Is It Safe To Use Your Lawn Mower If It's Smoking?

The quick answer as to whether it's safe to use a smoking lawn mower is no, absolutely not. A lawn mower safety tip everyone should know is that if you see smoke after starting your lawn mower, you should immediately turn it off. Make sure you're on flat ground, not up at an angle or on a hill, and give it time to cool down after turning it off. It might not always be a dire emergency, but you still want to take it seriously. Spilled oil has the potential to become a fire hazard, which no one wants in their yard. Ignoring the smoke might mean disregarding serious engine issues that can lead to complications that make the mower harder to use, like struggling to start or not having enough power to get across the lawn. And eventually, the mower may not work at all.

If there is just a small bit of smoke when you first start the lawn mower, and then it goes away fairly quickly, that shouldn't be too alarming, and you're probably safe to continue on. Just keep an eye on it, and if smoke comes back or continues, turn it off to assess why your lawn mower is smoking. Be sure to check the user manual that came with your lawn mower or contact the manufacturer if you are unsure about what the issue is or whether it's safe to use. You can also contact a local dealer or lawn care equipment service provider who might be able to take a look at your mower, offer professional advice, or fix the issue for you.

We can't state enough how important it is to know why the lawn mower is smoking. For example, do you know what it means when blue smoke is coming out of your lawn mower? Similar to white smoke, it can be due to burning oil. 

When oil is burning, it's possible that there is too much oil in the crankcase (which holds the oil) or that oil has spilled and is burning on hot metal engine parts. Besides overfilling the crankcase, tilting the mower too far to one side can cause these spills. However, oil in an overfilled crankcase doesn't have to spill to cause smoke. Other causes of white and blue smoke include improper oil grades, a faulty crankcase breather or ventilation system, a blown head gasket, and cylinder or ring wear.

If you see white or blue smoke, make sure your mower is level, verify your oil grade, clear off any excess oil, and take some oil out of the crankcase if necessary. Letting your mower run for a few minutes can burn off remaining oil. There's also black mower smoke, which can indicate a dirty or clogged air filter, carburetor issues, or a manual choke left on for too long.

More serious issues, such as a faulty crankcase breather, blown head gasket, or worn cylinders or piston rings, may require professional diagnosis and repair. If you perform repairs and smoke persists, turn off your mower immediately.