I am not mechanically inclined, but I have access to help if I can get pointed in the right direction.
I recently purchased a used Ariens ST824 locally. It has a tecumseh 8hp engine. I tested it out in his driveway, where it worked great. He indicated that the blower was 10-15 years old, but was unable to recall the actual age. He also stated that he had replaced the spark plug, new belt(s), and gave the machine an oil change. This was on Saturday.
So I got this blower home, where it worked fantastically for less than 48 hours. During that time frame, I put this machine to the test during a 8-10" snow downfall that had to be dealt with over an 18 hour period. It worked awesome. This was on Sunday. On Monday, we got about 2 more inches, but of course the plows had buried the bottom of my driveway. So I brought out the blower to clear the driveway off. I decided I would just run it over the whole driveway, not just the bottom. I had cleared a couple of passes, and was in the midst of turning the blower 180degrees. The drive and auger throttles were both disengaged, and the chute/auger was elevated. Then the engine made an enormously loud/quick clak-clak-clak noise. Think of the noise a castanet makes, but very loud, very quick. I immediately throttled down and shut off the engine.
I live 500 miles from relatives, so I tried to get the engine to demonstrate the sound over the phone, which it did. When I pull the pull-cord, the sound is made, but much quieter and slower than when the engine is running. Also, the pull-cord does not have nearly the resistance of previous to the "break". Prior to the break, I had noticed some flame emanating from the carburetor as well, but not sure if that is related.
Any ideas what has occurred? Any help you can offer a non-mechanically inclined person to diagnose the issue?
Oh, and can you tell me where to locate the serial number on this blower? I can't seem to find it. Thanks!
