The entity posted thusly:

>I just started the mower and it runs on and off with a lot of smoke.
>I did drain off the mower engine oil last winter and refilled that with
>5w30 after checking up with this newsgroup.
>My guess is that I put in some gas that has been around over 6 months.
>What other option do I have?
>The mower has been in use only for 3 years.

Did you put in some gas-oil mixture by mistake? Perhaps a jerry can
meant for your snowmobile, chain saw, or outboard?