riding lawn-mower question

[renovation]

i just checked out my 17 hp Briggs riding mower .
the motor started smoking a bit ago. i did a oil change and that cured it for a while. now again it started smoking again .last time i found it to be way over on the oil and it smalled like gas. this time i just looked at the dip stick and its not showing its over filled but I'm getting a heavy smell of gas on the dip stick.
also the muffler is covered with black burned oil .on the muffler it self and on like 1/4-1/3 up the tube running from the block down.

I'm thinking the rings are toast is my problem any other ideas !
the rider is only 5 years old and it has a 17.5 hp Briggs Intek™ Series motor on it . link to motor - http://www.briggsandstratton.com/engine ... spx?pid=29
i pulled a parts list and diagram for the motor looking for a (pcv) breather/ vent unit and didn't see one or anything that looked like a motor vent (pcv).
if someone with more knowledge on these motors. could check out the motor break down to see if they see if there is a vent or unit i sure use the help . im not wanting to rebuild the unit if i dont have to . i priced out a short block and they want $450 or $900 for a long block
model 31c707 type 0154E1 code 050202A

[CaterpillarAssassin]

How many hours? Certainly sounds like rings. High volume white smoke or low volume bluish?

I think those motors are good for about 5000h with decent maintenance and decent oil being used. I actually have a new V-Twin XRV Intec (6 hours now), and I'm hoping I get more than 5 years.

5 Years doesn't seem very long, but I guess if you mow once a week and it takes you 3 hours it could very well be worn out.

[renovation]

thanks that seems about right- the units keep clean so i didn't think about the hours on it . ya i do two yards a week in the summer and there both maybe a 100x200 or better from april to 1st of november.

[Key Keeper]

Put some mobile 1 in it, it should quit smoking.

[normalicy]

I once had a mechanical fuel pump allow gas to get through the housing into the oil. Nearly killed the engine.

[FlyingPenguin]

I'm in the same boat with my newer 26 HP 5-6 year old mower. In the last month it's been smoking (white as far as I can tell) and using a LOT of oil.

Thing is that the other 13 year old mower is still going strong.

Other than looking at an eventual ring job, what else should I do?

Key: How does Mobile 1 help?

[Key Keeper]

Mobile 1 is synthetic so when it burns it doesn't produce smoke like traditional petroleum based oils. I learned this from a car dealership I used to work for. They would put it in their used cars that were emitting smoke. they would drain the old oil out, let them sit with the drain plug out to get it all out then top them off with mobile one or some other synthetic. If your going through a lot of oil though, it could get a bit expensive as mobile 1 is kinda overpriced in my book. Probably opt for a cheaper brand.

[CaterpillarAssassin]

If your getting alot of thick white smoke, then its probably getting sucked in from somewhere. I had a clogged air filter cause the engine to occaisonally suck oil through the breather. That made ALOT of white smoke. You can test by running it without the air filter for a few minutes (if it looks dirty).

If your getting a bit of blue smoke constantly while running its probably worn out rings.

[FlyingPenguin]

THAT makes sense since it happened suddenly. I'll check. I have to clean the filter constantly because there's a lot of sand on the property.

I've have someone else mowing for me the past couple of weeks and he may not be keeping the filter clean like I was. I'll check it out and even though I replaced that filter in 4 months ago I'll go ahead and get another.