If it starts momentarily when you spray into it then its not getting fuel , right. So remove feul line see if it flows or its a carb cleaning job. Did you leave it stored with gas in it, well you never do that.
My Neighbor lends me her Snow thrower and it could not start. It is a MTD, Model E150 with electrical starter.
I replaced the spark plug (look very clean) and spray the carburetor intake with carburetor and choke cleaner, it starts momentarily and stop. I notice the fuel/oil mixture is 50:1, rather low for two stroke engine?
Can someone help me to troubleshoot this machine? Further, the electrical starter is dead (I think), and need to start manually. I am wondering how to be absolutely sure the starter is dead as I did not see any sign of short/burn when I open it up to check. The starter cost about $200 bucks when I asked the John Deere dealership nearby.
I really appreciated if someone can help as she really needs this snow thrower and I too, can use it free if I can repair it and service it from now on.
Thanks, you for your help.
They are trying to make them more environmentaly friendly , and " say "
50-1 is ok. But 32-1 is better, but only if your carb can be reajusted for the richer mix. Many carbs have tamper proof screws. Maybe you can or cant run more oil see how it runs and reajusts , synthetic oil is best.It sounds as if you do not have much experience with small engines.
You might find some information here:
I did suspect something wrong with the fuel earlier. When it start momentary, I depress the fuel button immediately the engine just quit. I also remember, when I first depress the fuel rubbers button I did not smell any fuel... which it normally does for 2 stroke engine.
I dunno what the lady did. I suspect she did not add stabilizer on to the fuel after the last winter.
Thanks, I'll do tomorrow. By the way the starter cost $118 at MTD website, can anyone help me if I could check the starter and better yet save her $118?
Thanks again.
No, I don't. Many many years ago I use to overhaul Pratt & Whitney, Lycoming and Continental engines and top overhaul my Corvair's air cool engines.
Thanks for the tips.
Sounds a lot like the Toro I got a couple years ago.
Take off the necessary screws to get the cover off, and look for where the fuel line comes down from the fuel tank. That goes into the carb. Tip the snow blower so the carb is fairly high up. Take the bolt off the bottom of the carb (probably 7/16 or 1/2). That bolt should have a very small hole in it, where the gas goes though. Hole is aobut 1/3 of the way from the hex head end.
Pull the bowl off the carb, and clean it out. See if there's any particles of junk. Water.
Work the float up and down a couple times. Near the pivot end (axle) is the needle that allows gas into the carb. Poke that with a needle or small screw driver if it doesn't move with the float.
tip the machine down, and see if a little gas pours out of the carb. Put the carb bowl back on, snug down that nut that holds it on.
While you have the machine apart it's a really good idea to put in an inline fuel filter. I happened to have one around, your mower shop nearby (or hardware store) might have one you can put in. I had to cut about 3 inches of fuel line out to make space for the filter, and then use hoseclamps. I had a whole bunch of specks of black stuff in the fueltank, and I had to take the carb apart several times before I put the fuel filter in.
And that is what I found with mine...... it's still miserable, but it will start after awhile.
50:1 sure seems lean to me. I mix mine 32:1 and nevermind what it says on the gascap.
I also have an MTD, but a different model. Maybe the fuel system is the same though.
Priming is not as simple as it looks. When you press the primer button, nothing really happens. Tilt the machine up so you can see the engine. On the carburetor, look for a little protrusion with a hole in it. Put one finger over the hole and push the primer. Three or four hits and it will start on a couple of pulls.
Seems very awkward and maybe something is actually wrong, but this is the only way mine will start. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
Thanks, I'll get that inline filter the first thing in the morning and start working on it. We still have Mom & Pop Lawn & Mower shops in spite of the HD and Lowes all over the Metro.
I might have to replace the starter, if one can offer any help. It will certainly make life less miserable, especially she need to clear the driveway early in the morning.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help. I'll post again after I get the thing running again.
Merrily Christmas and a very Happy New Year to everyone here.
Thanks, I'll check tomorrow.
I visited the MTD site and found the model of this machine. I then went to Tecumseh to see about the engine as listed on the MTD site.
As far as I can see, the engine probably IS NOT a two stroke engine as they have no mention of two stroke engines on their snow engines page. If this is actually the case, oil should NOT be in the gas.
Every Tecumseh engine that I have seen is very intolerant to gas in the mixture and to filling the oil sump past the full mark.
Find the gas filter if there is one and put in a new one (after flushing out the gas/oil mix fuel), change the spark plug again and start it up.
Ron
Sorry, I missed the part at the bottom of the Tecumseh engine chart that indicated that the lubrication was MIXED. Therefore the 50:1 mixture that you mention was indeed correct for this engine.
My experience with Tecumseh engines has been with the larger types that use an oil sump and splash lubrication.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Ron
I inherited a Toro with exactly the problem and the service solution is as described by Stormin. The Toro was very well kept and a new plug didn't solve the problem, plus the plug had a good spark. The solution was to clean the carb fuel bowl and especially that bolt with the small hole. What happened is that between seasons the fuel inside the carb bowl dried up and deposited a layer of waxy residue the same color as the 2 stroke fuel mix. Over time the deposit built up thick enough to almost block the fuel feed orifice of that carb screw.
