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Stig


Joined: Nov 14, 2010
Points: 3

My snowblower won' t start
Original Message   Nov 14, 2010 5:19 pm
Hi

I've got an old snowblower that will not start even though we emtied all old gas from it , checked the spark-plug- ignition! and the new gas entered the carburettor but obviously not the cylinder why it didn't start. The snow blower is old but not much used 3-4 winters and for two years ago there was no problem whatsoever.

It is an ARIENS ST 504 motornumber HS 50670080 and serialnumber 93338.

We got a tip to change the diaphragm but does anyone know anything else we can do. The snow is coming in Sweden and I don't like showelling.

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starwarrior


Joined: Oct 27, 2010
Points: 91

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #8   Dec 19, 2010 6:10 pm
borat wrote:
Just curious starwarrior.

Have ever disassembled one of those Tecumseh carbs?

They don't get much simpler than that. 

I can take one apart, completely clean it and re-assemble in probably less than twenty minutes.   I'm certain that a person with minimal mechanical aptitude could do it in an hour or less if they pay attention to how things come apart and are gentle while handling the float components.

Your suggestion to blow compressed air through the adjustment screw hole in the float bowl might clear the main jet or it also might just blow dirt and debris that may be in the float bowl into the main jet.  It's a toss up. 

From my experience, fuel additives are snake oil.  I did some personal testing to see how effective they are.  I've actually soaked carb components with varnish deposits on them in pure Seafoam and other fuel injector/carb cleaner additives.  The results were remarkably ineffective.  That put an end to my use of additives for carb cleaning.

There's only one way to clean a carb.  Pull it off, get an exploded view diagram if you're unfamiliar, find some written instructions/guidance procedures, ask questions and take it apart for a thorough cleaning.

A very thin piece of copper wire, some good old fashioned WD-40 or other spray cleaner and compressed air through every jet, orifice and gallery. 

Magic elixirs and compressed air won't cure a dirty carb.   I'd rather pull the carb apart and attempt to clean it rather than bring it to a shop for an $80.00/hr shop charge to fix a $25.00 carb.

Dirty carbs are probably responsible for 90% of the reasons an engine will not start or run properly.  The sooner a person learns that they aren't difficult to clean, the sooner they will get their machine running and they'll save a few buck too.

   

Borat you are absolutey right and based on the blog trail it is pretty apparent that a few of you guys actually do know what you are talking about.

There is nothing much to a carb overhaul, a $10.00 carb kit, soak it, clean out the ports, adjust the float bowl settings, a few link rod adjustments, and she is good as new.

I have spent a few years with my little drill bits opening up the metering jets to obtain better performance and I lost count how many titanium mixture screw covers I have popped off over the years but I have found the average Joe gets lost just trying to figure how to adjust more than one float setting. (I don't think I have to go there) How many examples..Two float bowl gaskets or peice of gasket left on the seating plane. What little red gasket under the bowl jet or how many bent or reversed choke rods? And after all is said and done the machine is usually left  with half a tank of  fuel in the crankcase since the oil is usually the last thing to be changed nor has it ever been . 

Sometimes just a quick shot to clear out a little dirt in the float bowl or A/M port will work out just fine and as far as learning skills... The educated seem to be born with more thumbs.

Unless the tank is run dry and the fuel bowl drained, the single most important maintinance item for long term storage is fuel additive. 

Yeah, 50 to 100 bucks seems like alot of money but it is way cheaper than a new carb and rod bearings.

As for me,  I fog my engines before putting the machines away for the season. I also take out the metering screw and hit the port with a little WD.  Quite honestly the 10 minute effort will yield many years of top performance.

I stick by my story... For the average consumer, If a basic cleaning and maintinance effort doesn't help, take the machine to the shop and have it serviced.

Starwarrior

This message was modified Dec 19, 2010 by starwarrior
borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #9   Dec 19, 2010 7:34 pm
And I stick to mine.  Eighty bucks an hour to fix a $20.00 carb?????  Don't think so.

Additives are 99% ineffective.  I've learned that over time.  Got plenty of experience with them and have learned to avoid the hearsay and manufacturers claims.  Like most believers in snake oil, I used to delude myself into thinking that they were actually improving engine performance.  

Do a few experiments with additives as I did.  See what happens.       



Yo Stig:

Pull the carb and clean it.  No kit required if you don't damage any gaskets taking it apart.  Just cleaning.  If you've cleaned it properly, the machine will run like new. 
This message was modified Dec 19, 2010 by borat
Knee_Biter


Wicked Pissa

Location: just outside of BOSTON
Joined: Dec 14, 2008
Points: 147

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #10   Dec 19, 2010 8:11 pm
where can I get a new $20 carb??

starwarrior


Joined: Oct 27, 2010
Points: 91

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #11   Dec 20, 2010 2:12 am
borat wrote:
And I stick to mine.  Eighty bucks an hour to fix a $20.00 carb?????  Don't think so.

