Snow blower tune-up?

[BroadHopper]

I have a Snapper lawn mower and snow blower. Both pushing 30 years old. I opt for the 2 cycle lawn mower because of the hilly terrain. I spend 4 hours a week mowing the lawn during season. The snow blower does a fantastic job of keeping a driveway over 100 feet double wide open during the season. And occasionally do the neighbors when they are away.

Both have original parts except for the blades on the lawn mower and shear pins on the snowblower.

Rarely do I require professional service. The owner's manual gives detailed instructions on required maintenance and I follow them.

One thing I do differently is to drain the gas tank at the end of the season and run the machine dry. The spare gas is used in the other machine. No waste. The shop owners keep telling me it is a bad idea to drain the gas because the rubber tubes and the gaskets in the carb gets brittle. Never had the problem. Maybe the MMO keeps them supple?

I do have a Toro snothrow that is 10 years old. Used it twice. I like the Snapper better. easier to start and manuever. The Toro chute gets clogged. Been keeping it as backup.

[fatlazyless]

Am pretty sure that when Michael Dukakis ran for president in November 1998 or 1999, he had a political campaign ad that featured his very old Craftsman snowblower. It was something like a 1960's model that he purchased new in the late 1960's or so and stored it in his little one car garage, and had been using it every winter for the driveway-sidewalks at his house in Brookline, Mass.

The intended message was he was fiscally conservative and not a big spending politician.....my type of guy......right-o....or something!
........

For the record, I have two snow-thros: one is an old Toro 3-hp two stage, and the other is a newer Craftsman 7 or 8hp two-stage that I just bought a week ago for $240.

Winter........bring it on!


Somewhere in Maine, someone has created a snowblower museum in a barn or something next to their home, and has collected a lot of various old snowblowers. Tried to find a website for it but no dice....?

[Sunrise Point]

We just had our snowblower tuned up and repaired by Keinan Martin of Lakeport Power Equipment. It now runs beautifully. He offers pick up and delivery, very reasonable prices and prompt service. If you need any small engine work done, I highly recommend him.

Keinan Martin
Lakeport Power Equipment
527-0940

Thank you Water Camper for recommending him to us.

[Belmont Resident]

These guys have rebuilt carburetors for many of my outdoor power equipment.
You can either bring just the carburetor in or drop off the machine either way.
They also have pick up.
They sell used stuff and offer consignment.
I just bought a brand new chain saw (they sell Dolamar) that made short work out of 4 cords of wood. And I paid a reasonable price for it unlike the 30+ percent markup for buying a Stile or Husky because of the name.

[Yosemite Sam]

Reading this thread it reminded me that it’s time to get the snow moving equipment out and see if they will start. I have two snow blowers, one is a Honda HS1132 track drive for my driveway and the other one is a small Toro 2 cycle for my deck.

The Toro started and ran perfectly. The Honda started Ok but stalled out after about 2 minutes of running. I couldn’t get it started so I went thru the regular things like checking to see if it is getting a spark, is it out of gas, etc. Everything looked Ok so I had to dig deeper. I checked to see if it was getting fuel to the carburetor and unfortunately it wasn’t….so off comes the float bowl and it didn’t have any gas in it. The float was stuck in the up position not allowing any gas to get into the bowl. I took the float valve out and it had gunk on it which made it stick in the valve seat. I have never had this happen before because I have always put stabil in the fuel that I use. Maybe I got some bad gas just before putting it away for the season. After cleaning both the carburetor and float valve the snow blower started up and ran like a charm.

I’m glad that I found this now and not during the first big snow storm that we will probably get. So I would like to thank Sunrise Point for starting this thread which reminded me to get my snow blowers ready for the winter.

Hey FLL, it didn’t cost me a penny to get my snow blowers running.

[fatlazyless]

Geesh....if you were just a little bit smarter, you would have taken it over to Mark Richter's in Moultonborough and paid him a hundred dollars to get it working....

[Sunrise Point]

FLL,

Getting my snowblower operating smoothly was beyond my abilities and hiring a professional to do the job was money well spent.

There are many things that I am pretty good at, but the older I get, the more I realize that hiring a pro for the jobs that I can't do, is usually the most cost-effective way to get things done.

