Hey guys. I've got a John Deere L100 with the Briggs & Stratton 17Hp Intek that is putting out some blue smoke. I don't know the history of this machine as I just bought it from a guy on Craigslist (dirt cheap) who said the engine was blown, but it starts, runs and mows.

It smokes when you first start it up and at high RPM. Also, at high RPM, it makes a loud "POP POP POP". At low to mid range RPM, smooth running, no smoke, no POP. I've done most of the research and have found that these engines commonly blow head gaskets between the cylinder and the valve gallery, and that's what I suspect is wrong with this engine.

When I pull the spark plug however, it looks to be wet with oil. Is this STILL indicative of a bad head gasket? Could it be the rings? I've also heard of the ring gaps aligning and allowing oil passage into the combustion chamber.

I'm getting ready to move so I can't really tinker with the machine until I get settled in here in two weeks. I'd like to fix this mower and use it at our new home. I'm in it disgustingly cheap ($50) and I think it's worth fixing as everything else works great.