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

Most Common Damage Done to any and all snowblowers is NOT preparing the engine and machine for the summer months.  The most necessary part of this is to prevent the unused engines one engine piston rings from rusting themself to the cylinder wall.  The solution is simple and easy if you posess the tools and the technical know how to change a spark plug.    Go to a local drugstore and buy a plastic syringe, tell them you need it to feed liquid medicine to a sick cat.  Then go home and remove the spark plug from the engine on your snowblower.  Fill the syringe with ordinary clean fresh motor oil, and empty it into the engine cylinder, then pull the starter cord a few times to distribute the oil on the cylinder walls and the piston rings, then  replace the spark plug.  Now Pull the cord slowly until it provides the maximum resistance, and then stop pulling.  This will effectively have closed all the engine valves and will keep the warm moist air of summer from getting into the engine cylinder.  This must be done every year once the threat of snow is gone.  April Fool's Day is a good day to remember if you've done such chores.

The other things are less important since they will not be so damaging, but drain all the gas out of the tank, the carburetor, and the lines.  Cover the machine with a plastic cover that allows air movement, like a piece of woven plastic or most housewraps, so long as yoy store the snowblower in a garage and out of the sun.  

Remember that snowblowers have no air filters so it is common for moisture-water to be injested during a snow storm.  For this reason I put the machine in the garage and run it until the gas runs out once I have shut off the fuel line.  My old snowblower required that I install an In-Line fuel shut-off valve because the $ 1100.00 bucks I paid wasn't sufficient for MTD to have included one when they built my Sears Craftsman Snowblower.  So if your engine has no fuel shut off, you too should install one yourself.    Oh, and always use gas that has sufficient fuel stabilizer in it, and always use fuel that is less thyan six months in the can even if it does have stabilizer in it.  Thenattempting to start the snowblower when you awake to the blizzard won't throw you into a state of panic.

It's an interesting point, about belt wear. However, tying the handle down creates a significant potential safety hazard, where the augers never stop. You couldn't even stop them instantly if you suddenly ran over something hidden under the snow. It may be fine for you, if you're careful, but I don't know that I'd suggest that in general.

To reduce the sudden load on the belt when engaging the augers, you could slowly squeeze the lever, which would let it speed up the augers more gradually, rather than "dropping the clutch" by just quickly squeezing the lever, and getting that sound.

I've worked on hundreds of engines.  The last one I fixed was a 1970s-80s Tecumseh Eager 1 mower that pulled out of a scrap heap.   Around twelve years ago, my old neighbour who owned the mower, told me that it stopped running so I gave him a healthy old Lawn Boy that I had as a spare.  The Tecumseh had sat in the scrap pile for all that time and was covered in leaves and pine needles.  I had a mower deck that needed an engine so I decided to see what the problem was with the old Tecumseh.  It was a rainy day at camp so I brought the engine into my garage and pulled the head off.  Clean as a whistle, no dreaded rusted rings, everything turned over smoothly, valves worked fine so I put it back together and started looking at the likely source of the problem.  The carb.  After a thorough cleaning, I had the machine running like a top. 

I've worked on a lot of old two and four cycle engines.  Some over 40 years of age.  Many very much neglected.  I've yet to see an issue with rusted rings other than on an engine left out in the elements with it's head off.   Might be an issue if one is in a very salty and damp environment.  However, if not, the effort of oiling the cylinder is generally a waste of time.  All that will be achieved is a smoky and possibly  difficult start up in most cases.  

snowmachine wrote:
+1 on the oil can.  Lets face it if you work on any of your own equipment you already have this laying around.

royster wrote:
I made a little D Clip that is attached handlebars, after i press the lever for the auger i flip up the clip and it holds the auger engaged so i don't have to hold it down.  It then gives me a free hand to work the chute when necessary without having to stop.

I always thought the most common damage was bucket corrosion. Shame, because it's very easy to prevent.

I use a tie wrap to slip over the auger drive lever.  Easy on, easier off.   I know that many think it's a safety compromise and, to some extent it might be.  However, there are a number of other "stupid factors" that would come into play to make it an unsafe practice.   First and foremost, one should not have pets, children or people in the path of the machine.  One should also be aware that the path is known to be clear of obstructions whenever possible.  Keeping areas that will be cleared tidy will go a long way toward preventing the auger from ingesting undesired items.  

Before I bought the SS machine for my deck, I used to park the Simplicity at the bottom of the steps running full throttle with the auger engaged and held in position with the tie wrap.  I'd shovel snow from the deck, down the stairs right into the waiting bucket so that the blower could throw the snow away from the bottom of the stairs toward the lawn.   Worked great for years and I'm still here to tell the tale! 

I have also set my 2 stage at the bottom of the step to the deck running wide open with the auger engaged. I used a snow scoop or blade to clean off my deck , feeding the snow to the auger. It has always worked well;

I always made sure that no child  person or pet  was around.   Maybe this was an unsafe practice,   I don't do that anymore since I purchased my single stage, It clears off the deck  very well.

carlb wrote:

Need to see pictures of it please !!!

Can someone explain this to me?
im sure there is a good reason for this, but I dont understand it:

When you are running the snowblower normally (or any small gas engine, lawnmower, etc)
isnt there *always* oil on the cylinder wall?
thats how engines are lubricated right?

So what is the point of removing the spark plug and adding in this "extra" oil?
isnt there oil in there already? coating the cylinder wall?
the point of this procedure I do not understand..seems like there is oil in there already..
can someone explain?
thanks,
Scot

sscotsman wrote:
The oil is in the bottom of the engine.  The top of the cylinder doesn't have oil unless you have an issue with the rings leaking.  The idea is just to stop the top half from rusting since if you get corrosion on the walls and then run the engine you could scratch it.  Having the piston at TDC for storage means that the piston is covering the entire cylinder and protecting it.  It could be compared to a hydraulic cylinder.  When not in use you should retract it completely so the bare metal isn't exposed to the elements.