I am sure that Mark Richter and anyone else who makes his/her living operating a small business would be offended by your last post. I am very glad that there are people like Keinan Martin and other small shop owners, who are there when needed, and I am happy to support them.

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by Sunrise Point

FLL,

Getting my snowblower operating smoothly was beyond my abilities and hiring a professional to do the job was money well spent.

There are many things that I am pretty good at, but the older I get, the more I realize that hiring a pro for the jobs that I can't do, is usually the most cost-effective way to get things done.

I am sure that Mark Richter and anyone else who makes his/her living operating a small business would be offended by your last post. I am very glad that there are people like Keinan Martin and other small shop owners, who are there when needed, and I am happy to support them.

Glad to hear that you got your snow blower fixed and that you are happy with the results.

I am also "very glad" that the Lakes Region has people like Keinan Martin, Mark Richter, and other small shop owners who are there when we need them.

Again, thanks for starting this thread!

[Sunrise Point]

We have 8" of snow here in Meredith Center and our 20 year old snowblower started on the first pull. However, once it was into the snow and under load, the auger would stop. A quick phone call to Keinan helped to diagnose the problem as a loose / worn belt. Keinan didn't have the part in his shop but called around and found one for us at NAPA in Lakeport. We picked up the part, swapped it for the worn one (Mr. S.P. is pretty handy himself) and we were good to go.

Again, big thanks to Keinan and all local businesses who are there when you need them.

[Ropetow]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Am pretty sure that when Michael Dukakis ran for president in November 1998 or 1999, he had a political campaign ad that featured his very old Craftsman snowblower. It was something like a 1960's model that he purchased new in the late 1960's or so and stored it in his little one car garage, and had been using it every winter for the driveway-sidewalks at his house in Brookline, Mass.

The intended message was he was fiscally conservative and not a big spending politician.....my type of guy......right-o....or something!
........

This Mike Dukakis????

[fatlazyless]

That is him.....and thanks for the memories.....and is there any chance you can locate a photo of Tax Hike Mike w/ his old Craftsman snowthrower? It was part of a television ad! Back then I was a Massachusetts-Ronald Reagan-Republican.......honest!

[SAMIAM]

Thanks,Ropetow....Hahahahaha...aaaahhh...ahhhhhhh. ..ohhh...I can't breathe.
AAAhahahahahaha......oh,man....He looks like Snoopy.

[lawn psycho]

Sunrise, FLL advice was right on the money. And it cost you nothing and I think you need to get a little thicker skin.

In many cases, like Yosemite, is even if you pour in fresh gas in the tank you still have stale gas in the carb float bowl.

I use stabil year round in my tanks but in the event your small engine won't start (assuming you have on switch and fuel line in the "ON" position) there is a quick way to get things running.

1. Buy a can of engine starter and spray it in/near the air filter and attempt to start the machine. Sometimes you have to take off the air filter cover to do this. You can also pull the spark plug out, put a small spray of engine starter in the hole and replace the plug and see if it will fire.

If it fires, let the machine run so the old gas can be used up or just drain the tank. If it's only a small amount I usally just put it in my gas can and run it through my car or truck.

2. If the above fails, you can also remove the bottom the the carb bowl (typically only four small screws and takes about 1 minute to do) and spray it heavily with carb cleaner and make sure the floats move freely. Be very liberal with the spray and get it in every nook and cranny. Re-install the carb bowl. You can also combine #1 above when you are ready to try turning it over again.

Often times steps 1 and 2 will get the machine to run.

A can of engine starter and carb cleaner might cost you $5-7 at the local hardware store.

[fatlazyless]

....have another problem snowblower that seems like it maybe had a catastrophic mechanical-electrical-gas ???? problem yesterday while snowblowing the deep heavy snow left by the town plow.....it is a three year old Troy Bilt 24" $599 snowblow purchased from Lowe's about three years ago and naturally I never-ever buy an extended warranty.....dang-it.......something very bad happened while using it.....it looked like it might be about to burst into flames or something so I moved it to a safe spot and let it cool off.....and thankfully it never caught fire.....it looked like the hot exhaust muffler became soaked with gasoline and was giving off smoky gasoline smoke until the muffler cooled down.....apparently liquid gasoline does not always ignite while the vapors are very flammable....so most likely this machine is a hopeless loss and I will be doing the snow with a shovel for a while


....do not want to take it to Mark Richter in Moultonborough.....very good but also very expensive......do not want to take it to Rand's Hardware....that place is useless for repairs....maybe will take it to the snowblow place in Laconia near Irwin Hyundai......or maybe to Squam lake small engine repair.....got any suggestions for someplace that is good and also el cheapo?????

