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?

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.