Snowblower surging then dies. Help please

[1kzwoman]

Good morning!
My ancient (50yr approx)single stage snowblower craftsman is having surging issues. It was more difficult to start than usual this year after sitting all summer in the garage. It did start using the Electrical start option, but surged several times and died. Restarted using recoil starter after adding a touch more sea foam and sloshing the snowblower vigorously . It started and ran a while longer the surging resumed and died.
Spark Plug is being replaced now but I can’t remember the gap for a CJ8 plug . For some reason .014” comes to mind but I’m hoping a forum member might confirm that or suggest a better gap.
I managed to get the snow off the drive and sidewalks, so I have made improvements In how it’s running but it’s still not smooth.Preparing to change fuel mix to fresh including stabil, Install and gap new spark plug, clean air filter. Spray carb with carb/ choke cleaner. Is there anything else short of a rebuild of carb I can do.
TIA for the help.

 

[Ashful]

The gap should be listed in your manual, but I've never seen one as tight as .014". If you don't have a manual, I'd search for it online by engine model number. If that can't be found, I'd set it at .026", and experiment from there.

Verify your governor spring is still attached, but I can't imagine it's not. If anyone monkeyed with that, it could explain the surging.

If surging continues, it's time to pull the carb. Disassemble, clean, new gaskets. If the machine weren't 50 years old, a carb swap would be the easy solution.

Oh, and just dump that fuel. Don't waste your time with it. It is harmless mixed into 25 gallons in your pickup, put fresh fuel in the snow blower.

Install a new fuel filter while you're at it, if you haven't already done so in the last 12 months.

 

[John Galt]

The best advice I received a long time ago was run the tank dry at the end of the season and dump the old gas out of the can. The half gallon of wasted gas will seem inexpensive if it craps out the carb.

 

[tlc1976]

I agree on the governor spring. Make sure it’s connected and moves freely. I’ve had the spring freeze up while blowing fine snow that blew back on the engine, that would make it surge too.

 

[1kzwoman]

Thank you all. No manual available no markings beyond craftsman. Dumped tank refilled with new mix. Wiped the plug off. Governor spring is in good order. It’s running almost normal so will replace the spark plug at.026” and go from there.Im thinking old gas and plug gap caused the issues, Dry tank storage sounds good too.
Starting like it should now. Thank you again.

 

[Ashful]

What I like to do with infrequently used equipment, like snowblowers, is:

1. Always mix fuel stabilizer in with fuel, every time. You never know when your last use of the season will be.
2. Kill it by closing fuel shutoff valve and letting carb run dry at end of each use. If you don’t already have fuel shutoff installed, buy the 4-pack of them on Amazon for $8.
3. Drain carb bowl at end of season.

I don’t worry about fuel left in tank for 6 months off-season, esp. if it has stabilizer in it. Just make sure carb and bowl are always stored dry.

 

[peakbagger]

Go here https://www.pure-gas.org/ and see if you can get ethanol free gas nearby. Use that in the snowblower and its likely the problem is gone. If no local stations check out small airports and buy av gas.

 

[1kzwoman]

Yup I can get ethanol free locally. Thanks

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I like to let seafoam sit in the carb to dissolve any varnish. It has saved me a few times from tearing apart a carb.

Even if you have it running, I’d put some sea foam back in.

 

[RomanW]

The gap should be listed in your manual, but I've never seen one as tight as .014". If you don't have a manual, I'd search for it online by engine model number. If that can't be found, I'd set it at .026", and experiment from there.

Verify your governor spring is still attached, but I can't imagine it's not. If anyone monkeyed with that, it could explain the surging.

If surging continues, it's time to pull the carb. Disassemble, clean, new gaskets. If the machine weren't 50 years old, a carb swap would be the easy solution.

Oh, and just dump that fuel. Don't waste your time with it. It is harmless mixed into 25 gallons in your pickup, put fresh fuel in the snow blower.

Install a new fuel filter while you're at it, if you haven't already done so in the last 12 months.

Second this, and the Sea Foam comments.

I would also take a look at valve clearance while you're at it.

 

[Poindexter]

The only thing I can add here is to put your left over lawn mower fuel every autumn into your truck, and every spring put the left over snow thrower fuel into your truck.

Adding even a half gallon of 6 month old fuel as part of a 10-20 gallon refueling is simply not a problem for modern vehicles and allows you to use fresh fuel in your seasonal 4 cycle Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE). I am more conservative with the 2 cycle (50:1) mix for my boat, not much. Half a gallon of 50:1 in a 15-20 gallon fuel up to my truck is simply not detectable in observed MPG, with no subjective change in performance.

With six month old plain gas, no stabilizer, I am willing to dump a gallon at a time into my (2015) truck with 18 gallon tank and ignore it with 10 gallon fill ups. With 50:1 two cycle mix I can burn/add half gallon to each 15 gallons of fuel used in the truck with no measurable change in truck performance.

