For a couple years I have been noticing oil smell while running the splitter. I just always checked and added as needed. Well, I figured it all out with a stroke of dumb luck. When towing the splitter with the atv or garden tractor, it rides tongue down since the ball sits so low. Well, when you pull it around like that, oil flows into the muffler! I left it sit hooked up to the atv for a month+ which is by far the longest it has sat un-level. When I fired it up, the thing blew smoke everywhere, and oil all over itself! After I shut it down and let it sit level, to drain oil back to crankcase, she ran like normal. No oil puking, minimal smoke (burning what was left in the muffler). In a previous thread, there were some owners (me included) that thought these motors were prone to burning oil. In my case, it was simply due to being towed with the tongue pointed at the ground. Lesson learned. Hope this helps someone.
This doesn't seam correct. Oil shouldn't be able to flow into the muffler unless you stand the engine up on the muffler and leave it there for awhile. Which shouldn't be possible with the engine connected to the splitter. I'm not familiar with single cylinder engines but wait...... What engine is on the splitter?
Similar to a lawnmower engine. Can also drool up past the valve stems and get in the exhaust that way. Rings are far from a 100% seal. Prime example:
That engine has far bigger issues.... One day I might investigate them. It's off of my Deere 14PZ, a machine that I love. I thought I'd try retrofitting a Honda GC series onto it but that's been a no-go so far due to blade adapter issues.
If the cylinder is horizontal like this one I would imagine it is normal to store the engine flat. But if the cylinder is vertical it doesn't make sense. It shouldn't leak oil out the exhaust.
Both mine and the OP's engines are horizontal cylinders. You certainly could stand them up with the spark plugs on top as long as the fuel tank is empty and you wouldn't have oil running past the valve guides and the rings.
