Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I struggled to get my Ariens 8524 through the 10" of snow on my driveway yesterday here in south Jersey.  The engine would start right up either with the electric start or pull start on full throttle and full choke.  But if I tried to take it off choke at all it would stall.  This was after letting it warm up a little too.  Initially it was very hard to start and keep running.  This is a 1 year old snowblower that I used 3 times last year and this is my first time this year.  I kept stabilized fuel in the machine and had test fired it back in Novemeber and the snowblower started fine and I was able to get it to run off choke then.  I was only able to run the blower on full choke and only short distances before it would repeatedly stall out.  I drained the gas and put in fresh gas.  No improvement.  I am very frustrated and aggrevated over this Ariens.  Now I bought this machine last year new and had a belt problem that required dealer repair.  Then the blow by problem with the chute and baffle kit!  Now I have this engine stalling problem.  This Ariens has been the worst piece of power equipment I have ever owned!  Any other Ariens owners with similar problems?

***I just got my snowblower back from the shop.  They said the problem was a "sunken float" in the carburetor, and they replaced the float under warranty.  So it's repaired,  for now.  I just finished reading the 37 replies to my post and I am now wondering who to blame?  Ariens, Tecumseh, or the carburetor float manufacturer??  The Ariens website says that they use Tecumseh Snow King engines built to Ariens specifications.  So does Ariens specify the carburetor float?  Who knows.  What I do know is that I have a 1 year old snowblower (used 4 times) that's been in the shop twice in a year for repairs.  NOT a very good track record.  My snowblower for me is not a toy.  I need it to clear my driveway to get to work.  So far this Ariens has not performed to my expectations and I regret my purchase.  If I could get my money back I'd sell this Ariens in a second and buy another manufacturers machine.  Anyway, that's the update.  Looking forward to warmer weather.

Sounds like it's not getting gas.  Make sure the fuel  line valve is fully open.  If the valve is fully open drain the tank and fill it with new gas.
Maybe you have a  frozen gasline?

hi tiko,

sorry to hear about your bad experince with your ariens. have you changed the spark plug?  maybe you got the monday morning machine, i am glad to say that other than the blowby problem my 8524 has been dependable.

wd

Tiko

I think if you read between the lines of the Ariens manual and the Tecumseh manual you will see the prefered method of both is to drain the fuel for  long term storage. Long term is over 30 days. I also believe the machine has a three year warranty. Don't wait for the flakes to fly to see about a repair.

You have had two problems with the machine. The belt and the chute. Your dealer and Ariens fixed both, right?

The jury is still out on the stalling. It could be fuel, or something else. You have a machine from a well respected manufacturer. No reason to think you got a lemon. The only thing that is even a little unusual is the belt. And I know three times seems to be the charm. But I think I would give them a pass on the chute just because of the way they handled the situation.

I am not an Ariens guy, but I don't think if I were you I would flip my lid yet.

Tiko wrote:

Tiko -  There is a lack of fuel (lean condition) that is causing your stalling & poor running problems. Something probably got in the carb's insides that is clogging it. It should be a simple fix for your dealer. The carb problem could be due to some crud or water that got into your gasoline. I would get it taken care of (still under warranty?) & I bet afterwards you will be rewarded with good service from this machine.

Otherwise, if you're REALLY fed up with it, I'm in NJ too & will GLADLY & QUICKLY take this thing off your hands...  

Good Luck!
Marty

Majorxlr8n wrote:

Marty- I love the way you go shopping for Snow Blowers!

Marc

  MM14,

           Marty always wears his mask and gun when going shopping for OPE!!!

                                                            Fred 

Hi folks,

A really silly question regarding fuel if I may; is there anything on the market you can pour your fuel through and into your power equipment's fuel tank to remove suspended water? Also, I usually keep my PRI-G stabilized fuel in a plastic 6 gallon container.  Do these fuel containers attract more water sitting on a concrete garage floor or should the containers sit on a shelf off the floor?  Thanks.

  Richie,

           Yes there is, it's called Mr Funnel, also West Marine stores sells it.

Go to the West Marine web site, look under Fuel Filter Funnel.

They run about $20.00, but well worth it.

                                                                Fred      

Fred,

That's great thank you. I'll pick one up today.

Hi Guys!

I agree with Jubol concerning the funnel with the water seperator.However,I believe that we forget about the moisture laden air that enters the carb through the  intake when the engine is running or just sitting.  This moisture contaminates the fuel in the bowl and is I feel the cause of the icing conditions and or corrosion some of us experience. The solution is to turn off the fuel valve,run the engine till it uses up the fuel in the line below the valve and then drain the bowl by pushing up on the spring loaded pin on the bowl bottom. This pin appears on most Tecumseh engines. Not sure about Briggs and Stratton. The one Honda I worked on has a neat litle drain screw to drain the bowl.

