A smoking lawn mower requires immediate action. The trigger for the problem can be both harmless and serious. Find out about common causes here. This is what to do when a lawnmower is emitting smoke.
If the air filter is clogged, the lawn mower can smoke
Cause #1: Spilled oil and gasoline
Is there white-blue smoke when you start the lawn mower? Then you are dealing with a harmless vaporization of oil or petrol. If small amounts of the substances are spilled during filling, light smoke will be produced as the liquids burn under the influence of the hot engine. How to act correctly:
- Turn off the smoking lawn mower immediately
- Let the engine cool down in a shady place
- Wipe the case with a dry cloth
Cause #2: clogged air filter
If your lawn mower emits black smoke, this is a clear indication of a dirty air filter. As an additional symptom of this cause, the engine starts more and more poorly from time to time. You can clean a clogged filter yourself on most types of devices. How to proceed correctly:
- Remove the air filter according to the operating instructions
- Clean or replace paper filter
- Plastic filters can be cleaned with hot water and a fat-dissolving washing-up liquid
Also use this opportunity to clean the spark plug, including the contacts, with a dry cloth. Sooty black or light gray discolored contacts indicate that the carburetor is not properly adjusted. If, on the other hand, the contacts are light brown in color, the settings on the carburetor are correct. The manual tells you how to properly adjust a carburetor on your lawnmower.
Tilting in the wrong direction will cause the mower to smoke
A mower must not be tilted in any direction. Always turn the device so that the spark plug points to the sky. Otherwise, oil will leak out and cause the mower to smoke the next time you cut the lawn. With most types of lawn mowers, you play it safe if you tilt the device backwards.
tips
You can effectively prevent a smoking lawnmower if you are particularly careful when topping up with oil and petrol. Use a funnel (5.00€) so that no liquid runs onto the housing. If the accident happens nonetheless, wipe the mower thoroughly with a rag.