Additives are 99% ineffective.  I've learned that over time.  Got plenty of experience with them and have learned to avoid the hearsay and manufacturers claims.  Like most believers in snake oil, I used to delude myself into thinking that they were actually improving engine performance.  

Do a few experiments with additives as I did.  See what happens.       



Yo Stig:

Pull the carb and clean it.  No kit required if you don't damage any gaskets taking it apart.  Just cleaning.  If you've cleaned it properly, the machine will run like new. 

Right Borat, you may want to hunt for the 1% that is effective and it would be wise to read up on the damage that MTBE and Ethenol fuels are causing before you suggest alternatives.

It is not just about the flash point or octane rating of the fuel but also condensation and how ethenol fuels react with moisture over time. Just adding a good old can of Cristie Dry gas like you may have done a few years ago does not cut the mustard with ethenol fuels... (remember those days, 4 cans for $1.00)

Here is just one out of  thousands of white papers that have been published on the subject.

The introduction of water on E-10 fuel can be disasterous. E-10 can hold up to four teaspoons of water in suspension per gallon. Once this saturation point is exceeded, the solution separates and the gas floats on top while the ethanol and water mix on the bottom. This event is called "phase separation". Ethanol fuel can absorb enough water to reach it's phase separation point in just over 3 months at 70% humidity. While the phase separation slurry in itself can cause problems by clogging fuel systems, the more immediate problem is that the remaining gasoline has now lost it's original octane value which can cause poor running and in some cases engine damage. When phase separation occurs, the fuel should be drained and replaced.Fuel storage and winterization has to be handled differently when using E-10 fuels. Manufacturers are warning that fuels need to be stabilized if un-used for as little as 2 weeks. Not all stabilizers are known to be E-10 compatible. Non-alcohol based fuel stabilizer additives are a must for ethanol fuel.

Additive companies like StaBil, Tectron, and Lucas are making gazillions on fuel stabilizers due to the addition of ethenol.

As for Stig... Borat does have a point, when it comes to carburators and not unlike any project for that matter, if you take your time, work clean, and use a little common sense, you can be very sucsessfull. It's isn't brain surgery we are talking about here. Just in case though, I will start your invoice.

Starwarrior

This message was modified Dec 20, 2010 by starwarrior
trouts2




Location: Marlboro MA
Joined: Dec 8, 2007
Points: 1328

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #12   Dec 20, 2010 9:39 am
starwarrior wrote:
With the MTBE and Ethenol they are putting in the fuel if don't use an additive you can be doomed in just a few months.

ALWAYS USE A FUEL ADDITIVE AND RUN IT DRY BEFORE A LONG STORAGE. 

Starwarrior


It might be better to buy in small quantities and leftover used in the car.

"Doomed in a few months", isn't that a bit alarmist?.  There are people who read the forums and might actually think that some well founded caution.  

The accumulation of water in a tank over three months in average weather (sun and rain over time) is very small if any at all.  If there is some samll accumulation in the tank there will have to be conditions to make it have any effect.  Just what is that?  The water which would seperate over months in a still tank would amount (in my estimate from checking) to only a few to several drops.  That water in a still tank would form at the bottom and could possibly make it to the outlet into the bowl and sit.  It could then be drawn up into the carb throat and cause the plug to get wet during starting.  No great disaster there for that possibility.  What if the water sat in the carb bowl for a very long period.  Rust could form in the bowl, break off and plug a nut hole.  For that to happen would require a bunch of unlikely events.   When you use OPE you get it out fumble with it which causes shaking and sloshing of the tank.  The little water in there will go back into the gas.  When it in that state it will just be burnt off.  So for average events the accumulation of water in gas is not a factor.

You can get an idea of what water will form in gas by leaving a quart of gas in a large container outside for weeks to a month.  A small amount of water will sometimes form at the bottom.  With a little shaking it will go into the gas making it slightly cloudy and burn fine.  Most water that does get into gas is suspended in the gas and burns.  If it does make it over to the bowl it's sucked up with gas and burns.

What does Stable actually do?   Does it evaporate the water?  Neutralize it? 

From what I've seen by putting water into a large open container and adding stable is the same as water in a container without Stable.  If you shake the container water goes into the gas and couds it with or without stable.  After sitting for a long time the water forms in a blob at the bottom of the container with and without Stable.  Over a long time I don't find Stable has reduced any water.  With water gas and Stable blobs still form at the bottom just like with no Stable.  Stable did not reduce any water that I ever saw.   It blobs just like the water does.  If it's blobed up at the bottom of a tank it's not acting on the gas. 

Just what is the value of Stable and how does it do it? 

borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #13   Dec 20, 2010 10:13 am
Anyone who was successful at cleaning a dirty carb by using an additive, didn't have a dirty carb.   From my experience, additives are nothing more than a placebo.  I've tried many over the years and have finally come to the conclusion that they're snake oil.   

I have to say Trouts, your experiment with Seafoam last year was an eye opener for me.  After your experiment I did a few with various carb cleaners and got the same "no effect" results. 

