Some times it's just a small piece of dirt or gas varnish that clogs a jet. I run Seafoam thru all my equipment to keep them from getting clogged up. And it works great for storing your engines during the off season. I use it for my motorcycles and lawn mower in the winter and snowblower in the summer. Been using it for over 20 years and it works great!
I just fired up a gift snowblower that had been nicely drained of gas and lubed before storage years ago. I'd already pulled the carb and was amazed at how clean it was, so just put it back on the engine, without needlessly cleaning it. The plug looked fine. I changed the oil. I put non-ethanol gas in the tank, turned on the gas valve, set the choke, set throttle to "rabbit", pulled the starter cord, and it went Vroom!, then began surging. Dang. I watched your video, went out to the garage & found and removed the idle air bleed screw (under a little plastic cap), cleaned a truly microscopic bit from it with a dental pick, gave a tiny squirt of carb cleaner into its hole, reinstalled it, took the snowblower out, started it -- and it shortly died. Duh, I'd left the gas valve shut. I opened the fuel valve -- oh happy day -- it runs and idles smoothly, works great. I'd known of the connection between idle air bleed valve clogging and surging, but finding your video today showed me exactly where the screw is and made me realize I didn't need an exactly sized tiny drill bit to clear it out. 1996 John Deere 1032 snowblower with 10 HP Tecumseh engine. Thank you very much.
Took me a while to find that thing on my snow blower carb - on MTD/Troy-Bilt engines, it’s a black plastic piece on top of the carb body that you pry out - the. Venturi is in the plastic piece itself. Once I figured that part out, the rest was a breeze thanks to your video. It just about purrs now - nice smooth idle. THANKS!!!
I used to work out in the cold as seen in your video. I put a Mr. Heater Big Maxx in my shop as mentioned in one of my videos. Best $700 I ever spent and should have done it a lot sooner. Nice job on your repair. It pays to know what you're doing!
This is the clearest demonstration of resolving of a very common problem for these Tecumseh engines. I used carburetor cleaner (he mentioned fogging oil) and the wire brush filament . Use a paper towel and carb cleaner to clean spray and blot repeatedly around the bolt before removing it. Spray and blot the brass bolt after running the wire through the hole, to make sure it goes in clean and the problem doesn't repeat. Try this solution first before making any changes to the mechanical governor.
Learned a trick working for a small engine repair shop. What makes gas go bad is moisture and condensation in the tank, so by filling your tank to the brim you will never have this problem. Never used any of that fuel stabilizer crap either, that stuff does more harm than good clogging up jets; believe me I’ve rebuilt hundreds of them. I also start my snowblower (off season may-nov) maybe once a month or every two months for like 3 min. Never had to rebuild a carb and it starts every time 1st pull. It’s a 2001 28” yardking, and I also do the same for my lawnmower and Echo PB-650 backpack blower, & string trimmer that are 15 years old with no issues!!
I'm supprised how many guys will by a new machine and never look at the manual that comes with it, almost all small engine makers recommend premium fuel, there is a reason for that.
Thanks, Handy. Word to the purchase of your next snowblower. Make sure the motor is a Tecumseh. My first snowblower had a Tecumseh and was abused for 17 years. Almost every plastic cover was broken and gone from the natural vibrations, the rubber on the auger was gone and wear skid plates too. I re-enforced my handlebars to last forever and the morning I needed it the most I couldn't keep the motor running. I went out and bought this new self-propelled beast and already it won't start (Briggs and Straton). Turns out on the first 17-year-old snowblower one of my plastic wheels broke off and the auger was lowering toooo far into the pavement. I gave it to my lazy bro-in-law (I might be able to get it back).
sounds like you wish that you had taken better care of the 17 year old snowblower. all snowblowers today are full of plastic parts (carburetors) - have you tried cleaning the carb out? also, at the end of snow season always run the gas completely out of the unit, change the oil (if its a 4 stroke) , fresh spark plug before storing away.
