Craftsmen mower blowing white smoke and won't start now!

[Misty186]

My lawn mower started up today (first time since winter) and it started blowing white smoke (like an obnoxious amount!) I turned it off and after looking it over, it would not let me pull start it anymore. I'm reading online that it could be a "vapor lock", but I can't find any info on what to do if that's the case! Can you "unlock" the "vapor lock"? Is it just broke and non-fixable? How do you fix a vapor lock? (Also, my husband turned it on its side several times to look underneath it, which is why I'm assuming it is vapor lock)

Thanks for any info!

Misty

[TRANSMAN]

Tipping it is probably your problem

My lawn mower started up today (first time since winter) and it started blowing white smoke (like an obnoxious amount!) I turned it off and after looking it over, it would not let me pull start it anymore. I'm reading online that it could be a "vapor lock", but I can't find any info on what to do if that's the case! Can you "unlock" the "vapor lock"? Is it just broke and non-fixable? How do you fix a vapor lock? (Also, my husband turned it on its side several times to look underneath it, which is why I'm assuming it is vapor lock)

Thanks for any info!

Misty

When you tipped it the 1st time , oil probably went into the carb via the breather and got sucked into the engine combustion chamber causing it to smoke......

Then you tipped it again letting even more oil to enter the combustion chamber and being oil is noncompressible you cant turn it over because its hydro-locked.....

You should be able to turn it the opposite way allowing oil to exit the opening valve , or the better idea would be to( remove the spark plug then spin it over until the oil blows out) .....

Try restarting after cleaning the plug....

If you cant spin it with the plug out either you seized it , or the flywheel brake is stuck activated around or under the flywheel.......

Make sure the safety lever is pulled tight , and make sure the cable is working and not slipping , leaving the engine brake activated......

Good luck , and let me know what you find if you find anything.....

Hopefully you didnt run it without oil , and its simply hydrolocked ,or that safety brake is engaged and you can rectify that.....

Tanky.......

T

[Scott]

Transman is 100% correct. How do I know? Cause I learned this lesson again just this past week.
I lost my strap to tie down my w/b blower and it tipped over on it's side. I drove across town before I realized it had tipped over. I had the exact same symptoms as you when I tried to fire it up.
I ended up replacing the wet air filter, wet plug and top the oil off. Squirted some carb cleaner in both orifices, let sit for a bit and pulled the rope a few dzn times. Then had to repeat a few more times because I must have gotten quite a bit of oil in there. Once it started it was smoke city for a while until it all got burned off. Works like a champ now.