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

The B&S manual that came with my Ariens machine was pretty succinct about how to start the engine.  It says full choke, two pushes on the primer, full throttle. 

It seems to me that once the machine starts running, you should throttle back to idle for one or two minutes to let the oil circulate and the engine warm up a bit before going back up to full throttle and start blowing snow. Or maybe you should start the engine with just partial throttle to avoid racing it initially?

The manual, however, says nothing about lowering the throttle or warming up the engine before proceeding.  I'm curious about how fellow snowblowoholics handle this.

Anybody using innovative or cautionary techniques?

I don't agree with full throttle starts. My guess for why the manufacturer says to start at full throttle is to ensure the engine starts. A cold engine needs lots of fuel to get started. Therefore, prime, choke, full throttle. Manufacturers don't want to make things any more complicated than necessary to get consumers to use their products. The vast majority of consumers haven't the faintest idea of things mechanical. If the manufacturers were to indicate 1/4 to 1/2 throttle, consumers would be wondering if they have it set right. Full throttle takes the guess work out of it. Manufacturers aren't as concerned as us motor heads when it comes to engine care and long engine life. As long as it gets past the warranty period, they couldn't care less. I'd say that once the engine has provided a relatively reasonable service life, the manufacturers look forward to the engine giving up the ghost. After all, if the engines lasted for ever, they wouldn't be selling too many.... I start my engine at 1/4 throttle and allow it to run that way for a couple minutes before putting a heavy load on it. I'm confident that an engine set at 1/4 to 1/2 throttle running at 1800 to 2000 rpm is slinging plenty of oil. Particularly if it's synthetic. It's a known fact that cold engine starts account for the greatest amount of engine wear. Get into your car, fire up the engine and hold the throttle wide open for five minutes. Does that feel like the right thing to do even with a pressurized oil system? An engine is an engine and cold starts in my opinion should be as gentle as conditions will allow.

No choice on mine.... full fixed throttle. I use Amsoil so this should help.

First, does your snowblower also use synthetic oil? My guess is that it does. That would mean that the bearings, valve guides, and cylinder walls are lubricated within the first few seconds. With petroleum-based oils. The oil did not flow until it had heated up.

Second, I believe these carbureted engines have a restriction choke. Effectively, the choke is acting like a closed throttle.

Third, the initial priming made a fuel rich mixture. The extra air from a wide-open throttle compared to having both throttle and the choke closed helps to consume that fuel.