# Briggs & Stratton rideon mower Model 21000 blowing blue smoke



## raintownsarah (Aug 12, 2014)

I have a two Year old ride on Castelgarden tractor/mower. I am using the correct oil and fuel and have checked the oil. There is a lot of blue smoke coming out of the front of the engine and it doesn't sound right. I have stopped using it for now. Any suggestions for anything else I should check before calling the dealer ship?


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

White/blue smoking usually indicates the burning of oil. Causes to this condition include:

Overfilling the crankcase with oil
Incorrect oil grade
Operating engine at greater than a 15 degree angle
Inoperative crankcase breather
Crankcase air leak
Blown head gasket
Worn cylinder and/or rings


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## raintownsarah (Aug 12, 2014)

Thank you for that response. It has only fairly recently been serviced. I did tip it at quite an angle recently when it was stuck in soft ground And husband tipped it up to put firm material for grip under it. Will it right itself after running some more, or might i have got oil where it shouldn't be that needs cleaning?


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

tipping will also cause the blue smoke. it may or may not take care of itself. might want to check the filters and everything on the side of the tip.

I should have mentioned in the previous post but I got the info from the following

Engine emits white-blue smoke while running


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## kbowley (Sep 23, 2009)

You likely have a blown head gasket on your Briggs Intec. It is not a major repair as long as access to the engine is reasonable. This used to be a very common problem but has been corrected for several years and it rarely occurs on the newer engines. Many times it is caused from overheating because the engine cooling shroud(s) are clogged with debris such as grass or a mouse nest. 

The job should be performed by a shop with a good reputation, preferably a independent vs. a franchised shop. If done correctly, your shop should replace the head gasket, exhaust gasket, intake gasket and valve cover gasket. These parts will be less than fifty dollars. Labor should be a maximum of two hours.

This was not caused by tipping the machine. Your engine is designed to operate at 25 degrees maximum angle, exceeding 30 degrees will cause either massive oil burning, which will clear up very quickly when the angle is decreased, or fuel starvation or flooding depending on which way it is tipped.


Kevin,
Kevins Small Engine service,
South Berwick ME. 03908


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