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

Hello my friends,
now that the nice weather is upon us, I am gearing up to "hibernate" my Ariens 927LE for the summer...
The gas tank is still almost full but I had added Motomaster concentrated small engine tune up, from Canadian Tire, so is this enough? Or should I just run the engine dry? I don't have access to Seafoam so is there anything else I should use?
What else should I look for? I already popped off the wheels and greased the axles, but I haven't done anything to the cables, impeller, belts, etc... I have White lithium grease as well as regular 3-in-1 oil, and WD40...Are these ok?
Any advice for a noob? I didn't pay $1000 to have a machine that's going to last me 2-3 years...
Thanks guys and gals...

I put my Simplicity away a few weeks ago.  I ran it till hot then changed the oil.  I siphoned all fuel from the tank and run the engine to burn fuel from the the carb and sprayed in some light machine oil into the carb as the engine was beginning to show signs of stopping.   I don't like to leave fuel in machines during the summer months.  Don't mind doing it during winter but not during the heat of summer.   I prefer to burn the fuel in the lawn tractor rather than leave it sit.  Sounds like you have all of the necessities for putting the machine away.  You might want to pull the bottom off for an inspection of chains and sprockets, drive and driven disks.  I use a very tacky black spray grease (designed for exposed chains and gears) on the chains and sprockets.  I put it on two seasons ago and it's still there and didn't need any more of it.  Motorcycle chain lube would probably do as well.  Then I greased the auger shaft and the fitting on the single wheel drive axle.  Then I put white lithium on every moving part  of the controls I could see.  Sprayed light machine oil down the cables then wiped down the machine with WD-40, and put a cover over it.  

You mentioned you didn't have Seafoam.   Well, right now, I'm out of it too and will remain out of it until I take a hop to the States.  It's very pleasant 30 min. bike ride.   And why?   Last fall I bought Seafoam at Napa for $11.33.   Add tax to that and it's $12.80/can.   A couple days ago, I went to Napa to get some more.  The price is now $13.19.  Up $1.86 in a couple months!  Add taxes to that $13.19 and now we're up to $14.90/can!!  I have a problem with that kind of an increase.  The price on the U.S. side is $8.05 USD.  Even at 20% exchange rate, that's only $9.66 Canadian and no tax on it at the border due to being a small purchase.   That's a savings of $5.24 a can!!   I usually buy under $50.00 worth.  That's enough for five cans if I buy from the U.S. side.  What pi$$es me off is that the price went up in Canada but it's still the same price as last year in the States????   So, the question is, who's pocketing the extra $1.86 on each can?     That's over a 16% price gouge.   

Thanks Borat,
Ok, so I guess I'll run the tank dry as I have no way to siphon it off...How do I go about spraying the oil into the carb, and is 3-in-1 oil ok for this?
I guess tomorrow I'll tilt the beast up on the impeller housing and pull the bottom off, see what's going on down there. I've already greased the auger shaft so I should be good there, but what do you mean when you say you spray white lithium on every MOVING part of the controls? Please just clarify that for me before I go out and make a mess...
I didn't know what to do about the actual body, but wiping everything down with WD40 sounds right. Should I use a rag with soap and water first to clean off any remaining gunk/salt...?
As far as actual storage, do you put the body on blocks to take pressure off the wheels or do you keep it tipped up as shown in the manual?
Thanks again...

PS If anyone else has anything to add or any suggestions, I'd love to hear them...

Your manual should show you all the points that need to be greased or oiled.My Simplicity manual was very helpful.You might want to change the spark plug.Also if you go to youtube,and type in snowblower maintenance,there r a few good videos on what to do to your snowblower.

Every freakin year I tell myself I'm going to put a Tee in the gas line so I can drain the tank. Every year I forget to go get the parts :(  It's like a 15 minute job and only costs a few bucks. This weekend I (once again) ended up holding a glass jar under the carb and holding in the drain button and getting out 1/4 tank a few drips at a time. As much gas ran down my elbow as went into the jar.  Anyway, it's something you might want to consider. A T, a shutoff valve, some clamps, a short piece of tubing, and a carriage bolt that fits inside the tubing. Clamp that in because you don't want to trust that shutoff valve.

Personally, I don't trust WD-40 all that much, it evaporates too quickly for me. I use Brak-Free CLP instead, just cover everything that might rust with it. It collects a lot of dust over the summer but it all gets cleaned off the first time it gets used the next winter. I also spray it inside the cables. At one time I would wipe everything down with an oily rag, this is a lot easier and seems to work just as well.  Just don't get anything anywhere close to the belts or pulleys. Check the auger bearings and see if they can be lubed.

BTW, the manual should have a checklist of what you do to put it away for storage - I don't have an Ariens so I'm not sure if it does, never hurts to look, though.

Ok, thanks guys,
one more question (for now). In my manual it indicates that the service position when performing work on the machine is to tip it up on its' impeller housing. My question to you is whether or not I can leave it like that all summer or if I should just rig up some 2x4's to take the weight off the wheels and store it horizontally?Also, if i have some chipped paint scratches inside the discharge chute, should I sand them down and apply some paint or not worry about them?
Good suggestion about the "T" in the fuel line Bill, I think that'll be my next project...
thanks again for all the advice..