Tecumseh HMSK-80 Hard to start, need help

[Ignoramus21799]

I bought a used bolens 24" snowblower with a shot 6hp engine. I replaced that engine with a new 8hp Tecumseh HMSK-80 engine with a recoil start. Had to drill new holes in the body of the snowblower, clean up the transmission for easier shifting, but no big deal.

Anyway, yesterday it started and worked great and I even plowed a little bit of snow. Then I left the snowblower outdoors overnight, and in the morning it was approximately 8F or so, quite frosty.

I tried to start it, at no avail. It just would not start. I did push the primer bulb, opened the choke etc. There is fuel in the carburetor. It felt as though there is no spark. Any idea whether it could be the case, or is there anything else I forgot to check?

The gasoline is about 1 year old.

i

[Don Phillipson]

What happened when you refilled with fresh gas?

-- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)

[Mason121]

What do you mean by "it felt as though there was no spark"? Did you actually test to see if there was a spark? I have a

19 yr. old Toro that wouldn`t start this year. 2 yr. old gas. I checked for spark and got shocked.....yes there was spark. :( I actually took off the recoil system and put a 3/4 in. socket on the bolt under their and used a drill to crank the thing. While cranking the engine I got nada until I kept pressing the primer again and again. It did then start but went crazy full bore. I finally realized the governor on the carb. was frozen............stuck. Maybe leaving it outside let some water froze on the same part? Just a suggestion. Dan.

[Bob Engelhardt]

I use an _old_ Gravely for snow blowing. When I need to use it, I put a tarp over it and a space heater under the tarp. Wait a while and starts on 1st pull. For me this is better than chemical starter because the carb is a nuisance to get at and more importantly, the engine is really too stiff to pull-turn over when cold.

YMMV, Bob

[Ignoramus24982]

Not a bad idea. What does need to be heated/warmed, the carb or the whole engine block? And how long do you wait?

i

[Bob Engelhardt]

The tarp covers everything, so I can't be sure what's most important. I think that heating both helps: a warm carb makes easier ignition and a warm block makes it easier to turn over.

Oh, I dunno - depends how cold it is - 1/2 an hour? If I'm impatient and try too soon, it won't start and I let it heat a while longer.

Bob

[Jeff Wisnia]

There may be gas in the carb, but if there was any water in that old gas a tiny bit of ice may be blocking the carb jet.

The quickest way to find out is to give it a whif of "starting spray" (ether). If it fires up on that, you've got spark. If it doesn't, you probably haven't.

Put a little Dri-Gas (alcohol) in that old gas, too, or better yet, dump it in your car's gas tank and buy some fresh gas for the blower.

Just my .02,

Jeff