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

Hi,

My friend gave me his 10hp Ariens snowblower because his new wife needed a smaller one

(he goes to sea for months at a time) . It’s older, but starts great, idles great, throws snow great. All moving parts operate freely (chute/gear shift etc)  I checked it out in the fall and all seemed great. I needed it yesterday for the first time, pulled it out of shed and it started on the 2nd pull. I was very happy. I started clearing my first path and it ran/worked excellent, but it died after 4-5 minutes. I pushed the primer 1 time and it started right back up, only to die after 45 seconds. This went on till I finished, dying out between 1-3 minutes. It ran perfectly when it was running, so I think it is worth fixing. I imagine it's a fuel problem, though I think it only stalled while under a load. I’m guessing  the carb needs cleaning or possibly the fuel line is partially obstructed. I dont know yet if there is a filter on the line or a screen in the tank,  but I’ll check. I’m also reading that the gas cap could be the cause though I dont know how to check that yet. Other than that, I’m at a loss and would appreciate any comments/help.

Also, while it starts fine with the pull cord, it would be nice if the electric starter worked. Sometimes it does, but usually it sounds like a car with a near dead battery. Obviously there is no dead battery as it is powered by an exrension cord and 110v household current, but it doesn’t seem to have the power to turn the engine over. The engine is not bound up because the pull cord works with normal effort. I was wondering if the starter just gets old? Maybe the windings get old and don’t provide the kick they once did? Maybe the contacts are worn and don’t provide the full current to flow through? I was going to buy a new one, but it cost $125 and I wasn’t absolutely sure if it would fix the problem, so I put it off till I got more information, which I’m trying to do now.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Ron,  39,  Boston area      

I forgot to mention, it seems, though I could be wrong, that I occasionally see a spark come through the muffler/exhaust along with a possible misfire as the engine is stalling. I'm not sure and also don't know if this would mean anything (like a bad exhaust valve or seat or something) or would this be normal as a small engine is in the process of konking out.

Thanks again, Ron

Try running it with the gas cap off!!

If that solves it you need a new cap.

                                           Fred