I stay with 50:1 in view of the waqx deposit problem. I checked twice with the small engines service agent and this was the feul mix recommended.
Stormin, I did exactly what you suggested, and I guess I screw up when I removed the 1/2" brass bolt. There is this 1/8" ball bearing that fell out, I am still wondering where on earth it came from. It doesn't fit any holes. Could it be it came out from that 1/2" brass bolt that connect to the blue tube (nozzle)?
Read on below..
Removed the 1/2" brass bolt as you described above. The bowel almost full of water and sludge spill out, (maybe a 1/8" ball bearing fell out). Clean it up and re-installed it. It still run monetarily. I repeat the whole process again intending to soak the whole carburetor in Gunk solution. On second thought I decided against it as there is a difficult to remove rubber seal in the carburetor that lead to the fuel nozzle (Blue Color).
As I was reinstalling the carburetor fuel bowel a small ball bearing fell out (from nowhere) it's about 1/8" dia. Now, where on earth it came from? (see above paragraph 2nd line). I removed the carburetor again to check. The ball bearing doesn't to fit any holes, except that brass bolt. In fact there is a ball bearing still jammed inside, as you look at it from the bottom. I put it inside the brass hole and reinstalled everything and it still run momentarily.
I guess I must have screw up somewhere when I first remove the 1/2" brass bolt and the water and sludge spill out. Any suggestion, else I will have to replace a new carburetor tomorrow.
Thanks again.
Wouldn't it be easier to go to the MTD site and get a parts blowup? It might help a lot if you told us what model something you have. I have seen
2 stroke, straight gas, MTD, and Tecumseh in this thread. If you want help, you must give the proper information. I again suggest going to the small engines group on yahoo.If you have water and debris in any carburetor, it will need to be cleaned. You will probably need to change the fuel filter which will be inside the fuel tank on a 2 stroke typically. You will need to dump the old fuel and provide fresh fuel. You should be able to leave the ignition off, pull the cord 2 or 3 times and either have fuel running out or a very wet plug. If not, you are not delivering fuel. Check the fuel passages in the carburetor. There are usually very small holes, you may need some welding tip cleaners or some such to clear them. Once you are delivering fuel, try the ignition. If it still does not start, you need some type of carburetor screw adjustment.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing. . . . DanG
(rest snipped)
Here is another of Chris' classic screwups in progress, and while I feel for the OP, this is normal when following advice from Stormin..somethings gonna screw up.
I am not familiar with the carb you have, but I can tell you this..if you had water and this white nasty crap in the carb bowl, and you didnt blow it all out, including the carb, you probably have a blockage in the unit...and since I cant see it from here, it would be best not to follow my advice either...but thats probably what is creating your problem.
Stormin, I did exactly what you suggested, and I guess I screw up when I removed the 1/2" brass bolt. There is this 1/8" ball bearing that fell out, I am still wondering where on earth it came from. It doesn't fit any holes. Could it be it came out from that 1/2" brass bolt that connect to the blue tube (nozzle)? CY: Got me puzzled. I've seen a small ball berring, but I can't remember where it goes. My fuzzy memory says that it fits inside the carb, you ahve to remove the bowl and the float to get to where it goes.
Read on below..
Removed the 1/2" brass bolt as you described above. The bowel almost full of water and sludge spill out, (maybe a 1/8" ball bearing fell out). Clean it up and re-installed it. It still run monetarily. I repeat the whole process again intending to soak the whole carburetor in Gunk solution. On second thought I decided against it as there is a difficult to remove rubber seal in the carburetor that lead to the fuel nozzle (Blue Color). CY: Sounds like you've got a bunch of water in the gastank. Usually I just blast the various parts with ether spray,a nd put them all together again.
As I was reinstalling the carburetor fuel bowel a small ball bearing fell out (from nowhere) it's about 1/8" dia. Now, where on earth it came from? (see above paragraph 2nd line). I removed the carburetor again to check. The ball bearing doesn't to fit any holes, except that brass bolt. In fact there is a ball bearing still jammed inside, as you look at it from the bottom. I put it inside the brass hole and reinstalled everything and it still run momentarily. CY: My memory says that it's not going in the brass bolt. But that it goes into the top of the carb -- you have to turn the carb upside down, so that the bowl woulda been on top.
I guess I must have screw up somewhere when I first remove the 1/2" brass bolt and the water and sludge spill out. Any suggestion, else I will have to replace a new carburetor tomorrow. CY: well getting water and sludge out is a good thing.
Thanks again.
I do appreciate any help from anyone to get this thing going before the next snow fall. I try to buy the carb repair kits today but all the lawn mower shops are close. I will bring the carb with me next week and maybe I'll get the guys there to help me to troubleshoot, else buy a new carb and solve all my problems!
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