 In addition I have been adding fuel stabilizer to my gas when I fill the can and have also been adding Sea Foam to ward off corrosion in the carb.Been doing this for a while now in all my ope including 2cycle and four cycle. Carbs seem to be much smoother in transition from low to high and everything starts REAL easy!  

Marc

Hi Tiko:

After reading your problem, I think that your problem is related to a poor carburator adjustment.  I leave stabilized fuel in all of my offseason equipment and have yet to have a problem with bad gas the following season (knock on wood).  Because your machine is still under warranty, call an authorized Ariens dealer and have them go through the machine and fine tune it.  I believe that with some slight screw turning of the carb, you will be just fine.  If need be, you could make the carb adjustment yourself....

bbwb

bbwb wrote:

Could be either adjustment or water, somehow you're not getting enough gas.  Water can freeze the pin up in the gas inlet, or just take up too much space in the bowl.  At the beginning and end of every season I pull the bowl off and clean it out (just don't let the plunger/pin fall out).

I would also pull the plug and clean it or swap it, as if there is water in the gas it will foul up the spark plug too.

-Dave

This isn't an Ariens issue, it a Tecumseh issue.  Please don't blame Ariens. 

Whitedog,

When you say blowby are you talking about what comes out of the rubber breather tube? If so, I noticed that on my Tecumseh engine the other day while it was running, not to mention some of that white goo dripping from it that I heard someone else mention.  Then I noticed the same goo on the upper part of the dipstick.  I only have about 30 minutes use on the Mobil One oil I recently switched over to. But it looks like condensation contamination to me.  I just keep wiping it off. 

Hi Tico..

your problem is with out a doubt a gummy carb.

this would be possible to Adjust out on an older carb.

however on your unit (1 year old) you have an emissions carb.

there are no adjustments.

it will need to be cleaned to be able to do its job.

i know you mentioned that you use stabilizer but many kinda of that just arent ment for small engines.

there are so many different kinds of metal in those carbs and the fuel that we now have has up to 10%alcohol in it.

the alcohol is very agressive and it also absorbes moisture right out of the air(hydroscopic i think is the word).

anyway it needs a good cleaning.

if you feel thst this is somthing you can do with a bit of help then lets get at it,you may have snow coming.

i can help you with it here if you like.and so can some others here.

let us know.

later chris

SnowRemover wrote:
Who else are they going to pick for a snow engine besides Briggs?

SnowRemover wrote:

The fact is, the engine companies make the engines and the snowblower companies make the snowblower, period. No getting around that fact.

Also, you are assuming that the snowblower companies do not hound the engine companies regarding problems, I strongly imagine they do!

The other fact is, all engine companies are going to have problems, that's why they have warranties. Yes, Honda too.

Fact three, since you are playing pretend, if there were no Briggs and Tecumseh, you would $#%* about the price being too high.

Fact four, Tecumseh snow engines have been around forever and day, they have performed fantastic for the most part and have a very good track record. There are a ton of old snow kings still plugging along.

Point being, everytime there is a small engine problem, I don't think blaming Toro, Sim's, Snapper, Ariens, etc. is the answer.

""WRONG! Manufacturers must take responsibility for the final product that they are selling the consumer.  If you want to argue otherwise, why not start a new snow blower company, ask some startup small engine manufacturer in sunny Vietnam to make the engine, watch the engines collapse, and tell your customers "Hey, the engine is warranteed by the manufacturer, don't blame us, call them.
You'd be out of business in a couple of years, because consumer do, and rightly so, blame the company name for all their problems."

But that is not happening is it? Your point is not holding water, only in a make believe scenario can you make your point hold up. The real world, people are buying these products and have continued to do so despite who warrenties the engine. And dats a fact jack. 

No, your point in this thread is that consumers should blame the manufacturer. I disagree for all the reasons I have stated and you agreed to.

Now that I have you back on track for the real reason you are debating this, we're speaking of OPE, snowblowers to be specific, not cars or trucks. Stick to the subject at hand man.

Consumers should not care who is responsible for engine problems. Why? Because when a repair is needed, it is covered under warranty and should be seemless to the consumer. You take the product to an authorized dealer and you get it back fixed, he deals with the warranty issue. Sure as I am sitting here, if Ariens was totally responsible, the first time something didn't go right, someone like you would be saying Ariens sucks, why can't we deal with the company that actually made the damn engine and calling that ludicrous and blaming Ariens for standing between you and the engine manufacturer.