 

[Vg3200p]

+1 for ethanol free on any small engine. Might try to order yourself a carb kit now for future problems. A quick carb rebuild would be a good project for a rainy spring or fall day

 

[Vg3200p]

As a side note I run 2 stroke oil in all my 4cycle gas at a mixture of roughly 1oz per gallon. Helps keep things lubed.

 

[1kzwoman]

+1 for ethanol free on any small engine. Might try to order yourself a carb kit now for future problems. A quick carb rebuild would be a good project for a rainy spring or fall day

Yes I think that was part of the issue I was having with my old snow blower.

 

[Ashful]

The only thing I can add here is to put your left over lawn mower fuel every autumn into your truck, and every spring put the left over snow thrower fuel into your truck.

I understand the thinking, but I've honestly never done this. Even our E10 pump gas sitting in a tank for 6 months isn't doing me any harm. I go to the effort to put a little Stabil or other fuel stabilizer into the last fill of the season on my zero turn, and always put stabilizer in any fuel going into my generator, but don't even bother with the walk-behind machines (mower, leaf blower, snow blower). Other than the zero turn, whose tank is always topped off after every use, I usually try to leave the fuel level low in other machines. That way I can top them up with fresh fuel next season.

The key is getting the fuel out of the carburetor, not the tank. Shut off the fuel and run the machine dry. Then open the bowl drain or loosen the bowl retainer screw, to dump the fuel out of the bowl. Done. Takes less than a minute per machine, and way less messy than trying to drain a tank.

Some will argue (justifiably) about the trade-off of running 2-stroke machines dry, as it causes a loss of lube at stall, but I don't think the same argument can be made for your 4-stroke machines.

 

[Poindexter]

I don't disagree with Ashful. Both my walk behind mower and walk behind snowthrower are 4 cycle machines fed from the same gas can.

On my spring/ autumn chores list I leave the fuel as low as possible in the finished item's tank, empty the gas can into my truck and start the next seasonal season on the other machine with fresh fuel in the one gallon can.

When I first start my lawnmower in May 2023 I will know in my heart the oldest remnant of gas in the mower's tank was fresh in May 2022. Likewise the snowthrower in September.

I do keep 40 gallons of gasoline in 5 gallon cans (about two weeks worth) in my garden shed. Those have Stabil added. One of my summer chores for those is to fill my truck from half the cans (I have 4 red cans and 4 khaki colored cans), so if I ever need to hit that stash I know the oldest fuel out there is less than 2 years old and is stabilized.

I am thankful I don't have to fool around draining carburetors seasonally.

I do use fuel stabilizer on both my water cooled and air cooled 2 cycle fuel cans. I don't use much of either and don't plan to purchase any more new 2 cycle equipment.

 

[Ashful]

I guess there’s always some infinitesimal fraction of the fuel in every one of my machines, as old as the machine itself, scary when considering my 1973 Toro walk behind mower. But what’s left in my zero turn from one season to the next is burned at a rate of 4 gallons per mowing, every 4th day in a tank or that’s only 6-7 gallons capacity, so it must be a very small fraction!

The last time that particular mower was run dry was 2011, I remember it clearly, as a friend was driving it at the time. I guess with a few minutes in Excel, we could calculate the fraction of fuel in the tank going back to that date, assuming uniform mixing in a machine that spends its life bouncing across the lawn at 11 mph.

 

[spuldup]

I guess with a few minutes in Excel, we could calculate the fraction of fuel in the tank going back to that date, assuming uniform mixing in a machine that spends its life bouncing across the lawn at 11 mph.

A theoretical and useless endeavor. I like it.

 

[gfreek]

Your issue is classic case of carburetor problems, as long as you are sure its getting plenty of fuel,... either needs cleaning of the main jet, main jet tube and air bleeds or just replace it.... It's gotten to a point now a days, you may better off replacing it, but beware many aftermarket cheap replacements out there , read postings carefully..

 

[1kzwoman]

Your issue is classic case of carburetor problems, as long as you are sure its getting plenty of fuel,... either needs cleaning of the main jet, main jet tube and air bleeds or just replace it.... It's gotten to a point now a days, you may better off replacing it, but beware many aftermarket cheap replacements out there , read postings carefully..

With the help of forum members I have been able to breathe life into the old bugger once again, Thank you all for the guidance on reviving it and also for the great suggestions for replacing it. The brands of snowblowers that have been spoken of were unknown to me before I asked. My impression of the new craftsman stuff is questionable at best (like hand tool), it’s a shame .

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Most snowblowers are made by MTD. And rebranded.

 

[Ashful]

Most snowblowers are made by MTD. And rebranded.

As with most lawn tractors, string trimmers, etc. But the OP's machine is 50 years old! I don't recall such a prevalence of re-badged MTD equipment prior to the late-1990's.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You're right. I dont think Ariens or Honda do the rebranding thing either. But I'm sure the average snowblower you're going to find is.

 

[Kiotick4010]

And Husqvarna isn’t owned by MTD either.

So, all in all, MTD doesn’t own the snowblower market.

 

[peakbagger]

At one point I bought a husqvarna and it may have not been a MTD but it was not made by Husqvarna, it was badge engineered. It had a lot of nice features but not very well built.