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

I know I asked this question last year and got the right answer.  I had the same problem today but don't remember what I did last year to correct this problem.

This evening I started the blower up she blew high but after about 45 minutes it wasn't blowing high.

This time I'll print the answer.

Thanks 

Erin,
I dont know which part of the country you are located in.....and what type of snow you are experiencing...but ...
In my area (Detroit) we had 12" inches of light, fluffy snow. Within 6 hrs I had 6, Toro 3650's come into the shop with a similar complaint.
It had nothing too do with belt tension but was directly related too "loss of power" due too the carbs icing up. It is a common problem with them, but it usually shows up under certain snow conditions. Yesterday those conditions existed in my area and may have been the same in your area.

Toro knows about the problem and has tried too eleviate it.
What happens is that snow enters the area of the carb that is exposed, thru the slit is located where the choke lever comes thru the back of the unit. After about a 1/2 hr. (depending on conditions) it closes up the venturi of the carb with ice. It is almost like running with the choke half open. Thats when it starts running rich....and looses power.

When Toro first became aware of the problem they made a rubber flap that was fitted over the choke lever....and blocked off the entrance thru the slit. They had a certain amout of success with that idea.
This year they made a steel shield and fitted it on the back cover too surrounded the carb, hopeing that it would contain heat in the area and stop the problem. (Looks that idea didnt work!)
The service bulletin issued last year instructed too run the unit for 10 minutes at idle, and before shutting down. How much success that has been, I dont know.

All of the units that I saw yesterday didnt have the rubber flap fitted. We didnt have any in stock...so I made homemade ones out of some neopreme sheet I had laying around. Nobody came back with the complaint after that....but we shall see for sure Monday how successful it really was.

In a bind....I think if you dont have the rubber flap fitted on your particular unit.....you could slap on a piece of duct tape over the choke slit after starting the unit up. That would at least get you thru until the shops are open on Monday.

You could still have a belt tension problem....but I wouldnt discount carb icing as the cause of your problem. HTH>

I definietly agree with the last post. I have checked the cable adjustments and also had the belt adjusted this fall but have the same problem. Starts off great and then starts to choke on moderate amounts of snow. Thanks for the suggestions about keeop the carb warm.

As usual buttlint has the inside information that few of us have.  I have yet to get a passing grade on any of his posted "Mechanic for a Day" tests.

I haven't seen this icing on my Snow Commander or the Powerlite I purchased for my mom.  I haven't heard any icing problems on the 2450s either.

What makes the 3650 different ?

Tom....
If it makes you feel any better, I havent passed any of your, "How do I fix this @*%$*^ computer" quiz's either.

Any of these machines are suseptable too different  problems under the conditions that most of us are dealing with currently.
My powerlite recoil woundnt engage this morning.....the starter pawls were iced up from yesterday. That can happen too any brand and any model.
After the workout that these things have been getting for the last couple days its no wonder. You would be amazed where the snow and ice can accumalate.
We are not exactly located in the snowbelt of North America, and when we get 12" of snow, these little single stage units get quite a work-out.
When my little powerlite kicked the cr*p out of 18" inches of EOD and 24" drifts....I was even a little amazed. It never got asked too that kind of work before, but when it did....not a problem.

And you are correct....I didnt see any 2450's or Snowcommanders with the carb icing yesterday. (Although I did see a couple of Commanders 2 years ago ) But I also suspect that I may see a lot things  tommorow that I didnt see yesterday. The thing with ice....after they sit in a warm shop for a couple of hours....the problems disappear. By the time its gets on your bench....the problem no longer exists.  (Thats not too say that the iceing problem wont have other effects) I suspect that when the carb ice melts....it is going too leave a nice pool of water in the spit cup. That is going too make the next start very difficult, (if they will start at all), but at least we will know where too look first and what too expect, when we hear certain complaints.

buttlint wrote:
That is one thing I like about this forum.  Many of us come with different strengths and help each other out.

I did have my 3650 out for an hour today without any problems.  When I was done it was completely covered in snow.  One tough little machine.  In the 15 inch snow it was alot easier to push through than the snow commander.  Definitely throws quite a bit farther too.  I think that 20 inch width must be the point where a person will start having some problems pushing a blower through the snow.

Thanks for all the replies.  I think this year the problem just might be the icying up theory.  I'll try the duct tape idea next time I take her out.

I live in New York and we had drifts of snow that could have possibly entered through the choke plus the way I was manuvering this machine didn't help it any.

You guys are the best!

Thanks.

Erin

P.S. This year I purchased an electric power shovel plus to do the steps and narrow side yard, I can't believe the power this machine has!  It threw the snow higher than my 3650.  The only down side is the extension cord can be a pain in the butt (had to wrap 50' of it around my neck) and they should have adjustable vanes so that  you could direct the snow where you want it to go rather than just straight ahead.  

Cords can be a bit of a pain, but they are easier to replace if you mess up, and you will know why the machine does not turn on. With a gas unit, you never know. When you finnaly do figure it out, it takes you hours and you just got all dirty lol. So, I vote electric on a few OPE things. Infact, I reviewed a couple electric units in the review section. You can go check them out if you want.

This is all great information guys, Thank you and I appreciate you thoroughness in the explanations. It will be a great benefit when run into my questions. I got a 3650 this year and man did it amaze me. Toro definately manufactures one tough machine. As soon as I can separate paragraphs with my IE software I will throw my .02 into the reviews. Again many thanks for the explanations!