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

Hi all,
I am not only new to the forum, but also new to snow throwers. I live in Denver and we have been getting pounded lately. I finally bought an ARIENS 520E. I read the instructions, and feel I did everything I could to ensure success. I do have some Questions though.

1. Oil - I was told to start it up, get it warm and then check oil levels. I did that but could not read the dip stick. The oil was too clear. I read the manual and it says fill oil to correct level on dipstick or til it overflows. well I did not fill it til it overflowed, but put about 3/4th of bottle in it. When I started it back up oil gushed out of someplace. Not sure where. IS THIS BAD?  Will it hurt anything? Should I drain and refill? Should I make sure the oil did not get on certain parts, and clean if it did?

2. Impeller -  After using it for a bit (and after the oil fiasco) I noticed that when I would let go of both the impeller and drive levers, the auger and impeller would continue to spin....but when I let it sit for a bit while doing something else (hand shoveling something), It would gradually disengage, and then almost pulse.  What does that mean? Is something out of wack? I seemed to run great(no binding),  just would not stop when I let the lever go.

Also being totally new to owning and operating, is there any tips, or helpful info I should know moving forward.

Thank you in advance.
~Tipton

Thanks for the reply....

Yes I bought from HD and no they really did not go over anything with me other than to check the oil after it has been started and warmed up a bit. When I did that I was having a hard time seeing what the oil level was. Light oil on a silver dipstick is hard to see. I read the manual a bunch of times, and it said "Fill oil to between the lines on the dip stick, or til it is overflowing" I thought I was airing on the side of caution by adding more oil. So i will empty and refill, but did I damage anything? Should I check for damage?...or make sure oil did not get on certain parts, and if so clean them?

Thank you,
~TIpton

"Fill oil to between the lines on the dip stick, or til it is overflowing"
Please pardon my skepticism, but if the owners manual says that, you better call ariens and suggest they rethink thier wording.
And no. You probley didnt hurt anything when you overfilled it, other than making a mess in your garage.

The manual being referred to is probably the Tecumseh engine manual. The Ariens manuals refer almost  all engine related maintenenace to the separate engine manual. If the unit was run only for a short period, then the only problem is only the mess. It may also smoke when the problem is corrected and restarted to burn of any residual oil.  The muffler may also have some oil in it. A longer duration with the overfill could serverely damage the engine though.

The "creeping" of the belt is an adjustment issue. It definitely needs to be addressed to keep your machine in safe operating condition. Pull the owners manual and read the section regarding auger belt adjustment.

PK

Thanks guys.
I have now changed the oil, and refilled with exactly 21oz. I  will adjust the belt and try and get the overflow oil off the brake at the bottom of the belt drive assembly. The belts themselves are oil free, but I think the oil is preventing the brake from being totally effective....I am going to wait til the temp gets above 2 to do so tho :o)

Thanks again for your assistance.
~Tip