Deodiaus wrote:
I have a TroyBilt powerwasher with the Briggs & Stratton engine I
bought at Lowe's a couple of months ago.
It has oil, but seems to run while emitting a white cloudy smoke. If
I don't have it high enough on the throttle, it dies.
I noticed that my spark plug was fouled up, and saw black sand-like
material inside.
What is the best way to clean that out? Should I remove the top
cylinderhead and clean it? How do I do that without disassembling the
whole engine.
Years ago, I had a Ford Escort with a carburetor. I would pour Magic
Mystery Oil in the red can into the carburetor, which was suppose to
clean it out. Does that work?

Black smoke usually means a too rich gas mixture.

White smoke means the engine is burning oil. If the normal things - like oil
level - are normal, burning oil often means the piston rings are shot or the
cylinder is scored, allowing oil from the crankcase into the firing chamber.

The reason "Magic Mystery Oil" worked is that it made the oil thicker and
harder to get past worn piston rings.

So, then, if the normal things are normal, the engine is bad.