# Small engine spraying oil out of muffler

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-spraying-oil-out-of-muffler/723960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 1, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-spraying-oil-out-of-muffler/723960 "2015-07-01T15:52:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-spraying-oil-out-of-muffler/723960/1 "2015-07-01T15:52:26Z")

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My gf has a rototiller, [something like this](http://www.newhavenpower.com/TroyBronco.jpg), but old. It hasn’t been touched in the ten years I’ve known her, and wasn’t started for maybe five years before that.

So, yesterday I thought I’d see if it would work. I didn’t want to put much effort into it, since my expectations were minimal. I filled the gas tank, sprayed some starter fluid on the air-filter, and it started up! It ran rough, and the throttle didn’t work, but it ran.

I used it for ten minutes and it began raining hard. I went inside until the rain stopped and then started it back up. And it began pouring again.

After several cloudbursts I decided to put the tiller back in the shed, but this time when I started it up oil sprayed out of the muffler, right into my face, like something on a sitcom.

Ideas?

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-spraying-oil-out-of-muffler/723960/2 "2015-07-01T15:58:34Z")

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Seized rings, startup scored the cylinder, as soon as oil was splashed on the cylinder walls it got pushed out through the exhaust.

If an engine has been sitting a long time without even being turned over once or twice, some form of prelubricating the cylinder or reducing ring corrosion is a good idea before starting it. Doesn’t always work, but it can help a great deal. With an engine that’s sat for years, it’s best to set it so the cylinder is vertical and squirt in a goodly amount of a penetrating oil. Wait at least 24 hours, give it a very slow turn or two, then drain the oil and try a start.

It may not have been salvageable even with that, so don’t feel too bad about it.