snow blower not getting enough gas

Sounds like your carb is gunked up, if you can pull the carb, pull the bowl off and blow some cleaner through it.

Is there an air filter that needs cleaning?

Is your gasoline fresh?

Has gasoline sat in it unused long enough to gunk up the lines with varnish?

Spark plug(s) new or old?

Just asking.

You're right, sounds like it's not getting enough gas. Before you take anything apart, try putting a little ISO-HEET in the gas tank. It's probably got some water/ice in the fuel system.

What kind of snowblower?

- Double check the plug and make sure the gap is set correctly for your motor.
- Pull the cover off the carb and blow some carb cleaner in there to loosten up any varnish.
- Put some fresh gas in the tank and add some Seafoam engine cleaner to the gas.
- Start it up and you should be able to slowly turn the choke down till its off.

Worked for me on a blower I just got for free.

Any chance its somethig silly like the fuel line shutof is shut off?

Has similar symptoms on my mowing tractor last summer. Your carb needs to be cleaned out.
I took mine completely apart, cleaned every orifice, hole & chamber with brake cleaner and a wire from a bread loaf wire tie.
Put back on, started right up and ran great since.

chrisasst said:

festerw said:

Sounds like your carb is gunked up, if you can pull the carb, pull the bowl off and blow some cleaner through it.

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Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing. The carb is where you see the flap for the choke right?

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Can you get us the model and serial #'s off your machine, that'll help quite abit.

could be a gas line with a split in it drawing air

Is it a gravity feed carb? or pump feed? diaphram could be bad, but with choke applied and primer bulb pumped, could be just enough gas to run for a little while?

Is there a gas shut off and if so is it on or off.

Zap

I would agree with the gunked up carb diagnosis -or possibly some water / ice in the carb bowl - something that is a problem in snowblowers, but not lawnmowers... To start, try gently heating (With a hair dryer or heat lamp, NOT with an open flame!) and then draining the carb bowl, If that doesn't help try the Sea Foam treatment, and if that doesn't get it, do the carb strip and clean...

(As a side note to one of the prior posters, most snow blowers do NOT have air filters - apparently the assumption is that snow is reasonably clean stuff, and there is more reason to worry about the air cleaner icing over than there is to worry about dirt getting into the engine. Since the carb is normally under the heater cover, along with the muffler, the intake is reasonably protected against dirt... Essentially the big difference between the "snow" engines and those on lawnmowers and other OPE is that the snow engine loses the air filter, and gains more shrouding that is intended to direct engine heat into the carb area in order to prevent icing...)

Gooserider

Could be an air leak after the carb on the manifold that enters the cylinderThis would cause the motor to lean out .. It could be loose bolts or a bad gasket.. On my snowblower it is held on by 2 bolts.. I too drained mine as the manual suggested, changed the oil with 0-30w full synthetic (Tecumseh says this is ok) and installed a new spark plug.. When I went to run it leaked fuel from the float bowl and I found the gasket for the bowl all dried out and cracked! Bought a bowl kit which included the needle, a clip to secure it to the float, a new needle seat gasket and a bowl gasket (a genuine Tecumseh kit) from e-bay for $6.24 with free shipping.. After scotchbriting to remove corrosion from the aluminum where the gasket for the bowl goes it stopped leaking and started 1st pull.. I think draining the carb caused all these issues and when I store it this yr I will just add fuel stabilizer and run it for a bit then change the oil...

Ray

PS: I have a 7524 Ariens Snowblower I bought from Craigslist last yr. for $350.00

Don't know how old the machine is but the first thing to check would be the rubber fuel lines. Just replaced some on a friends snow blower last week. If they feel greasy or have obvious leak these should be replaced. Just shut the fuel off ,estimate the length you will need then remove or cut a piece of hose off and bring it to a auto parts or hardware store and size it up. Purchase a few extra feet,you never know when you will need some more on another piece of equipment.

I'm having the same troubles with a Snapper 824. Carb full of black slimey/goo coating.
If I take the carb needle out and clean it off and put it back I can clean the driveway on the lowest choke setting once it gets nice and warmed up . I'm getting suspicious some of the rubber hoses or whatever are either getting old and breaking down or don't like the alcohol in the gas.
Carb probably just needs a good cleaning out, but carbs and I are like oil and water.

billb3 said:

I'm having the same troubles with a Snapper 824. Carb full of black slimey/goo coating.
If I take the carb needle out and clean it off and put it back I can clean the driveway on the lowest choke setting once it gets nice and warmed up . I'm getting suspicious some of the rubber hoses or whatever are either getting old and breaking down or don't like the alcohol in the gas.
Carb probably just needs a good cleaning out, but carbs and I are like oil and water.

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Sometimes it' not just the gunk, the needle valves and seats can wear out too, been there done that. One thing you may want to try if you don't feel like takin the carb apart is just price a new one. I have an old mid 70's model sears blower that i've rebuilt the carb on a couple times now. At this point, it needs a rebuild again, and if I could go back and do it all over I'd just buy a new carb for it(about 90 bucks for mine). Anyway, just my .02 might be cheaper to buy a new carb than have someone rebuild the old one.
No idea on the black goo, although ethanol would not surprise me.

chrisasst said:

I put seafoam in it and left the choke open so it would run a few seconds. Did this a few times. Now I can't get it started..

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May need to pull the plug and clean it, sometimes seafoam will dirty em up.

Find a small engine repair shop near you.
Drop it off, for a few bucks they have guys who know how this stuff works & will have it running good in no time.
Could be 1 or 5 of many things.

"Is there an air filter that needs cleaning?—- the only air filter I see is the muffler.."
PS: if no air filter & has been run that way, big problem, compression may be bad, may be new engine time. New engine should have an air filter

bogydave said:

Find a small engine repair shop near you.
Drop it off, for a few bucks they have guys who know how this stuff works & will have it running good in no time.
Could be 1 or 5 of many things.

"Is there an air filter that needs cleaning?—- the only air filter I see is the muffler.."
PS: if no air filter & has been run that way, big problem, compression may be bad, may be new engine time. New engine should have an air filter

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Dave the Tecumseh Snow King engine does not have an air filter.. An air filter on a snowblower would get clogged very easily.. My Ariens snowblower doesn't have an air filter...


Ray

"Dave the Tecumseh Snow King engine for does not have an air filter.. An air filter on a snowblower would get clogged very easily.. My Ariens snowblower doesn’t have an air filter…

Ray "

Thanks Ray
Good to know. Never knew that, but makes sense, I guess.
Seems it would ingest lots of water & dirt when in use with powder snow.
Used a track Honda years ago that had an air filter, worked fine.
I assumed again, should know better

bogydave said:

"Dave the Tecumseh Snow King engine for does not have an air filter.. An air filter on a snowblower would get clogged very easily.. My Ariens snowblower doesn’t have an air filter…

Ray "

Thanks Ray
Good to know. Never knew that, but makes sense, I guess.
Seems it would ingest lots of water & dirt when in use with powder snow.
Used a track Honda years ago that had an air filter, worked fine.
I assumed again, should know better

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The carb air intake is located under a cover under the muffler so the air will get preheated and I was surprised to learn they do not use air filters on them too.. I think the big concern would be dirt entering the cylinder...

Ray

I have a 24" Ariens and a 24" Simplicity blower, neither has an air filter. The Ariens has summer attachments that you cna use to mow your lawn, vacuum leaves and even a 36" rotary brush attachment (look up Ariens Trac Team Attachments if your interested) and the motor has a sticker indicated where and under waht circumstances to use an air filter...basically they recomemnd an air filter any time other than snowblowing.