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

....have another problem snowblower that seems like it maybe had a catastrophic mechanical-electrical-gas ???? problem yesterday while snowblowing the deep heavy snow left by the town plow.....it is a three year old Troy Bilt 24" $599 snowblow purchased from Lowe's about three years ago and naturally I never-ever buy an extended warranty.....dang-it.......something very bad happened while using it.....it looked like it might be about to burst into flames or something so I moved it to a safe spot and let it cool off.....and thankfully it never caught fire.....it looked like the hot exhaust muffler became soaked with gasoline and was giving off smoky gasoline smoke until the muffler cooled down.....apparently liquid gasoline does not always ignite while the vapors are very flammable....so most likely this machine is a hopeless loss and I will be doing the snow with a shovel for a while


....do not want to take it to Mark Richter in Moultonborough.....very good but also very expensive......do not want to take it to Rand's Hardware....that place is useless for repairs....maybe will take it to the snowblow place in Laconia near Irwin Hyundai......or maybe to Squam lake small engine repair.....got any suggestions for someplace that is good and also el cheapo?????

Not going to return it????? It is only 3 yrs old??? and for such a loyal customer, I am sure they will accommodate you.

[Water Camper]

Contact Keinan Martin over at Lakeport Power Equipment in Laconia, tel # 527-0940. He will also do pickup and delivery.

I use Lakeport Power Equipment for all of my small engine work, lawnmowers, both push and rider, snow blower etc. He is an excellent mechanic and very fair.

Hope this helps,
Bill

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

....have another problem snowblower that seems like it maybe had a catastrophic mechanical-electrical-gas ???? problem yesterday while snowblowing the deep heavy snow left by the town plow.....it is a three year old Troy Bilt 24" $599 snowblow purchased from Lowe's about three years ago and naturally I never-ever buy an extended warranty.....dang-it.......something very bad happened while using it.....it looked like it might be about to burst into flames or something so I moved it to a safe spot and let it cool off.....and thankfully it never caught fire.....it looked like the hot exhaust muffler became soaked with gasoline and was giving off smoky gasoline smoke until the muffler cooled down.....apparently liquid gasoline does not always ignite while the vapors are very flammable....so most likely this machine is a hopeless loss and I will be doing the snow with a shovel for a while


....do not want to take it to Mark Richter in Moultonborough.....very good but also very expensive......do not want to take it to Rand's Hardware....that place is useless for repairs....maybe will take it to the snowblow place in Laconia near Irwin Hyundai......or maybe to Squam lake small engine repair.....got any suggestions for someplace that is good and also el cheapo?????

I bought the same Troy Built 24" to play around with this winter. Paid under $500 after coupon and discount. So far so good, she did well the last few storms. Maybe I'll get that warranty, still a few days to decide!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

....have another problem snowblower that seems like it maybe had a catastrophic mechanical-electrical-gas ???? problem yesterday while snowblowing the deep heavy snow left by the town plow.....it is a three year old Troy Bilt 24" $599 snowblow purchased from Lowe's about three years ago and naturally I never-ever buy an extended warranty.....dang-it.......something very bad happened while using it.....it looked like it might be about to burst into flames or something so I moved it to a safe spot and let it cool off.....and thankfully it never caught fire.....it looked like the hot exhaust muffler became soaked with gasoline and was giving off smoky gasoline smoke until the muffler cooled down.....apparently liquid gasoline does not always ignite while the vapors are very flammable....so most likely this machine is a hopeless loss and I will be doing the snow with a shovel for a while


....do not want to take it to Mark Richter in Moultonborough.....very good but also very expensive......do not want to take it to Rand's Hardware....that place is useless for repairs....maybe will take it to the snowblow place in Laconia near Irwin Hyundai......or maybe to Squam lake small engine repair.....got any suggestions for someplace that is good and also el cheapo?????