Again, fact is there is Briggs and Tecumseh, they manufacture and warranty their own product and by doing so accept responsibility when their product fails. You are the one trying to make it an Ariens problem even when Tecumseh says it's their own problem.

Richie wrote:

I haven't used those filters though they do look cool.  I use ISO-Heat and Sta-Bil in all my fuel (mix and pure) for my OPE, and have never had a problem.  And I clean the bowl at the beginning and end of every year on the devices that have them.

I typically put both as soon as I get gas, mix it gently (swish and slosh with cap on), then leave the cap off the gas can for 10 mins to let any moisture escape from the ISO-Heet.  Not sure if this really does anything but it makes me feel better :-) 

-Dave

It's funny the problems a little speck of crap in a fuel system can cause.
The entire OPE industry goes on trial over one tiny, itty-bitty piece of debri lodged in a pilot jet.
Welcome back Chris.

Snowremover,

You have already ageed that Tecumseh and Bringgs make fine snow engines and they have an excellent reputation and history in this business. Now you are trying to say that a manufacturer, Ariens, is building their machine around a lousy engine. You are trying to argue a point that is not existant by your own ackowledgment.

Now, tell us why are you really dissing them because you can't on this thread and this issue unless you change what you have agreed to. You came into this forum bashing Ariens and speaking of death cause by their machine. Walt nailed you on that one. Now you're trying to make up something Ariens should be blamed for that you say doesn't exist. You have even gone as far as to make up examples but, when brought back to Snow king engines and Ariens, you can't make it work.

What will be next?

buttlint wrote:

Its probably a piece of butt lint

I'd use the old "fighting on the internet is like running in the special olympics" metaphor here but I don't wanna offend anyone.

Kidding anyway, I love a good debate.

I'LL MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU AND QUOTE YOU.........

They chose, bought and assembled their machines around that engine.  I, as a consumer, don't know squat about small engine reliability.  I am trusting the manufacturer to put a quality engine on the machine they sell me.  If they don't, I blame the manufactuer (Toro/Ariens/etc.)

THEY DO PUT ON A QUALITY ENGINE, YOU AGREED TO THAT MANY TIMES AND YOU ARE STILL BLAMING ARIENS. IF YOUR OWN WORDS AREN'T UNDERSTANDABLE TO YOU, I AM SORRY, CAN'T HELP YOU OTHER THAN BY USING THEM.

Snowremover wrote:

"I am NOT blaming Ariens for this stalled engine. "

If that is what you are saying now, I am glad I could help you and you decided to see it that way.

But, do not fool us, you were not saying that to begin with in this thread.........................

 

Snowremover wrote:

"Where I'm going with this, is everyone seems to be defending Ariens"

"What's next - the crank brakes, but don't blame Ariens,"

"Blame for everything resideds with Ariens."

not wanting to add any aggravation , but why would i , as a consumer , blame ariens for a tecumseh problem ? that makes no sense to me .  ariens cant control every engine and its running condition and the people that do the maintenience. if there is a problem with the engine you need tecumseh parts , available anywhere. put the blame where you may , to each his own , but i cant and wont blame ariens for a tecumseh problem .....ever..........the fault lies with the engine not the chassis....

just my 2 cents,

bill

skyking3 wrote:
Bill-
   i've been thinking the same thing as i've been reading this.  It just seems simple to me.  Sure ariens can and will act as an agent on behalf of me(which I would expect) dealing with tecumseh on an engine, but that's about all i would extect, seems straightforward enough to me.

Nope, didn't work snowremover, you came and tried put the blame on Ariens for this problem and say they should be blamed for everything that happens with an engine. That's a fact.

Then you say you mean the consumer has the right to blame them and you didn't ever mean that Ariens should be blamed for this happening. Yea right.

But when quoted by your own words you say you do mean what your said you said, I have Visions of John Kerry when I listen to you on this thread.

You came into this forum bashing Ariens, then come back and say that the only reason you did so was to get us to sell you against buying a Craftsman. Hahaha and I am Rumplestiltskin too.

You cant hide your illregard for Ariens on this forum, you can't cover it up, it's too appearant, a blind man can see it.

I suggest that before you go making anymore jabs that you consider thinking before acting.

I'm done with you on this thread. You can come back and say whatever you like but,  we both know your meaning and intent regardless of what else you may say.

