the problem. Remove the oil dipstick from the tank and reinsert it to see how full the oil is.
If it is still way too full, you can remove a little bit of the oil. If the oil spill is small, the problem should resolve itself on its own.
If the problem doesn’t go away and the mower is still smoking, it is likely that the spilled oil got into the engine and is causing problems there.
This happens when there is a crack in your engine. At this point, it is best to go to a professional so they can replace the parts on your engine.
Many mowers have a warranty that allows them to get and get fixed.
Black Smoke from A Dirty Air Filter
You might run into a situation where your lawn mower gives off black smoke.
This usually happens because the air to gasoline ratio is out of balance, causing too much gasoline to be burned at once which gives off a gross black smoke that is unpleasant to breathe in.
One reason that this balance can be thrown off is that the air filter needs to be replaced.
Lawn mowers have air filters that keep the proper balance of air to gas in the machine. Over time, it becomes dirty from gasoline byproducts.
If it gets too dirty, then it stops doing its job properly and prevents the proper flow of air into the machine.
Solution:
This is an easy fix because you just need to go into the machine and replace the filter. Look at the side of your lawn mower to see what kind of filter you have.
Disposable filters should be thrown into the trash and replaced. Both paper and foam filters can be cleaned off. Use compressed air to clean a paper filter and soap and water to clean a foam filter.
After you give the filter a good cleaning, your lawn mower should stop producing smoke. If there is still a lot of smoke, continue to the next section.
Black Smoke from Carburetor
If cleaning the air filter on your lawn mower wasn’t enough to stop the smoke, the issue is probably from the carburetor.
Sometimes, this small part of machinery needs to be adjusted because there isn’t processing the proper airflow.
You can either bring your lawn mower into a repair shop to have the carburetor adjusted or you can do it yourself by following the video below.
When Is the Problem too Big for Me to Solve?
Many of us want to solve problems with our machinery ourselves. It can save money and make us feel more in control of our tools.
However, sometimes we don’t have the specific skill set to be able to make the fixes that our machinery needs.
First, the problem is too big for you to solve if you don’t have the right tools. Not everyone has the tools to adjust a carburetor or fix a broken engine.
If you know that you don’t have the proper tools to make a fix to your mower, it is better to take it to a repair shop where they have the proper tools.
The problem is also too big for you to solve if you are worried that you are going to break your mower trying to fix it.
If this is your first lawn mower you are taking care of, getting into the grit of your machinery may be above your current skill set.
There is nothing wrong with getting help from a repair shop to make sure that your mower is in good hands.
You might also like: Do I Need To Sharpen New Mower Blades? + [How To]
4 Tips and Reminders for Fixing a Smoking Lawn Mower
When you take on fixing any sort of machinery, there are some tips and reminders that you should keep in mind.
These can help you with the process or give you some direction for your next lawn mower step.
Always Check the Manual
When you are facing any sort of problem with your lawn mower, your first stop should always be the manual.
Not only will the manual help you figure out what is the specific problem with your lawn mower, but it will also go over some of the steps on how to fix the problem.
Not every lawn mower is the same so some online how-to videos may not work for your specific machine.
Always see what the manual says before messing with your lawn mower. The manual knows all, and it will tell you when it’s time to see a professional versus what you can do yourself.
Let Your Mower Cool Off
This really should be a given, but so many people get antsy to check what the problem with their lawn mowers is that they risk seriously burning themselves.
Any machinery gets super hot when it is being used, especially when there is the case of spilled oil.
Getting your hands on your mower too quickly puts you at the risk of getting a terrible burn.
Then, if your hands are badly burned, you can fix your mower anyways. It is better to give your mower time to completely cool down before trying to look at the inside of it. Your hands will thank you later.
Don’t Be Afraid to Take Your Mower to a Repair Shop
There may come a point where you are at a loss of what to do. The manual isn’t giving you the direction that you need, and your mower is still smoking.
At this point, you will want to consider taking your mower to a repair shop. There is nothing wrong with this. It is always better to get your lawn mower fixed than to leave it broken and rotting away in your garage or shed.
Have Towels with You
This may seem a little silly, but whenever you are working with gasoline and the inside of machinery, have some towels with you so you can clean both your hands and the mower.
This is necessary if you are dealing with an oil overflow as you will be able to wipe up some of the spillages.
Final Thoughts
Don’t worry too much if you find your lawn mower smoking. You now know some of the causes and how to fix those problems within your lawn mower.
If there is ever a point where you think you should take your lawn mower in to get professionally fixed, don’t be afraid to do so. It will always be cheaper to fix your mower than to replace it.
If you use this information to fix your lawn mower, let us know how it went in the comments!
If you have any more tips that you want to share, don’t be afraid to comment on those as well.
