Funny snow blower problem...

[Existential Angst]

Awl --

Always the carburetion, it seems.

Last snow, a month or so ago, ran fine, a Sears "6.0 hp" ditty. Today, it would run for only 10 sec, and would have to constantly be re-primed and started. Choke is OK, full gas. Once in a blue moon it would run for a minute, but not under load.

I could actually sort of see the primed gas spill out of the carb, which would apparently fuel the engine for a while. Seems that the running engine couldn't draw it's own gas.

Idears?

Any links for how-to's on small gas engine repair? I won't be rebuilding innards, but I would at least like to know when/how to fix "the fixable", and when to just give up.

I gave away a fairly expensive Ariens, with carb problems... the local tool rental place, that fixes small engines all the time, couldn't get that thing to run right....

Yet, I saw a guy today, with an Ariens that was so smooth I thought it was electric, from a distance.

[Eric in North TX]

Most likely the main jet pickup is clogged. There a couple of ways the gas gets from the float bowl to the venturi, either the jet is in the bowl at the bottom of a tube (usually cast), or the cast tube has pin holes below the fluid level and that channels it to the jet. You should be able to remove the bowl (after turning off the fuel tank tap) and clean the passages with a small wire, the wire inside a bag tie works well.

[Jeff The Drunk]

Main jet clogged.

[ransley]

Do you run all small equipment dry of gas when you put it away, you have to run them till the float bowl is empty, thats several runs after you think its out of gas, last fall I put away a 1984 lawnboy as weel as alot of other gas toys , never cleaned the carb, the only time my carbs get messed up is when I leave gas in them. At Ace I saw my store sold a gallon of carb boil just a strong solvent with a dipping basket. Basicly remove the carb , dissasemble, and soak out the varnished gas, get new gaskets if you need. Stabil helps and should be used, but running the bowl empty is a guarntee for next year

[trader4]

Having just gone through the problem on mine, I could offer advice. But since EA likes to hurl insults at me and half a dozen others here, why should I?

[salty]

Amen

[Existential Angst]

Having just gone through the problem on mine, I could offer advice. But since EA likes to hurl insults at me and half a dozen others here, why should I? ===================================================

Well, ackshooly, it was 3 others, who justly earned those insults..... And, well, you were a full participant in our li'l tiff, and all because of Biot-Savarte's law, if you recall....

BUT, I humbly apologize, I sincerely regret my actions.....

So, uh, what did you do to fix yer snow blower??

[Existential Angst]

Hey SaltyAss, what were we fighting about, inyway? Was it the climb/conventional cutting you couldn't grok? Hmmm...... I know that was Ricodjour..... oh yeah, and ShittyTwo.....

Hmmm...... What was it???

Oh yeah, *you* had that big problem believing that 3 Sears hp = 1 Porter Cable hp.... you wanted cites'n'shit, right?

And then you couldn't unnerstand my repeat of my old locked rotor current speriment, this time on a "6.0 hp" Rigid/Sears blowVac..... which ackshooly generates a good bit less than 1 hp...... I guess you wanted *more* cites'n'shit.....

BUT, you do recall -- assuming that I wadn't lying -- that the LRC current DID sort of calc out to 5-6 hp, right?

You still mad?? Didja wind up learning anything????

[salty]

Used my Ariens Snowblower just this morning. Started with one easy pull and ran flawlessly.

But, then, it always starts on the first pull and runs flawlessly. Even the first use of the season.

I get pretty much the same results with all my small engines. Weed Wackers, Lawnmowers, Boat outboards, etc.

[Van Chocstraw]

That's a bunch of crap. I leave gas in mine and never have trouble. The REAL trouble is most people let crap from on top of the gas can fall into the gas tank and frig it up all time. 99.99 times our of 100 it's the crap you dumped into the tank that is your problem. The rest of the time it's that the gas in your supply can is already 2 years old when you put it in and you let it sit another year in the tank.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

More payback.

What goes around comes around - good and bad.

[jamesgangnc]

His problem does sound like a clogged main jet.

The trouble with small engine carbs depends on how they are set up. A lot of the smaller 2 stroke engines don't have anything a float bowl so as long as the gas in the tank is good they usually work. If there is a float bowl leaving the gas on prevents it from drying out completely. But float bowl carbs do accumulate crud either way if they are left sitting for extended periods because they vent to the atmosphere. Most of my stuff works fine left alone but I have a 4 stroke 8hp generator that likes to have it's gas turned off and run out of the carb. If I don't do that then the main jet gets deposits on it that reduce the flow. If I don't it only runs with the choke on and I have to remove the bowl and clean the main jet.