 

First  off, its Dan Ariens, not Paul.  Paul is one of Dan's right hand guys that posts here out of the goodness of his heart(As has Dan).  Second, I don't believe Dan Ariens would accept ANY liability for the engines or failures thereof on the machines, but he WOULD(in the interest of standing behind his prodcut) accept the responsibility of helping to get the problem solved at no cost to the consumer.  The warranties for the blower and engine ARE separate, and they ARE written that way, for a reason.  I'll go back to your car analogy, if a car company puts brand x tire on a car, the tire is warranted by the maker of the tire, not the car company.  I have with every new car purchase always gotton a separate warranty agreement for the tires.  Sure the dealer will handle it(in the interest of customer service), but in the end the tire company covers the bill for any problems the tires have.  That's what "OEM-ing" something means.  We see it all the time here.  We'll buy a production system solution from a company that uses dell pc's for PLC's(process logic controllers) but if one of pc's fails, the seller deals with dell on behalf of us(or we just do it)  if one of pc's fails, we don't hold the original company accountable for the failure, just to help us get it fixed.

SnowRemover wrote:
Right and in the 1400's everyone said the world was flat, too- so that must make it correct, right?  What i think we are seeing with the ariens "issues" to which you and others refer, is that ariens sells alot more machines because of the fact that places like HD are carrying them.  So if you sell more, stands to reason the number of machines you produce with problems will increase.  BUT, there is no hard data(it's all this pseudo-empirical type) that ariens machines have worse reliability/quality than any other.  I think if you compared the percentage of ariens machines that have probs to the percentage of other brands, you would prob see that ariens isn't that much worse than the others if at all, but that's just a feeling i have.  All machines have problems- hondas tend to have cranky carbs, toro issued a recall on thier composite materials, ariens has issued the R3 upgrade for the drives.  They all have problems; i think we are just seeing more "ariens gripes" because quite simply there are more ariens machines out there.  Now ariens is a growing company, and i'm sure they are constantly tweaking thier buis/manufacturing processes to handle the growth they are seeing(you don't contract with HD and not have to change how you do buis) and we are at the consumer end going to see burps here and there.  The real question is how does ariens handle it?  How do they support the people with the problems?  From my end- pretty damn well

drinkingbird wrote:
You are probably correct, drinkingbird.
Due too the nature of the fiber...it can find its way into the tiniest of crevices or openings.
Fun fact: Did you know that George Bush has a vest made of the stuff? It's true...I swear too it!

buttlint wrote: LOL 

Here is my two cents:

Ariens should be responsible if the engine they chose has a major defect or design flaw, since they are the ones that picked/tested/certified it.

Ariens should also act as a contact point for engine problems, to answer questions or find out info, or even if it is just to forward the person to the correct company.  To use the previous analogy, if you call Ford for an issue with your engine (which makes perfect sense) they would consult with their engine group.

I don't think people should "blame" Ariens for quality issues with the engine, however since it is part of their unit, and they are the customer facing brand, they should expect for engine problems to be considered "snowblower problems" by the average consumer.  If there were major or widespread issues with the engine, or if the engine was installed improperly or not adjusted/inspected properly, then in this case I don't feel it would be unreasonable to consider Ariens as having dropped the ball.  That is not the case here, its a common problem that can happen to any engine on any device, and was not present when new.

Plus, the engine (if I'm not mistaken) is covered under the Ariens warranty, therefore it sort of becomes their problem to deal with any issues that arise anyway, though if its just a fluke then like I said, I wouldn't say to "blame" them, just appreciate the fact that they will fix it for you under warranty.

Like I said, just my opinions.

-Dave

The following items are not covered by this warranty:

• Engines and engine accessories are covered only by the warranty made by the engine manufacturer, and are not covered by this warranty.
• Parts that are not genuine Ariens® service parts are not covered by this warranty.
• Shoes, scraper blades, shear bolts, headlights, light bulbs, are not covered by this warranty.
• Any defect which is the result of misuse, alteration, improper assembly, improper adjustment, neglect, or accident, is not covered by this warranty.
• Products which were not purchased in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada are not covered by this warranty. In all other countries, contact place of purchase.

Source: From there website. http://www.ariens.com/customer_service/snow_warranty_info/

Ariens does see to it that you get an extra year on the standard Tecumseh two year consumer warranty.

AJace wrote:

The reason I said that was because the engine warranty comes from Tecusmeh, not Ariens.  Like many have pointed out in a later time.  It is separate.  I believe that Toro includes the engine in their warranty.  It depends on the situation, who should take the blame.  In this case, it seems that Tecumseh should take the blame.  If a chute crank assembly falls apart then Ariens should be at blame.  The the actual rod rusts, Ariens should still be at blame.