Weird Yard Tractor Issue

[fleabus101]

My Craftsman yard tractor battery went weak a few days ago. Tried to chg it but apparantly it
was too far gone to chg. When I last cut w it
last week I had a little gas in the tank.. Today..
this morning..installed a new battery. Upon
cranking it up it went to sputtering and belching blue smoke outa the blue. Last use was fine..no issues. So..just cking it over... I pulled the oil stick to ck its level. I had to read
it 3 times befuddled. Its level always been fine.
I finally realized the oil level is about 2 inches
over the full level..What the hay?
Its a 2018-19 Craftsman Kohler engine 5400
series 18 HP Model..
All controls..choke..etc appear fine..carb was running fine last use..
So went googling..poss cause ..carb..float..needle/seat ..etc..My background is automotive/mechanical work from youth til
retirement.
One blurb googling issues caught my eye..
Some poster.. on gas in oil issues.. mentioned
leaving the key switch on while its not running
in run position may allow gas to seep into
engine/crankcase..
I may have left it switched on while I tried to chg the battery earlier.. This blurb makes the
most sense out of symtoms surrounding its
total behavior..
I will..after dealing w storm damage yesterday
first drain oil and chg it etc.. Bought 2 plugs
to poss chg its single one if needed..
New gas ..oil..plug and try it again later this week..
Question for you members..anyone seen this
issue on gas in oil after leaving ign switch on..
Im not an expert on late model yard tractors
so asking your experiences on gas in oil when last use was fine save for dead battery replaced..
Thanks Randy..

 

[4barrel]

You have gas in the oil and will blue smoke and knock the bearings and rings out. Drain and replace it. You may need a new carburetor. They have rubber gaskets the gas will rot if it sits. I bought one cheaper than I could repair it. About $30 on ebay. Order by # on the carb. That will be $20 please.

 

[dockmurgw]

Dont know about late model, but I have a 80's Gravely lawn tractor, also with a Kohler, that did the same thing. Float in the carb was the culprit.

 

[gregintenn]

Change the carb, change the oil, don’t put amy more ethanol in it.

 

[fleabus101]

Well
Between yard storm damage **** I changed the oil and added fresh non ethenol gas w about 4 oz of seafoam fuel system cleaner.
After initial fireup it smoked about a minute or 2 and cleared out with new oil in it...Now its running about close to tip-top..
I will change the oil again and put a new
plug in and call it done til next weird event.
Thanks for the info and suggestions
Best Randy..

 

[terry_tr6]

check your carb. I bet there is a wire operating a solenoid that closes off the fuel unless the key is turned on. It can also leak. But if it drained out like that, I'd also guess your float valve in the carb is either bad, has something stuck in it, or your float has a leak and is sinking down in the bowl, holding the float valve open. All my carb problems(tractor and boat) went away when i got rid of ethanol gas.

 

[slickracer]

Put a shutoff in the gas line and turn off the gas after each use. Or get a new carb, changing the seat in a Kohler carb is a pain in the back side.