@@onenikkione Towards the end of my book I wrote, "The plastic wheel broke off." Yeah, I always ran it out of fuel when it looked like winter was over. Word to the unwise, mine didn't come with a carb air filter. So in the summer if you run it ANY bug or fuzz in your vicinity could show up during your next carb cleaning. It still runs great, it's living at my sister's house now with an old mostly close sized lawnmower wheel/tire as a replacement.
My BRAND NEW $500 dollar auto start Honda push mower does this idel surge/roll thing like this blower, and stalls every other push. Quite possibly the most frustrating / disapointing mower purchase in my life. I'm saving this video to take a look at it in the spring. Thank you for posting.
I have a Ariens compact 24 I bought used for $300. The person only used it a couple times. The electric start wouldn't work. I took the starter apart and found moisture had worked its way inside the stator and rusted it up and seized it. For the hell of it I took it apart and gently sanded it clean (mostly) with fine sand paper. Put it back together and it now works. A $175 dollar savings on that. On to the carburetor. The engine was surging. When I took it apart it was actually pretty clean through the needle. I cleaned it out with carb cleaner. However I did notice that the O-ring for the cup had white corrosion built up on it ( pay particular attention to that). My best guess is poor assembly from the manufacturer. The O-ring wasn't seated properly causing outside atmosphere to works its way through the O-ring into the cup. The small amount of murky gas inside was an indication of it. Im pretty sure this snowblower was surging since day one or shortly after. Everything is back together now and running great. I used a small amount of Parker Super O-lube to coat the O-ring. I'm a little hesitant about that. But if it causes issues then cleaning the carb again is a simple process.
That screw will probably clog right back up if you don't take the sediment bowl off bottom of carb and clean it out.It's a big trap for water and junk, gets sucked right up to that screw you just cleaned out. Thanks for the Vid. :)
This worked great. I couldn't even see anything removed from the jet as I cleaned it. But after running a single nylon bristle in both the end and the through hole, it ran smooth and didn't stall when idling down. Thanks for a great video!!!
The first thing I do on a snowblower and lawnmower is to put anti cease on all the screws, bolts and inside wheel hubs where they ride on the axels. These machines will rust due to the environment they are used in. The snowblower also gets salt mixed in which will accelerate the rusting process. You saw 2 screws break off on this top cover. For normal maintenance, this cover will have to be removed every few years. Also, put it on the threads on the spark plugs. It takes a little time but you will be glad you did 1 day. If you have money to burn don't worry about it LOL.
@mike toni dum ass, it's dirt cheap per application and mechanical maintenance shop us plenty of it , but hey you do it your way, and as they say good luck with that.
Thanks for the video. Real common problem with snow blowers especially. Often left for long periods, not stored properly. I usually use a few shots of carb cleaner and if you have access to a compressor give it a good shot of air.
Thanks for the video. Dead-Center of the float bowl, there should be a fitting, with a screw through the middle. That is an adjustment screw for fuel. So if you, or anyone else is having trouble after your fix, remove the nut, with the screw, and check the hole where the fitting screws into, also check the needle that threads into the fitting. cloggage in that area can also cause hunting. Best of luck to you and all
Working on a snow thrower outside just boggles my mind. I'm a wuss. Rarely do I find a fuel delivery problem being resolved in just one effort. I'd say you got lucky. You might as well take the carb off and clean since you're all the way into that area. If the jet was clogged who knows what else is in there. Nice job overall....stay warm!
It seems that you always run into a problem outside I had to rebuild my tractor in the middle of the cornfield one time because I had water in the line what are you going to do in that situation it only took 15 minutes to dump the gas and clean the carburetor. I'd rather fix a snowblower outside then bring it inside and have to clean up all the water off the floor from all the snow that was stuck in it
The very first thing I do to on any small engine that has a fuel line from the tank to the carb is put a small in line fuel filter in if there isn’t one the already. Rarely have to clean a carb after that.
