OT: (^&)^%&(*&(* Snowblower

I've been running and Ariens with a Tecumseh engine for over the last 30 years. Learned a long time ago to add stabilizer to the gas, top off the tank and leave the fuel petcock turned to "ON" for summer storage. I haven't had a starting problem since.

WD-40 can cure anything. Gargle some.

I always hate gas engines. I have no luck with them either. Even my Honda generator rakes about ten pulls after sitting for three years. I used to just use the shovel because when we had a three foot snow dump it was leass work than getting the snowblower working again. Now I live in snow country and that ain't happ'nin', now matter what the cost to keep it runnin'.

Every damned season I need to rebuild the damned carburetor on the damned thing. Why I bought anything with an engine named after an Indian (what the Hell are Indians supposed to know about engines anyway?) I'll never know.

And before anybody says "drain the gas", last spring I ran it dry, drained the carb, shot it full of fogging oil, the whole nine yards.

I give up, this spring I'm just gonna pull the damn carburetor off and store it in a jar of carburetor cleaner until next time I need the damned thing.

------------------------------------ Contract snow removal outfits exist for a reason.

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------------------------------------- And when did you test start the snowblower prior to the first snow of the season?

Lew

? "J. Clarke" wrote

Mine is named after a cowboy named Briggs. Every year I start mine as soon as snow is predicted to give it a test run. The damn thing starts every time . It was a cheap MTD blower from Wal Mart that my mother-in-law bought for me about 11 years ago. One part of me wants it to die so I can get a better 2 stage, but this still manages to get the job done.

Test run it first around Thanksgiving next season.

The secret is to start it in November, before you need it. Then again evry 2 weeks, snow or no snow.

Buy some Stabil put it in the gas, and leave it full. Has worked for me in the lawn tractor, push mower, generator, chain saws ect.

Try it as an experiment, if it does not start you can curse me out about this time next year.

Mark

snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: < snip>

Some of us have to get to it a bit before November.

...or a month after you last use it in spring, and every month after that. Or, as a friend a bit more in need of things working reliably (due to island-ification) does, every motor on the place for an hour every month. Yes, that means lawnmowers in winter and snowblowers in summer.

Letting things sit is the killer.

Like the others say I run mine a couple of times over the summer. I run it hard in November.

The butane trick can also be replace by rosinol the lighter fluid for the old wick style lighters. It works well.

I always put stabil > Well, went to blow snow today, damn thing won't start, as usual. >

'an 'de drive's snow free

(apologies to Chaplain Howell Forgy and to Frank Loesser)

The second cleaning did it--it started up and ran like a champ, ate the mountain that the plow had thrown up, no problems. In fact it hasn't run this well in at least a decade. I guess in previous attempts I hadn't been getting it completely clean.

Just a suggestion. Forget Stabil, but get your paws on some "sea foam" fuel conditioner and use it religiously following the instructions for "maintenance". It will almost totally eliminate the "greenies" and varnish/crap buildup in the carb. Mariners swear by it. Lots of 2 stroke ultralight guys do too. and it works just as well on 4 strokes as on 2 strokes. With ethanol in the gas, particularly.

Here in Ontario I GENERALLY use Shell Ultra in my small engines - blower and mower - because there is no ethanol in Shell Ultra in Ontario (and I believe all of Canada)

"J. Clarke" wrote

If at first you don't succeed...

"J. Clarke" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hamster.jcbsbsdomain.local:

All I've ever done is leave gas in the tank and put the machine away. There it'll sit until next time I need it. The only time I did anything special was last winter when I left a small amount in the tank instead of something closer to half a tank. Drained that gas out and replaced it with fresh. It probably would have started and run, but I wasn't taking chances.

Around here (Central IL), gas takes a super long time to go bad. It seems to me that environmental conditions are as important to storing an engine as anything else.

Puckdropper

Well, IME, Indians can keep snowmobile engines going in any kind of weather, especially if they are far from home on their trapline.

Luigi

Like Jack says, add gas stabilizer. I really like my Toro (Tecumseh engine) with electric start (that electric 110 Volt plug-in & not a battery). Never had a problem starting it either, even at 30 below zero. I haven't had a problem with my lawn mower (in the spring) or chipper shredder (in the fall) (both with Briggs & Stratton engines with pull starts).

Luigi

Luigi

Daaamn!

Keeping the tank filled and gas in the carb keeps the air out of the system. I was told by a small engine mechanic that if you keep the air out the carb won't gum up and it also prevents the seals/gaskets from drying out and becoming brittle. Seems to work for me.