Loose/leaking gas cap???? Sounds like it may be operator error Less.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

....have another problem snowblower that seems like it maybe had a catastrophic mechanical-electrical-gas ???? problem yesterday while snowblowing the deep heavy snow left by the town plow.....it is a three year old Troy Bilt 24" $599 snowblow purchased from Lowe's about three years ago and naturally I never-ever buy an extended warranty.....dang-it.......something very bad happened while using it.....it looked like it might be about to burst into flames or something so I moved it to a safe spot and let it cool off.....and thankfully it never caught fire.....it looked like the hot exhaust muffler became soaked with gasoline and was giving off smoky gasoline smoke until the muffler cooled down.....apparently liquid gasoline does not always ignite while the vapors are very flammable....so most likely this machine is a hopeless loss and I will be doing the snow with a shovel for a while


....do not want to take it to Mark Richter in Moultonborough.....very good but also very expensive......do not want to take it to Rand's Hardware....that place is useless for repairs....maybe will take it to the snowblow place in Laconia near Irwin Hyundai......or maybe to Squam lake small engine repair.....got any suggestions for someplace that is good and also el cheapo?????

It might be that the fuel in the gas bowl isn't shutting off and over flowing because the carb inlet needle isn't working right. It will also fill your crankcase full of gas and could cause it to hydraulically lock when you first try to start it.
Did you take the carb bowl off and check it out?

[uglytunasaloona]

I have used them twice. First time for a balky ice auger. Runs like a charm. I had him tune up my 18 year old honda snow blower before the winter and it has been running like it was brand new. Great customer service.

Spring time will be a 25 year old chain saw and a young 10 year old lawn mower.

[AmantiDelLago]

If the carb is gummed up try some Sea Foam. I find that it works great. Use a heavy concentration of it and it cleans dirty carbs out. It's available at most auto parts stores and places like Walmart..... red and white can.

[NoBozo]

I have a Craftsman snow blower. AKA Cub Cadet..AKA .... Most of them are made by ...MTD. Anyhow: A couple of years ago I was having a problem with my one year old Craftsman blower that "looked like" an ethanol problem. The Cub Cadet dealer predicted a $300 bill to pull the Carb and fix the problem.

He then suggested that I try some Non Ethanol Stuff by Stihl (Of Chain Saw Fame) called "MotoMix". The can is 32 Fl Oz..92 Octane...No Ethanol.. Cost $8.00..... That's $32/gallon.) NOT CHEAP. My problem went away and I have been using this stuff exclusively ever since. The shelf life is over two years..unlike Ethanol.

My snow blower use in Rhode Island is limited....Not so much snow as up north. Justification for this cost is.........a balancing act....I don't have to worry about the .."Doubt" about..Will Ethanol CLOG up my machine.

The alternative is: Use Ethanol during the snow season and then wind up with.. and STORE the machine with "MotoMix". NB

[Happy Gourmand]

I think somebody mentioned that some marinas sell non ethanol gas. I wonder if you could just get your 5 gallon tanks filled there. I put Stabil in my tanks before I fill them, knock on wood, and have never had a problem.
But back to FLL's snowblower issue, does anybody else agree that it might just be the nut behind the handlebars is a little loose??

[SIKSUKR]

My Craftsman has been "surging" or as its called "hunting" all season. I finally pulled the carb yesterday and clean out many orifices on the jets. Just reinstalled it during my lunch hour and presto....Runs beautiful.

[HellRaZoR004]

What I've found works well is turn off the gas line and run the engine dry. No issues at all.

[EllyPoinster]

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

What I've found works well is turn off the gas line and run the engine dry. No issues at all.

Yeah, but then siphon as much of the remaining gas in the tank as you can so you can start with fresh fuel the next season. I do this with all my small engine tools - generator, weed wacker, leaf blower, etc.

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by EllyPoinster

Yeah, but then siphon as much of the remaining gas in the tank as you can so you can start with fresh fuel the next season. I do this with all my small engine tools - generator, weed wacker, leaf blower, etc.

Good point. My post was more aimed at each time you shut the engine off.

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

What I've found works well is turn off the gas line and run the engine dry. No issues at all.