Wow! 8 inches. Where I live we got a total of 17 feet last Winter. I use my Jeep Wrangled with a snow plow for my driveway and a Honda tracked snow thrower for the ranch entrance.
I suspect I'm a little late to the race on this but just a thought for consideration Welding torch tip cleaners are meant for just this kind of cleaning work. Start with a smaller tip cleaner than the orifice and work your way up in size until the jet is clean.
I use a torch tip cleaner to clear the clogged holes in both the idle and high speed jet. Torch tip cleaners have multiple sizes so you can get the correct size for the hole in the jet. A shot of carb cleaner after will clear out any chunks you loosened. Great video. How did you repair the screws you twisted off?
Many many weed wackers have been tossed relating to this. The jet screws are made to need a special tool. You can substitute an electrical butt connector to turn the screw. (valuable tip here,thank me later)
That happened to me the first year I had my snowblower. Since then, each and every year I fill my gas can, I add some Techron to it and no problems since. I use the Techron treaded fuel in all my power equipment, mower, pressure washer, etc. Keeps them all running smooth as a top!
Thank you for the video. Snowmageddon is coming & I just started my snowblower that sat for 2 years (haha) Mine is a bit older but I'm sure the concept is the same.
Glad I noticed this video. I have a Ariens with Subaru engine that is surging a bit. (I bought in over 10 years ago, and have never done anything other than change th3 oil, so I feel lucky! I figured I might need to do a more extensive repair/cleaning of the carb. Hope its this simple on mine.
In these smaller carburetors. I usually use a .009 guitar string for cleaning. I think most mfgs. are setting these engines up a bit lean for fed. emissions compliance. Good video!
Thanks for the vid. I have a new Toro only one season old. Converted it to high-altitude operation and it surged afterwards just as you initially demonstrated. What to do? What to do? I went back to check the part you identify here as it MIGHT possibly have become obstructed and found . . . duh . . . that I'd forgotten to replace that part when I put it all back together. Don't ask why I took that part out in the first place as the replacement hi-altitude "bleeder bolt" is inside the carb. Not enough beer I suspect. Anyway, problem solved. Bottom line: clean OUT the outside bleeder bolt or . . . DON'T take it out in the first place. I will now return to my home planet.
Gotta use a wire bread tie and strip the plastic off it's the same size and cleans out every jet fantastic. That's what I used to use as a professional lawn mower mechanic believe it or not
No jet drill sets or carb cleaner/compressed air at your " professional shop". Gotta be careful using metal to clean a precisely machined brass metering jet. Even in a POS snowblower that's designed to be thrown away in four to five years.
Good video, glad it was that simple. Most lawn mower and seasonal power equipment has problems caused by old gasoline. A good friend put me on to Sta-Bil which I now add to all the fuel when it has to sit for while. It somehow prevents the gasoline from getting gummed up. Plus at least every other year, I run a good carburetor/fuel injection cleaner through a couple tanks of fuel. My friend has one car that the gas has been in it for four years. It needs work he can't get to so he keeps it up by running the engine at least 30 minutes a couple times a year. It has been thoroughly treated with Sta-bil and injection cleaner and that car starts almost instantly. So that stuff works.
I have to try this. Surprised - as others said - that u didn’t pull off the bowl and clean the syrup out of there too. The professionals put all the parts into an ultrasonic cleaner but you and I don’t have one of those!
This is why you should always lubricate everything including the nuts and bolts, that salt plays havoc on snow blowers, mine has been surging for a while I'm getting the best amount of time on a full tank gas wise, it doesn't seem to hurt performance, maybe I should try this and see if gas usage is worse or better.
Hope you put some never seize on the bolts. I put that stuff on everything on my snow blower because of the salt at the end of the driveway from the Hi Way Plowing. Its nasty stuff. Good luck 🇨🇦👍
Nice job. I liked that single wire cleaning job you did. I would have also bathed that puppy in some Gumout or some such product. Can’t hurt. But thanks for posting.
