We have an older ( 8 to 10 years old) Craftsman that suddenly quit. I checked all I could think of and found that the air filter was bad. I took it off thinking I would try and start it then. It started but also shot oil out of a port inside the breather compartment. Now it will start, smpke like a bandit and die. Any help would be aprreciated.

I have the tractor w/ B&S 15.5 HP OHV motor. I had a very similar problem w/the oil and the smoke... :( Turns out it was a blown head gasket. (Apparently a very poor design.):mad: The piston strokes and the pressure blows by the gasket into the crankcase causing oil to shoot past the breather valve and into the airbox where the carb sucks it in and the motor tries to run on it, smoking like a chimney... The good news is that replacing the gasket is fairly easy if you have even a moderate amount of mechanical ability.:p The bad news is that it will happen again, but probably not for years if your repair job is decent. Happy wrench turning...

Sounds as though the oil breather is dirty or defective. Replace the oil breather.