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

Thought everyone should be made aware of this potentially dangerous situation involving the fuel line on the Ariens 926LE with the Tecumseh engine for 2005.  Overall, the fuel line keeps slipping off the nipple from the gas tank resulting in the drainage of fuel from the gas tank. I do not pretend to be an engineer, but upon my inspection of the nipple from the gas tank concludes this was a poorly engineered design as there is no place for the clamp to securely clamp onto.

History:  Purchased 926LE at HD on 11/22/05 in Rockland, MA. (South Shore of Boston)  Filled with Gas and Stablizer in mid December and ran for 15 minutes.  Then stored in my garage till first snowstorm (still waiting).  Morning after Patriots/Jaguars playoff game, went to garage and had gas all over the garage floor.  Upon inspection, noticed that the fuel line that connects over the nipple from the gas tank came off.  I slipped it back over it and then watched to my amazement as it slip down again and came off.  I figured it must be a bad clamp, so after visiting my local hardware store, I reinstalled using a screwdriver clamp.  Again, the fuel line slipped off the end.   Upon further inspection of the nipple, it became apparent that no where on the nipple was there a place for the clamp to tighten to and with the nipple in the shape of a cone, forced the clamp downward.

Ariens / Tecumseh Service

I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the gas and vapors from my garage.  The next morning, I first called Ariens and to my amazement, they were aware of my situation and advised me to call Tecumseh.  The customer service individual advised that they were aware of this problem in late August but it was too late in the production cycle to fix the problem.  I then called Tecumesh and the customer service rep (Jim) cut me off as I was explaining my issue, and advised that they too were aware of this issue, and that I should take the machine to my local authorized dealer for repair.  Jim stated that the dealer would attempt to file or "rough up" the nipple with the goal of affording the clamp something to clamp onto.   He stated that they issued a repair bulletin in Late November to all dealers about this problem.  I then called my local authorized Ariens dealer  who also quickly advised me that they were aware of this issue, and that I could bring it in and they would fix the problem with one day turnaround time.  I dropped if off the following Saturday and picked it up on January 16th.

Home Depot Service

After dropping off the machine to be repaired, having the weekend to think about it, I decided that this so called fix, was in no way a permanent fix, and the potential risk for further gas spills still existed.  SoI decided to go to HD and discuss with them and request a full refund.  They too advised that they were aware of this problem and after discussing with them for about 30 minutes,  instead of returning the machine, HD agreed to have one of the service dealers come to my house and replace the entire gas tank with a new one that did not have the problem.   You would think this would give me "piece of mind".

They came last Friday afternoon and the HD outsourced service technician replaced the "problem" gas tank with a new one.  Yesterday afternoon, in preparation of our potential nor'easter this week, I started filling the gas tank and guess what, gas started coming out onto the floor.  Upon inspection, I noticed that the "fuel line" had once again slipped off the nipple, to the new gas tank!!!!!!!   Remaining calm, I then called the service manager at HD and this time told him that I would be bringing the machine back to HD this week for a full refund as my patience had run out...

He was very understanding and gave me no problems with my decision to return it.  Of course, he advised that they were now selling the snowblowers at 1/3 off.

The question I now have to everyone, is after I return the machine for a full refund, what should I do.

Option 1: Buy the Ariens 11528LE with the Tecumseh OHV valve engine (upon inspection different fuel line set up) at 43% off.

Option 2:  Buy the Ariens 926LE with the new Briggs & Stratton OHV engine (only dealers are offering this, not HD) at full retail price. They will not bargain during the winter.

Option 3:  Wait it out and attempt to find a deal with a local dealer this spring and summer......

I truly appreciate everyone's valued opinions and look forward to checking back with you.   

  

PLEASE READ

A customer informed our company about this message board and I wanted to supply a posting to clear things up.

First of all there is currently a product recall on all Tecumseh 4 cycle engines manufactured between August 29 and October 12, 2005.  The issue is the result of an unforeseen problem with a new low permeable fuel line we started using (emissions).  The tank is the same tank we have been using for many years without incident.  Many units were captured at warehouses and stores and repaired.  Some did get out to consumers and we are very interested in finding those units and having them repaired.  If anyone has an engine they believe may be affected by the recall they are urged to call the Tecumseh Recall Hot Line at 1-888-271-4048.  Please have the model and serial number for the equipment as well as the MODEL, SPEC, and DOM from the engine ID label when you call.  We will set you up with an Authorized Tecumseh Service Dealer to perform the proper repair.  All of our dealers have the service bulletin and will be able to assist you.

The CPSC is reviewing the case and hopefully will make a public announcement soon but for the time being word of mouth is the only method we have to spread the word and find the affected product.

I called Tecumseh a few weeks back because I was suspicious my snow blower had been worked on.  Sure enough, it was repaired in the Home Depot where I bought it from prior to my purchase.  They told me exactly what is explained in the above post.  That explains why the box was resealed and marking put on the fuel line and starter motor.  The only unsolved part is that Tecumseh told me they use yellow paint on the fuel line to certify their repair.  My marking is white.  Oh well, as long as it was repaired, I am happy.  I pulled on the fuel line with fuel in the tank and it doesn't budge.  I even tried twisting it, and it is very tight. 

Morning All,

It's about that time when we all think about getting a snow blower....am I right??!!

I was wondering if someone could tell me if there is any difference between these two engines? ( Subject  Line )

I just bought an Ariens 926LE Model# 926007 with a B&S 9.5 Powerbuit Snow OHV for 900.00 bucks. ( Did I do well on the price...or did I get what I paid for???)  

I Live in NewEngland and we get hit pretty hard from time to time with some heavy wet snow, I say we get about, on avg, a 100 inches of snow per winter.

I have a long driveway and sidewalk, will this model & engine do the job for years to come?? Does anyone know about my engine?

I know Ariens has a great product, but I'm not quite sure about the engine?

Any coments?

Thanks,

Charlie from NE.

Charlie - I think you did well IMHO. Both engines will accomplish the task at hand. Nice choice!

Marty FORMERLY MAJORXLR8N