Another thing to watch is that the rubber tube to the right isn't broken. Mine was. I had enough slack to trim the end and reconnect it. The motor ran perfectly after that.
I'm gonna try this. Probably helps if you don't use 10%ethanol. A few places around me have recreational gas, 100%. That ethanol turns into a green jelly
Oil changes and valve adjustments are very overlooked on mowers, blowers and generators. Drain the float bowl for storage will usually solve the clogged jet issue
Make an extension /elbow for the drain, i did that on my toro riding lawnmower, stupid design right on top dead centre of the frame, now just sticks out for easy oil changes
Thank You for posting. I was hoping it would be a governor linkage problem . :-( So how come my snow blower will start with one pull in 30 below zero and my B&S lawn mower takes a half dozen pulls. I use non ethanol premium and practice good fuel hygiene. New spark plug too! Not asking for a fix, just commenting on the irony!
New capacitor under the fly wheel. Cleaning the magnet surface and coil surface for better spark. If equipped. Sometime look at your spark color if it's yellow the ignition system is in need of attention ..... if the Spark is Blue then your likely looking at a fuel system cleaning and adjusting.
If you use " high octane fuel " anyone's problems should be nonexistent , that's all i use in my small engines. But also changing the spark plug every couple of years would help also.
Thanks, we have a massive two stage with cab that our small engine mechanic kept insisting needed new carbs each time because of methanol fuel and we just fixed it in five minutes. We have three driveways on our estate and were considering heated pavement until this fix. He had been scamming us. I wonder if he just pin pricked that valve each time and it filled with debris and carbon over the winter and we were stuck with a new carb each December.
thanks . every year I drain the gas after winter but still have carb issues after removing and cleaning I still have idling issues I'll do a better job this year
You can always redo the carb with a simple carb kit in the off season. And use fuel stabilizer over the summer. Maybe a bit of antiseize on those rusty screws for next time. So do you put the idle air screw in and back it off 2-2 1/2 turns or just put it all the way in there?
Hi there. I must about 12 machines between a 1970's rototiller, generators, lawn tractor, garden tractor, edge trimmer, etc... I turn off the fuel supply after each use, and I run them dry. The only time I have a clog carb is when I am working on a new machine.
Too bad those little bolts twisted off but the the plastic shroud they held on was absolutely for cosmetic purposes only. That husqvarna shroud was first time i had ever seen a shroud of any type covering any tecumseh L-head snowmobile engine. Its only purposes are to provide a place to put the husqvarna logo and needlessly complicate maintenance. Just toss it.
73honda350 thankfully there was enough thread left to put them back in enough. I'll probably keep it just to prevent the elements (water mostly) from causing excess wear / corrosion.
Get a mig or torch tip cleaner instead of wire brush, I found that easier for me at least and turn gas off when done with it and let it stall out on it own my blower is 8 years and starts 1st pull and runs goods as day I bought it. But fix all my neighbors every year and like almost every other storm
Seems like it's gonna happen eventually, just part of being a snow blower, if you own a snow blower you need to know how to clean it's carb. Unless you have to much money.
While you had it apart you should of cleaned the float bowel and the screw which holds it on?also should of check if it had ethanol gas in it, and start using ethanol free gas instead to all who read this you’ll have less problems!
So it’s not supposed to be doing that? Mines been doing that since day one, but when throwing snow it runs fine. Added to my list of things to do when I tear it apart later to replace some springs.
@@billiebobbienorton2556 Some surging is normal. It is normal for a snow thrower engine to run in this manner. The engines on snow throwers are set to run with a slightly rich fuel mixture. This is to prevent the engine from bogging or stalling when the snow thrower suddenly experiences a heavy load of snow. Heavy surging is caused by a dirty carb. DUH!!!!!!