The misinformation we've been reading/hearing about the perils of E10 fuel is pure b.s.   If one has the common sense to store their fuel in sealed containers, how could moisture possibly get into the fuel?  I leave E10 gasoline in five gallon gas containers for five to seven months at my camp over winter with no additives.  I use it in the spring and there's absolutely NO difference between it and fresh fuel. Been doing it for 30 years.  Never a problem.  If people want to be concerned about their fuel, they should be worried about water and contamination coming from the pump.  Use in-line fuel filters and many if not all of your fuel issues will be resolved.  


    
trouts2




Location: Marlboro MA
Joined: Dec 8, 2007
Points: 1328

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #14   Dec 20, 2010 12:07 pm

>>I've tried many over the years and have finally come to the conclusion that they're snake oil.   

   Me also.  Unless I see something concrete I’ll stick with the same view.

 

>>I did a few with various carb cleaners and got the same "no effect" results. 

   I did more myself with Seafoam and Stable and got no where.   I even did the dump into the throat thing a few more times with catches for anything that might have been loosened and blown out of the exhaust.  Nothing but impressive amounts of white smoke. 

 

 I’m dumping gas from machines all the time and put it on a shelf in the garage in large top containers.  You can see the water accumulation over time.  I never did that with pre EPA gas so unsure just what the difference in accumulation is.  It would be interesting to know just how much water would accumulate in old gas over new in 1 gallon over time.  I doubt if it would be much of a difference or make much of a difference. 

 

>>The misinformation we've been reading/hearing about the perils of E10 fuel is pure b.s.  

   Right, no consideration for extent or amount.  Water happened with the old fuel and with the new. 

 

>>I leave E10 gasoline in five gallon gas containers for five to seven months at my camp over winter with no additives. 

   Same here at the camp. 

 

    I guess anyone reading this could get a flashlight and look into their blower gas tank and refill tank that has been sitting for a while and look for any blobs at the bottom.   Don’t shake the tank before looking. If the tank is tilted like on many snowblowers the blob will be at the lowest level.  They are tough to see.  If none found note how clear the gas is and shake the tank.  If there is any significant blob you missed the gas will cloud.

jrtrebor


Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #15   Dec 20, 2010 1:09 pm
I know that the way that a gas line anti freeze and similar products work. Is that the alcohol and other additives attract and then encapsulate the water molecules. Making them burnable.
I'm guessing that Stabil and other products may work in a similar fashion.

The EPA has also gotten involved in products such as Gumout and other carburetor cleaners.  The formulations have been, and are being changed
The spray Gumout that you buy today is nothing like what used to be available.  It has a totally different smell and will not even remove the varnish off a fuel bowl
without scrubbing it with an acid brush.  It hardly dissolves oil overspray.  It used to be that you could just spray it on and watch the varnish run off.  Not any more.

 I did a test one day with an agreeable sales guy at Advanced Auto.
 We took 6 different cans of spray carb. cleaner outside and sprayed each one on a wooden post.  We'd spray it and then both take a quick sniff of the product.
Only one out of the six cans smelled like the old Gumout.  (Carb cleaner has a very distinctive smell as you probably all know.)  The other smells we could detect in the other products were.
Acetone, naptha, mineral sprits.  All of those chemicals are good degreasers.  But they won't dissolve gas varnish and or other deposits left by stale gas.
Luckily the one can of carb cleaner that did smell like carb cleaner and works very well.  Was one of the cheapest they sold at a $1.99 a can. 
Just my experiences nothing scientific.


trouts2




Location: Marlboro MA
Joined: Dec 8, 2007
Points: 1328

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #16   Dec 20, 2010 1:31 pm
jrtrebor wrote:
encapsulate the water molecules. Making them burnable.

That could be tested by putting gas, water and stable in a cup for a few days.  The water will blob at the bottom allowing the gas and stable to be drawn off.  You could then see if water ignites with a match.  I doubt it would.

When I get a machine I bring it out to the street, flip it up and degrease the body, internals and engine.  I used Gumout a lot over the years and got a can for cleaning the blower.  It barely did anything.  Quite a change and I have not bought a can since. 

I don't find carb spray to have much effect on most varnish but there are several types I've found and it works a bit on some.  I felt forced to use dips.  After reading a bunch many said the dips also are not like the old dips.  I now double dip with NAPA and Berrymans.  I use the spray for whatever cleaning it might do and to be a jet of something substantial to push stuck crud out from lodged places.   I also find I have to brush with carb spray.  I dip bowls occasioally to see how good the dip is working.  Some varnish it will make very soft but not disolve it requiring brushing or spraying to get it off the metal.

carlb


Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Points: 279

Re: My snowblower won' t start
Reply #17   Dec 20, 2010 2:53 pm
It may be hard to find but when you are looking for brake or carb cleaners see it any of them contain Trichloroethylene it is non flammable and will quickly remove any varnish buildup on the carb.  It is one of if not the best degreaser's money can buy.
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