Hi all,
I have a 21 hp Vanguard engine powering a Grillo ride on mower. This mower is specifically designed to tackle steep slopes. For the most part is does this well. However, if mowing a steep slope without turning (i.e. reversing down, mowing up) for a decent length of times as is sometimes necessary, oil flows into the air filter (and, I presume, in the carb) via the crankcase breather. From there it can drip oil onto the exhaust creating a very smokey mess, or, as I say, into the carb creating a very oily combustion which can't be doing the engine much good. Oil level is good (I keep it about 3/4 full, which I consider optimum for slopes); breather reed valve is fine.
I'm no expert, but I think this is a design fault for this type of mower, as oil is inevitably going to build up in the little breather tank and has nowhere to go but, eventually, into the air cleaner and carb. So I am thinking the following:
Plug the hole for the breather pipe that feeds into the air cleaner
Re-route the breather tube so it T's back into the oil filler tube so that any oil build up flows back into the case via the filler tube.
T into that new breather tube to mount a small external breather filter so any pressure can vent to the atmosphere.
Anyone see any problems with this idea?
