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 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