That's good advice. Running the engine out of gas doesn't run the Gas Tank out of gas. You still need to drain the gas tank...that's an excellent place for old ethanol to turn into "Gel/Goop". NB

[SIKSUKR]

What I found rather dumb is that on my snowblower carb bowl I have one of those spring loaded fuel dumper things but no shut off on the fuel line. Kind of useless unless you run out out of fuel at just the right time. I'm going to install an inline shut off.
Another update: I had such great success on my snowblower I went to work on my pressure washer. I had a little different carb issue as it would start and immediately stall. I pulled the carb this morning and recleaned all the ports but they seemed fine. What I found was the bowl gasket was junk which didn't allow the fuel to be sucked up cuz of the leak around the seal. It wouldn't leak fuel out of the bowl because the float worked fine and stopped the bowl from overfilling but air leaking through that gasket would not let the carb pull up the fuel. Just an FYI for you tinkerers as this one had frustrated me for a while. Runs like a champ now. 2 for 2 in 2 days!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

What I found rather dumb is that on my snowblower carb bowl I have one of those spring loaded fuel dumper things but no shut off on the fuel line. Kind of useless unless you run out out of fuel at just the right time. I'm going to install an inline shut off.
Another update: I had such great success on my snowblower I went to work on my pressure washer. I had a little different carb issue as it would start and immediately stall. I pulled the carb this morning and recleaned all the ports but they seemed fine. What I found was the bowl gasket was junk which didn't allow the fuel to be sucked up cuz of the leak around the seal. It wouldn't leak fuel out of the bowl because the float worked fine and stopped the bowl from overfilling but air leaking through that gasket would not let the carb pull up the fuel. Just an FYI for you tinkerers as this one had frustrated me for a while. Runs like a champ now. 2 for 2 in 2 days!

You've figured out the secret to solving about 90% of small engine problems. Keep in mind that you can buy rebuild kits for most carbs that will replace jets, inlet valves, gaskets and other parts. They are usually cheap and can solve problems cleaning won't. (such as corroded jets or rotted gaskets.)

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

What I found rather dumb is that on my snowblower carb bowl I have one of those spring loaded fuel dumper things but no shut off on the fuel line. Kind of useless unless you run out out of fuel at just the right time. I'm going to install an inline shut off.
Another update: I had such great success on my snowblower I went to work on my pressure washer. I had a little different carb issue as it would start and immediately stall. I pulled the carb this morning and recleaned all the ports but they seemed fine. What I found was the bowl gasket was junk which didn't allow the fuel to be sucked up cuz of the leak around the seal. It wouldn't leak fuel out of the bowl because the float worked fine and stopped the bowl from overfilling but air leaking through that gasket would not let the carb pull up the fuel. Just an FYI for you tinkerers as this one had frustrated me for a while. Runs like a champ now. 2 for 2 in 2 days!

Good job!

Here is a hint for people who work on their carb:

When you put the Bowl back on the carburetor, make sure that it is put on so that the deepest part of the bowl goes opposite the pin that holds the float on. If you put it on wrong the float won't work correctly.
Here is a video where I started it where the guy explains how to put the bowl on correctly.

http://youtu.be/cvkF9QQmtQ0?t=13m19s

[dpg]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

That's good advice. Running the engine out of gas doesn't run the Gas Tank out of gas. You still need to drain the gas tank...that's an excellent place for old ethanol to turn into "Gel/Goop". NB

I run everything out of gas at the end of their seasons been doing it well, forever. It does empty my tanks or if their is just a hair on the bottom leave the cap off a couple days and it will evaporate.

[fatlazyless]

.....hurray.....the magic snowblow fairy must have visited my snowblower overnight or something.....because the next morning it started right up and worked like a champ.....all I did was fill the gas and pour a little mystery oil in with the gas....and it worked perfect....what-a-machine....the Lowe's Troy-Bilt 24" $599 snowblower.......the greatest snowblower ever ever ever! .....it starts....it runs....its works and it weighs about 150-lbs so it is light enough for me to muscle it around various steps and narrow paths....


.....hey....this latest snow fall was like ten inches of magic light fluffy snow.....very easy to snowblow......even the heavy stuff left by the town plow was easy to do.....vivre le winter with Team Troy-Bilt!


.... I obviously have no clue what went wrong before but now the machine starts and works good!