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I have a john deere lt 160. It starts fine, but with a lot of white smoke. It then runs very rough for about ten minutes, it then runs much better after warming up, except it never runs well if blade is disengaged, then it surges, alot.
Optional Information: Make: goodman Model: John Deere LT `160 Already Tried: Cleaning carb, new gas, fuel filter, spark plug
Hi, I wouldn't try running this engine until this is fixed.Is there any odor of gas to the oil? It sounds like your carburetor is spilling fuel into the crankcase. This is very common and will cause exactly the symptoms you're experiencing. Usually cleaning the carburetor will not resolve the issue, we replace carburetors when they start failing in this manner.It could also be a breather or even head gasket or head trouble, but I would start with the most common problem, and that's the carburetor.Let me know if the oil smells of gas, is thin or watery or overfilled. Thanks, PK.
Experience: Retired Owner of a full service shop and national parts sales website.
It is a little thin, and does smell a bit of gas. It also seems to always leak oil, but it is not low in oil. Probably leaks a half cup it use.
Hi, your carburetor is leaking fuel into the crankcase. This is fairly common and needs to be repaired before starting the engine again. The reason for the white smoke is the oil is thinning enough to get past the rings. The reason for the surging is because the carburetor is leaning out.Cleaning the carburetor is something we have about a 50% success rate with in the shop, and that's using an ultrasonic cleaner. Personally, what with the low success rate in cleaning and the likelihood that even if you do get it clean enough to run for awhile, the damage is already done and it's just a temporary solution. So it's really more cost-effective to just bite the bullet and replace the carburetor most of the time.Now there is a lesser chance that it's actually the fuel pump leaking fuel back into the block. If you remove the fuel line from the carburetor and crank the engine over and the fuel doesn't come out in a steady pulse, then that would be something to explore before spending the money on a new carburetor.And, if you have a carb soak can or some other means of soaking or boiling the carburetor, then it certainly wouldn't hurt to try cleaning it again. You will almost never get it clean with spray cleaner though. And, if this has a Nikki carburetor with the plastic float base and the multi-cell O-ring, I have had very low success with those carburetors and almost always swap them for the Walbro replacement.Please let me know if you have any questions or need any help. I'm usually on here in the evenings and will reply as soon as I see your response.Thanks, PK.