Not long ago I did oil and oil filter change on my tractor (@1,400 hrs), I noticed a very brief burnt oil smell, I looked around for leaks but didn’t find any. I have noticed there will be very brief dark black smoke coming out from the exhaust every time I start it, which I believe is normal. It’s been doing this since I purchased it, even before the oil and filter change. At 1,440 hours I checked the oil and the level was low. I decided to change the oil and oil filter again, I measured the used oil and it was at 0.8 gallons. I usually put in 1.175 gallon of new oil, following the service manual instructions. I cleaned the air filter, replaced all breather parts on the head cover. I can still smell brief burnt oil smell about every other 15 minutes while the engine is running. I did some searching online and found several possibilities. Is it running rich or is the shut off solenoid not working? Need to do any adjustments on the governor/speed control plate? someone suggested I take off the oil filler plug on the head cover to see if the oil splatters out which indicates worn out valve stem seals. I placed a piece of white cardboard above the opening while the engine was running. After a couple of minutes, there wasn’t even a speck on the cardboard. I know it’s not valve stem seals or piston rings because I don’t see any blue or bluish/gray smoke. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
