OT Mechanics: Help with my riding lawn mower

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That is the thing I can't find a leak. With the level of smell you'd figure that the concrete under the engine wound stink, but it doesn't.

it's the gas getting into the tapwater from all the fracking that's going on

lemme guess, you didn't stand with standing rock on facebook did you?

Yes, turned off.
I spent about 30 minutes looking all over the engine for a leak.

I also ran it until most of the gas was gone, leaving only about 8oz (this model has a poorly designed gas tank. You can't run the tank dry before the engine dies).

your carb is flooding slowly while its sitting there parked, its not enough to effect how it runs but the seepage into the engine is what you are smelling and your engine is now full of gas.

when you start it you will see a ton of smoke and think the engine is bad but its just gas mixed in the oil.

you need to clean or replace the carburetor, to confirm, simply take out the dip stick and smell it. the level will be too high and it will reek of gas instead of burnt oil.

those little electric stoppers don't really do shite to stop the gas, they just help a little but if the float needle isn't sealing the engine will fill with gas.

I have drained as much as a gallon of gas/oil out of some engines I have worked on and they only hold 1 1/2 quarts of oil normally

What Keaker said. As a temp fix you can clamp a pair of vice grips on the fuel line before it gets to the carb. My camp riding mower has had the vise grip temp fix for at least 5 years now. If you don't want to mess with the carb to fix it. Go to the auto parts store and buy a 1/4" fuel shut off valve and install it in the fuel line before the carb. Also pull the dip stick on the oil and smell it to see if the oil smells like gas. If yes change the oil after you start using the vise grips or the fuel shut off valve.

If the oil level is high, make sure and change the oil don't just drain some off. Gas cuts the oil and it can ruin your engine if you run it that way.

Great I'll do that. I love this message board.

Also at the bottom of the carb bowl there is an electronic sticking out. When you take the carb off, unscrew it. It should move freely with very little effort. Spray it with carb cleaner and move it a little, spray it again until it moves freely.

Also you should buy a fuel cut off and put it on your fuel line and cut the fuel after using.