Rustyred 63 #1 Posted June 12, 2021 Hi y'all. My Kohler k181 was burning clean but of late is blowing smoke for the first few minutes of startup. What could it be? Carburetor? Valves? Fuels good. Help would really be appreciated! Thank you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,173 #2 Posted June 12, 2021 That appears to be white smoke --- right? that indicates burning oil - black/sooty smoke indicates fuel. Unfortunately white is the worse of the 2, and generally starts happening on start up. It simply means oil is getting into the combustion chamber, which means its getting by the piston/rings. It could mean its just worn to the point this is happening, or possibly the piston or a ring/s has broken. Give a bit more details, confirm it is white smoke - has the engine got a lot of hours on it, if so, could be it needs a rebuild. Are you having to add oil fairly often? My first impression is youre probably heading for a rebuild ---- but, some good news is if it is just getting age on it and isnt a broken piston/rings the dang thing could run for quite a long time - if you can put up with the smoke! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,155 #3 Posted June 12, 2021 Check your oil for gas smell! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,634 #4 Posted June 12, 2021 @rustyred, walmart sells RISLONE RING SEAL , additive that cuts the varnish in old engines , if you were to try this , I would run it in the engine and put some hours on it , so it can possibly help out , what do you have to loose ? use rislone zink in all my engines and its had a very good effect on my engines , just my opinion, pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,320 #5 Posted June 12, 2021 2 hours ago, squonk said: Check your oil for gas smell! 3 hours ago, Rustyred said: was burning clean but of late is blowing smoke Do what Mike said! If the diaphragm in your fuel pump has a slight leak it will allow gas to enter the crankcase diluting your engine oil and causing catastrophic damage if not corrected. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill D 1,926 #6 Posted June 14, 2021 On 6/12/2021 at 7:55 PM, 953 nut said: Do what Mike said! If the diaphragm in your fuel pump has a slight leak it will allow gas to enter the crankcase diluting your engine oil and causing catastrophic damage if not corrected. Don't run it until you know there is no gas in the oil. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rustyred 63 #7 Posted June 14, 2021 Thanks for all the feedback/advice. Yes - it is white smoke. I'll follow the advice given this coming weekend and post the results. thanks again. Rustyred 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelsey 91 #8 Posted June 21, 2021 How much RISLONE seal repair do you add to a 10HP kohler? Thanks, Kelsey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rustyred 63 #10 Posted June 21, 2021 Why none? Does it hurt to try it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,173 #11 Posted June 21, 2021 No, it dont hurt to try it ..... but it wont do anything either, why waste the money Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelsey 91 #12 Posted June 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Kelsey said: How much RISLONE seal repair do you add to a 10HP kohler? Thanks, Kelsey Anyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,320 #13 Posted June 21, 2021 The seals on a Kohler are able to be replaced without major disassembly. The Kohler is splash lubricated and the Rislone seal repair relies on the pressurized oil system to force the sealant into the leak to seal it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
