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New_Yorker


Preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary

Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: Nov 26, 2010
Points: 219

Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Original Message   Dec 10, 2011 10:37 am
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.

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carlb


Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Points: 279

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #17   Dec 11, 2011 6:51 am
sscotsman wrote:
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

Scot,

The oil control rings are in the lower grove of the piston and are designed to scrape the oil off the cylinder wall and return it to the sump. The top two groves have the compression rings and they don't normally see any oil if the oil rings are doing there job.  Adding oil through the spark plug hole will coat the top of the piston and in turn get pushed into the compression ring groves when you pull the engine over a few times.  Stopping the engine at TDC on compression stroke will ensure that both the valves are closed preventing moisture or critters from entering through the intake or exhaust. 
carlb


Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Points: 279

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #18   Dec 11, 2011 8:41 am
hirschallan wrote:
Need to see pictures of it please !!!


It is just made out of 1/4" copper round stock
This message was modified Dec 11, 2011 by carlb
borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #19   Dec 11, 2011 8:59 am
About oiling the cylinder......

How many participant do this for car, truck, tractor, generator, motorcycle engines that are either put into storage or unused for months/years on end? 

How many participants have taken apart an engine that they had put into long term storage?

How many participants who've actually opened up an engine that was stored reasonably well, without oil in the cylinder found the rings rusted to the cylinder?

The answers should give us some idea of how necessary/unnecessary this procedure really is.

Waaaaay to many people giving out dire warnings of essential maintenance that is really not required.   I have to wonder if these people even own basic tools to do mechanical work?
MN_Runner


Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Joined: Dec 5, 2010
Points: 622

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #20   Dec 11, 2011 9:14 am
When someone has an imaginary snowblower it is not any more work for that  person. 
borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #21   Dec 11, 2011 9:24 am
MN_Runner wrote:
When someone has an imaginary snowblower it is not any more work for that  person. 

Good point.

I never considered the fantasy mechanics cluttering up the pages with their infinite knowledge. 
aa335


Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #22   Dec 11, 2011 9:47 am
Will the real David from NJ please step forward?
mml4


Snow is good,
Deep snow is better!


Joined: Dec 31, 2003
Points: 544

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #23   Dec 11, 2011 10:15 am
As a rule I don't add oil or fog the cylinder in my OPE. However I always fog the cylinders in my outboard motors for the reason that all the marine service centers do it and it is directed in all the owners manuals. I don't think that fogging can hurt anything but over doing will certainly cause a smokey start up. In the world of model airplanes both the 2 and 4 stroke engines require an after run oil in the cylinder. The 4 stroke engines have valves but lack an oil sump so they use 2 stroke fuel for lubrication. These are Dykes ring equipped engines with ABC metallurgy (aluminum,brass and chrome). There is upwards of 5% nitro in the fuel along with alcohol and either castor or synthetic oil or a blend of both. I can tell you from experience that failure to use after run oil to fog the engine will seriously effect engine longevity and performance. I'm wondering if with the ever increasing percentages of alcohol in pump gas and it's ability to draw moisture if fogging isn't something to consider when storing seasonal use OPE. Marc

SnapperV210P,Toro22177,TroyBilt42010Snowthrower,Craftsman Shredder,American Turbo Pressure Washer HondaGX200,Stihl011Saw,EchoPas260Trimmer Edger,EchoPB602Blower,EchoHCR150Hedge Clipper
RedOctobyr


Location: Lowell area, MA
Joined: Nov 5, 2011
Points: 282

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #24   Dec 11, 2011 10:26 am
That's an interesting point. My 2-stroke, glow-plug engine in my RC truck runs on fuel that's primarily methanol, if memory serves, with 15-20% nitro, and I think it's synthetic oil. As you said, I used after-run oil after every use, per the manual, due to the water-absorbing qualities of the fuel. I haven't run it in a long time (~6 years or so). I tried the engine recently, it's been stored in my basement, which is pretty dry (I run a dehumidifier in the summer). The engine had always turned freely when I'd checked it before, but this time it wouldn't move. I was afraid it had finally rusted up. But with slowly working it back and forth, I got it to start moving (I think the oil was just sticky, it never felt like anything was grinding or gritty), then warmed it with a hair dryer, and then I could turn it over normally. Added some more oil through the plug hole, and put it away again. The after-run oil had me a bit nervous this time, but it seems to have done its job.

I probably won't start adding oil to my OPE when I put it away. But it wouldn't hurt to leave it on the compression stroke, at least (that takes 2 seconds). I use stabilizer in everything. But I might try also running machines dry before putting them away. I typically just leave the stabilized gas in them.
carlb


Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Points: 279

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #25   Dec 11, 2011 10:31 am
Before I put my 69 camaro away for the winter I fill the gas tank with gas and stabil,  warm it up good, fog the engine, drain and replace the motor oil, disconnect the battery, remove the air cleaner and duct tape a plastic bag over the carburator and both exhaust pipes.

Carl
borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Avoid the Most Common Damage & Wear done to Any Snowblower . . .
Reply #26   Dec 11, 2011 10:43 am
I don't even do my outboard engines.  If I lived in a salt water environment and stored the engine in a salty damp location, I might consider it.  However, if I don't see corrosion/oxidization issues on the exterior of the engine, I'm certainly not going to be too concerned about the internals which are much more protected. 


There are numerous directions in manuals for all machines that seldom if ever are done by owners.  Look at every manual you own and tell me how many of the excessively numerous maintenance instructions you actually carry out?   Personally, I feel that a lot of the directions in the maintenance schedules of manuals is to intimidate owners to make them bring the machine to a service department.  Thus generating revenue for dealerships and the industry in general. 

When I was young and naive, I did the oil the cylinder(s) thing until I had far too many machines that the process was far too onerous.  So about twenty years ago I simply stopped doing it.   If I add up all of the cylinders I would need to oil, it would come to approx. 60 or more.  

Over the years, I have opened up some machines for various reasons and have found absolutely no ill effects from ceasing oiling the cylinder.  I've worked on old outboards owned by people who shouldn't own them due to mechanical ineptitude and never noticed anything unusual in them either.  One that comes to mind was a 1964 Chrysler 20 h.p. outboard  that had a head gasket so bad that when I pulled the plug on the top cylinder, it was working like a water pump.  Took it apart to fix the head gasket.  Guess what?  No rust in the cylinder despite the fact that it had been passing water through it. 

There are far too many people advocating maintenance procedures that bear little, if no consequence if not performed.  We're constantly being bombarded with dire warnings and maintenance failure fears that bear very little importance other than generating revenue for the industries that will benefit from unnecessary and wasteful practices. 

Experience has taught me many valuable lessons.  One of them is to develop the confidence to be able to determine what really matters and what doesn't. 

 
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