How should I try to salvage this mower?

[The Sauce]

I have a 54" zero-turn riding mower. After my mow yesterday it was smoking. I saw oil leaking. Apparently this was coming from the air intake. When I removed the filter it was saturated with oil and there was a mouse nest behind the filter. I tried adding oil and it smoked immediately. It's been sitting since yesterday, but I think this thing could be toast.

I plan to change the air and oil filters, replace the oil and give it a try, but is there anything else you guys think I should do before I try to run it again? Why would oil be shooting out from the air intake and soaking the air filter? That is the most confusing part.

 

[boomerang]

It would be really helpful to tell us the make of the mower but what would be even better would be to tell us the make (model number would really be helpful too) of the engine.

I'm going to venture a guess that lacking the means to ingest air for combustion through the filter due to it being blocked by the mouse nest that it sucked air in through the crankcase breather tube and that is the source of the oil. If you didn't run it out of oil, destroying the engine in the process, you should be fine but there is oil in the intake system and also in the exhaust. It will take some time to burn that out. In other words it may smoke for quite a while until it does.

I don't see any need to change the oil filter unless it was due. I would top off the oil, change the air filter and give it a go. I would run it without the air filter until it stops smoking. Obviously that would be when it's sitting in the driveway and not mowing.

 

[Nessism]

Clean it up, top off the oil, and keep going. You got nothing to lose at this point. Even if you needed a new engine that would be cheaper than a new mower.

 

[The Sauce]

Thanks for the help!

It is a Toro Z5000 with a 21hp Kohler Courage. Hilariously, while this thing was sitting in the driveway awaiting the repairs my wife wrecked into it backing out. Might have been the final lick, but I'll try it all out anyway.

 

[Zivic]

Thanks for the help!

It is a Troy Bilt Z5000 with a 21hp Kohler Courage. Hilariously, while this thing was sitting in the driveway awaiting the repairs my wife wrecked into it backing out. Might have been the final lick, but I'll try it all out anyway.

Good grief, you have luck like mine.... I sympathize with ya. good luck

 

[RLGL]

Hilariously, while this thing was sitting in the driveway awaiting the repairs my wife wrecked into it backing out

You have a wife like mine, she backed into a 24 foot boat sitting in the driveway

 

[The Sauce]

Oil, filter and air filters changed. Fired up and ran for 3 minutes. Next day noticed a small oil leak on the garage floor. Next steps?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Oil, filter and air filters changed. Fired up and ran for 3 minutes. Next day noticed a small oil leak on the garage floor. Next steps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTsl5P8bUd8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooi4FSjfG98

I'm guessing it's probably an issue on the Courage too... Just get a gasket kit and tear it down....get the head machined and throw it back together. (or replace it with a Honda or Briggs)

 

[Meghan54]

Thanks for the help!

It is a Toro Z5000 with a 21hp Kohler Courage. Hilariously, while this thing was sitting in the driveway awaiting the repairs my wife wrecked into it backing out. Might have been the final lick, but I'll try it all out anyway.

That's literally the problem. Just don't know if it's worth repowering with another brand given whatever damage your wife did to the mower itself....but it'd still be a cheaper way to go than buying a new one. And if you go to buy new, avoid Kohler Courage engines. As they say, it takes courage to run a Courage.