Hey everyone! I had a bit of a mishap with my riding mower—specifically, my Craftsman LT2000. While I was pushing it on a slope, it flipped sideways and sat like that for about an hour. After I got it upright, I found oil dripping onto the carburetor. I disassembled and cleaned the carb, but now there's oil in the spark plug hole. What's the best way to clean that out? And what could happen if I try starting the mower in its current state?
2 Answers
You'll want to position the mower upright and let it sit for a few hours. If the oil doesn't drain out, take out the spark plug and crank the engine to push the oil out. Make sure you're in a safe space, because it'll spray everywhere! After that, reinstall the spark plug, check the oil level, and top it up if necessary. If it's really gunky, consider draining the oil completely. Also, don't forget to check your air filter—it can get saturated when engines tip over. If everything’s cleaned up, it should fire right up, but be cautious. DON'T crank it with the spark plugs still installed if there's oil in there—it can cause a hydro lock, and that’s bad news.
Thanks for the advice! I actually drained the oil and added fresh after letting it sit. I cranked a few times thinking the camshaft was the issue, but wasn’t sure if I caused more damage. Any further advice? I really appreciate it!
First off, make sure to get the spark plug as dry as you can. Then, remove it and try cranking the engine a few times. This should help eject any oil or debris that's stuck in the cylinder. Just have something ready to catch whatever sprays out, including some fuel.
Got it, thanks for the tip! ?
Totally agree! Just a heads up, when you do start it again, it might smoke a bit while burning off the residual oil, so be prepared for that. And definitely check the oil level first.