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Snow blower

4K views 98 replies 14 participants last post by  3macs1 
#1 ·
Had to get the dang machine out of the shed and fired up to clear the snow from last nights storm. I get it dug out and down to fire it up when the neighbor comes along with his back hoe and clears the snow for me. I figure ill fire it up, clear what he missed, and give it a run anyway.
I plug it in, push the electric start and off it goes, you guys passing info along had me add sea foam to the gas before i stored it. I was glad i didnt have to strip it down to clean the carb.

The only down fall was when the back hoe hit my truck and busted my head light drivers side. No other damage so ill head to my friends place Monday and get a new head light.
 
#2 ·
We are not as stupid as some think here . :D:DSeafoam has saved me a ton of carb work over the years carbs that would have been tossed and not rebuildable
Was buying it in NB by the case before I ever seen it here. That and high test gas is all you can do plus pray :)
Cheers
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yes that works too on most but many times the carb bowl doesn't empty unless it has a drain plug and screws the old carb up with today's 3 month max gas some what better with stabilizer in it
LOL if you had as many as I do it would take me two weeks to run everything out. I do lawn mowers and 2 cycle only now full drain rest I fill to the top with high test gas, stabilizer and and shot of seafoam so far so good
Cheers
 
#6 ·
On your advice I have been adding Seafoam to all my small engines and my tractor.
Time will tell, but the snow blower seemed to start easier after a morning of snow blowing.
 
#7 ·
When you first add seafoam it may sputter and smoke and even not run right for a while until it gets a chance to run through a while and clean all the passages etc
Some are so bad I have to leave the choke almost all the way on and run for like an hour and then slowly cut back the choke little by little until it clears
A few never clear and when I take the carb apart can see why and so bad cannot even put a kit in
Tecumseh carbs are the worst but I don't think new machines still come with those engines but maybe wrong. Most stuff I own and work on is 20-40 years old
Just don't go crazy with it that can does a lot of gas and should last years for just a blower
Cheers

 
#9 ·
I don't think Tecumseh engines are made any more either, which is what is on my snow blower.
My machine is 22 or 23 years old and always worked well except for hard starting last couple years.
 
#10 · (Edited)
The ones I am familiar with sure are not as you say
Those carbs at the end we going for like 150 bucks but now just in the last maybe 3 years there is a chinese knock off for them that sells for like 50 bucks
I have fitted a few of the chinese for friends on their machines and so far they work OK
Have you changed the plug lately
take care
Found this
Tecumseh closed its doors on February 2009
 
#11 ·
I have a relatively new plug in it and it's a tan color to the center so it runs decent when it starts!
Maybe I should put a new plug in it to be sure.
I have a couple Stihl saws that I bought new, one runs great with the original plug and the other runs fine, then quits at some point and will not start again until the plug is replaced.
 
#14 ·
Little different animal and of course different carb altogether but read the manual for storing the ATV Fill gas tank completely and DO NOT ADD STABILIZER.
 
#20 ·
Anyone use Marvell Mystery Oil compared to Seafoam?
I used to use it in my 1950 Ford and it seemed to work well.
I haven't seen it in store in years but when I bought the Seafoam at CDN Tire the MMO was right beside it.
It's half the price for close to twice the amount.
 
#22 ·
It was a great old car, Flat head V8 3spd tranny with a 30% overdrive, not modified but did have dual exhaust with Smithy mufflers and had a sweet flatty sound.
I think I had it 18 years but started to sell all the toys off, Also had a 48 Ford coupe and sold that as well.
 
#24 ·
Not being a ford guy doesn't mean I have not loved and worked on some of them. Did I own one not so far
My bud to this day is building flat heads one for his 34 truck as we speak and is the best big block chev man ever born
I am going to have an old ford truck flatty some day if god spares me been watching one now for a few months and mama wants me to pull the trigger on it and slap some greenhouse signs on the doors
Nothing nicer IMHO between 32 and 40
Drove a model a for my wedding car and it even got us there and back :p
 
#27 ·
I guess I am in the minority, don't use any of that fuel stabilizer stuff or sea foam. I am still using oil-gas mix in my 2-stoke snipper that I mixed 7 years ago starts on first pull. Never drained a lawnmower before that starts on first pull too going strong for 10 years. Keep ATV tank full over the winter. Use low grade gas in all of them. My take is gas isn't milk, it might burn not as clean as it ages but it still works.
 
#32 ·
The only thing I winterize is the Harleys. ... and I just put a bit of stabilizer in the tank. I don't even fill them up. I never winterize small engines .... so to speak. I bought a Kitty Cat snowmobile for the kids years ago and took it to a small engine repair place to have some work done to it. He said the best thing you can do to winterize small engines is turn off your fuel and run them dry. That's what I've been doing for the last number of years and no issues....knock on wood. They always start in the spring. The gas lays in them all winter. I have not changed the gas in my generator in 2years. (Last time it was used) I checked it the other day and it took right off.
 
#35 ·
I've got one for you Joe.... my grandfather had a McCulloch 10-10. It was probably last used around 1979 or 80. He died in 1981. I ended up getting his saw around 1990. Not a thing was done to it and the gas smelled rotten, but it did start. It did not run well at all... in fact it wouldn't run, but it did start. That gas was in that saw for at least 10 years.
 
#43 ·
Saws can be a pain in the ass for sure! I have a Poulan that can be a real bitch to start and keep running.

I use fuel stabilizer. Never have any problem with the mowers. They're old but start very easy and work great. I don't worry much about the age of gas but I rarely have it more than a few months anyway. A friend who is a mechanic told me to use premium fuel because it has little or no ethanol and will last a lot longer so I started doing that this year.
 
#44 ·
Saws can be a pain in the ass for sure! I have a Poulan that can be a real bitch to start and keep running.

I use fuel stabilizer. Never have any problem with the mowers. They're old but start very easy and work great. I don't worry much about the age of gas but I rarely have it more than a few months anyway. A friend who is a mechanic told me to use premium fuel because it has little or no ethanol and will last a lot longer so I started doing that this year.
Agree with your friend 100%
 
#45 ·
Ya need to buy a stihI. I bought a brand new husqvarna chain saw and returned it within two weeks. Left a puddle of chain oil on floor where it was stored. Checked it all over and things seemed tight and all sealed but when it got warm it would leak. Replaced it with Stihl. I used this saw every spring to do up next years wood, approx seven chords for ten years. Changed the plug at least once a season, cleaned the air filter and removed all the saw dust frequently when sharpening the chain. Put one carb kit in it during that period if I recall. This is the only power saw and trimmers etc? I will buy now.
 
#46 ·
I'm useless when it comes to small engines, so depend on people that know to keep mower, snowblower, chainsaws, outboard, etc running.
my small engine guys health took a turn for the worse a cpl years back - found this guy on the internet. His info helped me out a cpl times...

 
#49 ·
I guess I am lying too when I say the power was out here Friday night, and the gas can I filled in July and poured into my generator and had it start first pull couldn't happen either cause the internet tells me gas goes bad after 3 months.
 
#50 · (Edited)
Not 7 years dude you have any idea what that would even look like and is totally broken down and lost combustability. . It would not even flow especially in the small openings in a 2 cycle carb
Do some research on gas made to day don't take my internet support post as gospel
Today's gas is terrible for long term storage
But carry on
 
#55 ·
Few times I forgot to drain the snowblower but I would just plug it in and hold the electric start down until it started, usually backfired a couple times but always started. But one of the prongs broke off the electric starter. New starter is like $200 + so........
Joe how do I fix it?
 
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