1450 Blowing Smoke at Start Up
 

I'm a newbie and dropping a line to say hi. I've recently acquired a 1450, and have an engine question. I acquired this tractor from my little brother, who rebuilt the motor a few years back. All new piston, rings, rod and valves. Ever since the rebuild, the engine smokes like crazy for the first twenty seconds or so of operation, but then stops smoking after that. The smoke appears to be blue in color. The motor seems to have plenty of power with no unusual noises. Any idears of potential causes??

I'll post some pictures later tonight. Seems my drive shaft coupler (to the hydro) has some slop and needs repaired as well. Installed dual hydraulics last weekend, and picked up a hydraulic angle blade for the upcoming snow. Just tired of getting smoked out of the garage at initial start up :bash2:

:Welcome2:

Looking forward to your pics! Going to let the motor guys jump in and give their input.

:Welcome2: Glad to have you! Can't wait to see your pics. :beerchug:

Here's the picture as promised. This picture was taken four years ago when the Cub was being used to till up my back yard for new sod...


http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...cture691-2.jpg

Question for your question
 

Are you sure that there's the proper amount of oil (and not too much?).
Do you top off the oil before this happens?

What is the level of oil before and after the smoking happens? Noticeably different?

John

Thanks John. Oil levels are fine and happens when no oil is added. I did notice something odd. We fixed an oil leak, and replaced the gasket at the valve access panel/breather. The inner plate was properly oriented. After the repair, the engine did not smoke when we started it. Maybe a fluke thing?? It sure smoked the times we started it after that :angry:

Nice 1450 and tiller! :ThumbsUp:

Have you checked your valves? When he did his rebuild, did he grind down the valves? Also, is your plug full of soot? If it is an old plug, you might put a new one in and check. Does it start right up or does it chug a little at first?



Cub Cadet 123

Nice tractor! I have the same vintage 1450 (1974) that's my regular mowing tractor.

A little smoke at cold start up is normal when the choke is fully on or partially on. Based on your description, it's sounds like you've got something beyond the normal start up / warm up puffs.

If the smoke doesn't smell like burned oil, are the carb needles properly adjusted? If you have everything set rich, or the engine is partially flooded, you can expect some smoke at start up, just like running with the choke on or partially on. Is the choke fully opened with the lever pushed all the way in?

If the smoke smells like oil, you may need to tear down the engine to find the problem. Also, it's most likely still using it even when it's running, things are just hot enough to burn it off a little better. Are you using oil and how much? The first thing I'd check would be the spark plug to see if it's dark black and/or loaded with oil residue. Dark black is a sign of rich carb settings. Dark black with tar/carbon buildup is a good indicator that your burning oil.

I've seen some really messed up breathers on engines that ran great so I doubt this is causing your problem. Any oil that accumulated here wouldn't flow into the piston like with an OHV engine. Double check that yours is assembled in the correct order and has all the parts. The service manual has a good breakdown. Check to make sure that the drain hole is open while you've got it opened.

Good luck, I hope you find something simple!

SproutW,
That's a nice looking tractor!
These guys will help you solve it.
Regards,
Chris

Thanks guys. My son and I took the 1450 out for a loop this evening in the dark. In all honesty, that's the most seat time I've had on this old girl since I've acquired her a couple weeks ago. Noticed constant smoke with the headlights on. Something I didn't see in the daylight. I'll get some more seat time (hopefully pushing snow/ under load) and double check the oil level and spark plug. I'd also like to be sure the carb is properly adjusted and not overly rich.

I'll be asking my brother more questions about the engine rebuild real soon...

Well, here is something that is new to me, but I thought that it was worth sharing with you---and don't ask me exactly why it worked this way. My 126 smoked on start up quite a bit with the choke out (which is common) and I had it running a little rich. As it was running, I could see smoke in the beam of the headlights. It also had some hesitation every now and then in it. Well, yesterday, I put a brand new coil on and thoroughly cleaned the points. Now it starts faster than any cub I have ever owned (even my zero turn) and without any choke at all with absolutely no smoke whatsoever! Perhaps you are due for a tune up as well.....:bigthink:

Hope that you are enjoying this forum. It is great to see another enthusiast join!

Cub Cadet 123