[kucorrado]

So, I have a question regarding my engine smoking on my JD 185. I have spent a lot of time bringing it back from the dead. The latest issue was discovering that the governor was completely destroyed in the case. I cleaned everything out, installed a new governor, seal and gasket and got her running. I FINALLY had her out of the garage under her own power for the first time.

I have gone through and cleaned out the carb, which was almost spotless to begin with. The engine however stills seems to be running a little fast. The bigger concern I have is it is smoking quite a bit and seems to be excessively loud. When started it will fill the garage with white/gray smoke and then back off a little. Even after it has been running for 5-10 minutes it seems to continually smoke a lot. When I had the case open to replace the governor i took a quick look at the cylinder walls and did not see any scouring. After doing a little research it sounds like the head gasket could be the cause of my problems. Would a blown head gasket contribute to the noise level? Any other suggestions as to what could be the problem?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[kucorrado]

One more thing that I thought of is the reed valve. On the Kawasaki FC540V I believe the reed valve will also help regulate crankcase pressure which runs the fuel pump. If this is bad could it be causing too much fuel to be pushed through the carb causing it too run too fast as well as the smoke? I am hoping this could be the cause of all of my frustration since it is easier to replace and less expensive.

Thanks.

 

[mowergene]

That engine is twenty-some years old. You'd think there has got to be some play with the rings at this point. Certainly, head gasket leaks can make some noise and cause power loss. Valves, too, if not functioning properly, can mess with your mind. I'd say, do what you can and if all else fails, pull the engine and drop it off at the shop. Winter is a great time to get good service..........Don't wait 'til it throws a rod and you've got an UNrebuildable block!