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I have Cub Cadet riding lawn mower LTX1045 I was putting new oil in it and then started it up. It started smoking white smoke. I then checked oil level again and drained some out cause it was too full on the stick it said although I thought added under what the store even told me to add when changing the oil. After checking level again I tried to start it. It would not start. It tried to turn over few times but then would not start at all. I am not sure what to do. Oil was in my air fliter so I ordered a new part to change it but I cleaned it up cause wasn’t very much. I also ordered a new oil filter in case needed that. Should I try something else?

its because you put to much oil in.no big deal..double check that you have right amount in do this first… pull spark plug make sure its clean, reinstall use some carb cleaner clean out air box and since you bought new filter throw it in..you might be able to clean old filter depending on what type it is in a pinch..but new filters are cheap enough.. it should start it may smoke for a little but if it doesn’t quit you may need to repeat steps..including checking oil level on dipstick. the motor will dump oil into the carb if it gets tipped over to kill engine..or if you put to much in.. hope this helps.

the breather is clogged which is the reason mower will not start. White smoke is an indicator of a blown head gasket and/ or moister in the fuel related components. Blue smoke would indicate high oil consumption, clogged breather, oil soaked filter, or worst case, piston ring failure, and/ or seal leakage which would require an engine rebuild. So, thank goodness it’s white and not blue smoke.

Ok brother (sis), first off it sounds to me that the air filter got saturated with oil. That means its starving for air, and then the spark plug is fouling because of over rich oil, fuel mixture. Generally its not a good idea to overfil oil because it saturates the oil pan gaskets and causes them to fail. Plus it produces drag on the crankshaft, and bearings (too much weight). So I suggest to make sure theoil is proper weight, and not overfull, second clean air filter and spark plug for deposits. Next check to make sure carbuerator is getting enough air flow so its notstarving for air. That is 1 of the main reasons for smoke.secondly did you accidentally spill any by the exhaust? If so it will smoke more than anything, and die. Also after you get it started kill choke right away and if in a semi clean enviroment pull air filter. If stillsmokes bad its the mixture, if not replace itas its not ok to run an engine without an air filter. Hopefully its just a small leak on exhaust or over saturated air filter starving the carb.I hope I didnt come off speaking greek to you. Also I agree with everyones answers all have a possibility for being the culprit. Thank you

DIAGNOSIS: sometimes the needle in the carb can get stuck open..if its a gravity fed fuel system the carb, especially when engine not running, is letting gas drain through the crankcase breather tube which will add gas to your oil, overfilling it. Wich will pump the oil into your carb when you try to start it. If you put up the mower with gas in tank and come back in a couple days and its empty its probly in your oil or leaked through the air filter.. check oil if its overfull and smells like gas and feels thin and or you may notice if you pulled on it long enough it may get hard to turn the motor over..thats an indication the oil has lost its ability to lubricate properly. SOLUTIONS: Metal polish and elbow grease will solve a metal needle sticking. or a rebuild kit or new carb. Get a new or clean sparkplug and air filter. Drain out all oil, add new oil at proper level. Prime if carb is able to. should fire right up! ( most common small engine carbs are under $30 hard to beat a bolt on ready to go carb…i usually get 2-3 frustration free years out of the cheap carbs. Airfilter and plug might be another $10)

This happens to my mower often, for me, if you just let it sit for a few hours, it should begin to work normally again.

Put in New spark plugs

My mower was smoking upon start, but would not start (grey/white smoke). I noticed it was low on oil. I simply changed the spark plug and added lawnmower oil SEA 30 (Walmart - plastic blue 20 fl oz container). Started up on the third pull and smoked a bit, but then was all good. No smoke! All the other recommendations are great, but you may find that it is easier than you think.

I have been dealing with the same issue on my 2003 White Outdoor (MTD) lawn tractor. After replacing the head gasket and carburetor with no results, I took it to a repair shop. They told me the fuel pump had malfunctioned and was dumping gas through the vacuum line into the crank case which was causing the extreme smoke. They also told me it needed a coil which was contributing to the ignition problem (my tractor would smoke, run for 30 seconds and not start again). Since they have replaced the fuel pump and coil it is running great and smoke free. I hope this helps!