2003 John Deere GX345 Low Oil Pressure Warning Light

[jiverson90]

Hey there everyone. New member here and this will be my first post. I recently have become the 2nd owner of a John Deere GX345 (2003) and I ran into an issue today. First of all I purchased the mower from a friend of mine who had a coworker that no longer had the use for the mower, for he was getting separated from his wife and needed the cash. So the mower has 593 hours on the dial, and I purchased it for 1600 but the guy had misplaced his manual a while back but he is a mechanic so he stated that he did all the upkeep himself. Oil is clean, no leaks (that I can notice, and no issues the first 2 times I mowed with it on my 2 acres. My 2 acre lot is half on a hill half on flat ground.

But, I digress. Today while firing her up about 1 week after the last mowing there was a pretty good amount of white smoke was coming from the mower Turned it off, checked oil level, turned her back on and all was good. So my first question is, is that normal? It may sound silly but it's my first mower, and my first home since I'm only 25 and my mechanical skills are pretty limited. Second and the most important concern is that halfway throwing mowing my lawn today the low oil pressure light came on, and therefore the mower shut down, and I had to push to SOB up the side of my property and into the garage to inspect. No visual oil spills or anything I could see. Is there anything I need to check, or anything I need to try. I just want to try and save some cash instead of sending it to my local JD dealer here in town. Let me know what you all think and what I need to look for.

 

[beenthere]

:welcome: to TBN
You have oil to the full mark on the dip stick and no higher?

And for the manual, it looks to be available online here.
Service Engine - Model GX345

Might be time to get a compression check to see if there is a cyl. ring problem, or something else wrong.

 

[jiverson90]

Checked oil level last night and it's right in between full and empty. Do you think it just needs to have a bit more oil to keep the pressure up?

:welcome: to TBN
You have oil to the full mark on the dip stick and no higher?

And for the manual, it looks to be available online here.
Service Engine - Model GX345

Might be time to get a compression check to see if there is a cyl. ring problem, or something else wrong.

 

[bruceatlam]

No, I don't think oil level will solve the problem as long as the oil level is actually in the correct range and it sounds as if it is ----- so, the question becomes: Is the oil pressure really low?? You could check it by hooking up a mechanical gage. If it's really low, the problem is either oil pump related or perhaps relief valve related.

If it's not actually low oil pressure then the oil pressure sender may have failed. The easiest thing to do right now would be to simply replace the sender ---- you'll be "betting" that the oil pressure sender is bad. If that doesn't solve your problem then you have one more data point that would say that the oil pressure is really low. Next thing I would do is check the relief valve to see if anything is obviously wrong ---- like maybe it's stuck for some reason. Thinking about further, I think that I would do this first because it doesn't cost anything at all to check it. That manual above should show you where it is and how to access it.

If it's really low and the relief valve isn't the issue, then you need to look at the oil pump.

I just looked at that link above --- it won't help you. But, you can probably find an engine manual on line that will show you how where/how to check the relief valve. Just search for your engine model number.

 

[Gator6x4]

If the engine oil was low and you were mowing sideways on a hill, or straight up and down and the oil failed to cover the low oil sensor the engine will shut off. The smoke on start up could be caused by a choke partially closed. I would change the oil and filter and use a good quality synthetic oil. Stay away from the 0-20 stuff. The 15-40 or 10-30 oil seems to work good in the air cooled engine. Check the air filter also and maker sure it is not clogged.

The suggestion to either replace the low oil pressure sender or check the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge is a good one. If you do not have a gauge, call your local Auto Zone Store if you have one they rent out equipment. You can also rent a cylinder pressure gauge and remove the plug(s) and spin the engine over with the starter after screwing the pressure gauge into a plug hole and check the engine compression to determine if the rings are worn or you have a valve problem. Keep the plug(s) out of the engine while doing the compression test, reinstall after the test is completed. You failed to provide the name of the engine in your unit. Some of the engines have a crankcase ventilation system connected to the carburetor via a rubber hose. This will malfunction sometime and suck oil up and discharge into the carburetor causing white smoke startups.

 

[jiverson90]

The mower has the 20 HP Kawasaki FD611V. It did shut off when I was mowing straight down my hill. Not the steepest part of the hill but it was downhill probably a 15 degree decline on that hill.

 

[beenthere]

Have you tried starting it after you pushed it back into the shop?

 

[jiverson90]

No I have no started it yet since I moved it back into the shop.

Have you tried starting it after you pushed it back into the shop?

 

[tk tom]

Check the oil level then try to start it again. If all is fine, try to duplicate the issue, it may be the slope. I believe 10° is the max side hill slope recommended, not sure if that applies when you are going straight up or down it. Down would cause oil to shift away from the sensor which is in the back of the motor typically, on the oil filter side. If it happens again you know it's the slope, just roll it to a flat spot and fire it back up. How many hours are on this machine?

 

[jiverson90]

Just shy of 600 hours.

Check the oil level then try to start it again. If all is fine, try to duplicate the issue, it may be the slope. I believe 10ｰ is the max side hill slope recommended, not sure if that applies when you are going straight up or down it. Down would cause oil to shift away from the sensor which is in the back of the motor typically, on the oil filter side. If it happens again you know it's the slope, just roll it to a flat spot and fire it back up. How many hours are on this machine?