[trader4]

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D

I'll bet all of the half dozen of us on here who you claim are stupid could fix the problem you describe with your snow blower. After all, it's just a simple small gas engine. Just got done pitching 14" deep snow with mine this morning and it's running great after having the same problem you described last snow. If you're so smart, why can't you fix what is a common problem with these engines?

[Existential Angst]

Well, here you go again, with your rapidly accumulating errors.

First, the number was 3, and you eventually made it 4, but iirc, you started these particular hostilities...

Second, I never said (or meant) that any of you were stupid -- ShittyTwo may not be the brightest bulb, but the rest of the Quartet seems to be on the sharp side, with useful contributions. You have shown yourself to be astute in a number of areas -- just not with the Biot-Savarte law and clamp-ons.... While Salty seems to have mental block regarding LRC and hp.... hey, it happens to all of us. With me, it's gas engines.

The real problem seems to be more one of character....

First, you'd proly lose yer bet. Regardless, just cuz an engine appears simple (there you go again, with that "simple" shit) doesn't mean it's necessarily easy to fix. My Ariens gave pro's a hard time.

And, I had a 2-stroke dirt auger that NO ONE could fix, cuz, as ""simple"" as that was, the mfr left out a set of reed valves.....

So much for "simple", eh??

Just got done pitching 14"

I never said I was smart. To me, these ngs are a learning forum, which unfortunately some character-disordered people turn into snippy attitude-laden dick-waving contests.

And I "can't" fix it cuz I've got zero experience with these things.

So, shall we tally up all your errors in one short paragraph?? goodgawd....

So inyway, I did apologize, so, uh, how did you fix yer snow blower? And, if in order for you to answer, you require that I never ever bring up Biot-Savarte again, I promise not to bring it up again....

[Steve Ackman]

Hope I get the vernacular close enuf fer u to unnerstand.

Before you go taking the corb off and apart, just for grins, empty the berl. Sometimes there's a spring loaded "emptier" on the bottom (inyway, there is on my

11.5 hp). If no spring, you might have to pull a scru out. Drane the berl, give 'er a few pulls and see if she'll run then. Sometimes it's not varnisch clogging the main jet, but flakey particewlates swimming around in the berl.

It's always a good idear to try the simplest befor trying the harder.

[Jerry - OHIO]

Could it be ice??? I trashed one and the ten year old next door put dyr gas in it and wanted $20.00 to do my drive. He's $20.00 richer !!!

Jerry

[Lefty]

Chances are he does'nt actually have a problem with his snowblower, if he even has a snowblower. I would'nt bother to feed that troll.............................

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

Many of these small engine carbs have a built in fuel pump which consists of a diaphram that is driven by the pressure variations (pulses) in the intake manifold.

If that diaphram is cracked or there's a vacuum leak in that system, it won't pump its own gas. It will appear to run when primed, but that won't last long.

A carb rebuild kit should have the parts to remedy this problem.

[willshak]

Existential Angst wrote the following:

The other day I tried to start my 5500 watt portable generator. I didn't need it at the time, but was just starting it in case I did need it later during the snow storm. My generator is stored outside in the weather with a custom cover for it to keep rain and snow off it. I opened the gas valve, turned the switch on, and set the choke. I pulled and pulled, but could not get it to start for the life of me, whether it was full choke, half choke, or no choke. I sprayed some starter fluid into the air cleaner and it would run until it burned up the fluid and then died. I did this maybe 5 or 6 times with the fluid with the same results. I.figured it may have had ice in the tank or something clogging the gas line. I took a heat gun to the bottom of the tank where the fuel lever and fuel line comes out. I started up the heat gun and put my hand on the fuel lever and gas line in order to judge the distance for the heat gun, so I didn't burn the valve or line. A few minutes of heat later, I gave it some more starting fluid and tried it again and the generator started right up I don't know what the problem was, but warming the fuel lever and line seemed to have solved the problem, or maybe it didn't and the gererator just decided to start.

[Existential Angst]

Yeah, there is a linkage that kind of pulses as the load changes. Off the carb, I can't quite see what it is linked to, tho, but I'll find out.

I can see a lot of small parts covering my workbench in my future....

I'm ackshooly perty terrified of carburetors... I feel the angst building..... :(