i have a riding lawnmower with a tecumseh engine. i know this is an atv fourm but i thought you guys could help me. whenever i drive it on a sidehill it pours out white smoke (like its burning oil) it also backfires whenever you turn it off and smokes when you start it. there is oil on the air fliter and all over the head gasket. it seemes to think it is a 2-stroke. i think it has a bad piston rings or a bad seal (head gasket?) sence it is winter i figured it would be a perfect time to overhaul it.

 

If the angle of the hill is extreme enough, oil is getting into the intake and probably into the filter also. If your filter is a paper one it is no doubt ruined with the oil & also is inhibiting air flow into the carb. I learned that the hard way with my DR mower when I turned it on it's side to check the blade.

 

Check to make sure it is not too full of oil.
If it doesn't do it when you are on level ground that could be the problem. Also there should be a vent tube from the engine block to the air filter check to make sure it isn't clogged.

 

the filter is foam...hey, that mower has a nicer filter than my $6,000 sportsmens! anyway, once the mower was borowed to someone and he overfilled it, but the oil level is normal now. could that have hurt something?

 

oh yeah, it isnt a very steep hill either, mabey like 10 degrees or so

 

No,it usually won't hurt anything. Just clean out the filter, filter housing and breather tube.

 

I had the exact same problem with my riding mower last summer, lots of smoke while on a hill. Turns out it was the head gasket.

 

I was just about to say the head gasket.Almost for sure if it is white smoke.If it was blue then it could oil in the air filter.If was black smoke then it mostlikely be flooding it self.