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

I'm glad I found this site. Looks like there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here.

I have an Airens 924 - 3 years old. It is running a bit rough - sometimes dies on me, but always starts back up. I'd like to learn to do the maintenance on this machine myself, but I'm fairly new to all of this. (I've changed the oil each year and put air in the tires.) Today I took of the cover to the carburetor and sprayed all around with carburetor cleaner. I wanted to take off the spark plug and clean it or replace it, but the socket I have for spark plugs is too small. Is there a special socket for this? I also wanted to grease the fittings. I went to Home Depot to get Stens Mix Hi-Temp grease, but they didn't have it. Would I get this in an auto parts store? Or Sears? Is there any other general maintenance I should do?  Any help is appreciated.

It is probably running rough because the carb is gummed up from lack of fuel stabilizer - the volatile parts of the gas evaporate over the summer, leaving the gloppy part behind. You should drain the gas and put in fresh. If that doesn't take care of the rough running you can try some fuel system cleaner like Techron, but it is best to just take the carb apart and clean out the jets and passageways with your spray carb cleaner. And be sure to use a stabilizer next spring to prevent a reoccurance.

The Stens grease is a special Ariens synthetic lube available online, or at your dealer. There have been some discussions about alternatives here - I use it, but would not hesitate to use any good syntheic chassis grease like Mobil 1. It needs to be synthetic to provide good lubrication at very low temperatures - the rotating parts of your drivetrain do not warm up (much) like the axles in your truck.

The spark plug is a standard size - I can't recall the socket size, but there shouldn't be any issues getting it out with the correct socket.

John Davies

You can get the Stens grease at the following web site: http://www.rcpw.com/  Click on the Stens logo and plug in part# 00036800. Do you have a manual for the snowblower? If not I think you can get one through the Ariens web site. That will give you the various lube places and tell you what maintenance is needed and at what intervals. It will also tell you how to make various adjustments that may needed. You may need to tip the machine up onto the auger housing and take off the bottom plate to get at some lube points underneath. Drain the gas first.  You should be able to get a spark plug socket at any autoparts store, Home Depot, Lowes.

Jonathan

I'm not so sure the Ariens grease is synthetic, but I won't comment further than that. 

Regardless, I  would purchase a tube of grease from the local Ariens dealer- it may be a few dollars more than WalMart, but you might need some face recognition at the shop down the road.  If not, I would use a lithium-based grease with molybdenum disulfide ("moly") in it.  The grease for greasing the augers isn't super critical- all you are trying to do is: 1  keep the augers from rusting to the shafts and 2: allow the augers to spin free if and when you shear a pin.  Remove the shear pins, give the zerks some grease, the rotate the shafts a few turns (a lot of turns won't hurt) before putting the pins back in.  I am sure there are a few more zerks on your machine, your manual probably shows where. 

You might need a carb cleaning, but I think it depends on when the engine stalls- is it at idle, under load, or when accellerating from idle to full throttle?  Others may offer their wisdom depending upon your circumstances. 

Good Luck

The spark plug socket is 13/16" - you probably have a 5/8". There is a bolt on the bottom of the carburetor "bowl". It contains holes that clog easilly. Drain the tank or shut the fuel valve off (if equipped). Grab a can or rags & place them beneath the carb. Remove the bolt - gas will come out. The bolt has small holes in it that must be cleaned out - use a wire bread tie & some carb spray cleaner to get it clean. Reinstall the bolt so its snug. Should do it. Also - lube those auger shafts - TWICE A Year! You will thank me if you ever have to remove the auger rakes for service.

Marty

Thanks to all who have responded. I went to a local Ariens dealer and all he sold was  Briggs and Statton grease. He said it was the same as the Stens, so I bought it. Maintaining the snowblower will be a learning experience for me - but one I am happy to start. Thanks again for the advice.