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

I struggled to get my Ariens 8524 through the 10" of snow on my driveway yesterday here in south Jersey.  The engine would start right up either with the electric start or pull start on full throttle and full choke.  But if I tried to take it off choke at all it would stall.  This was after letting it warm up a little too.  Initially it was very hard to start and keep running.  This is a 1 year old snowblower that I used 3 times last year and this is my first time this year.  I kept stabilized fuel in the machine and had test fired it back in Novemeber and the snowblower started fine and I was able to get it to run off choke then.  I was only able to run the blower on full choke and only short distances before it would repeatedly stall out.  I drained the gas and put in fresh gas.  No improvement.  I am very frustrated and aggrevated over this Ariens.  Now I bought this machine last year new and had a belt problem that required dealer repair.  Then the blow by problem with the chute and baffle kit!  Now I have this engine stalling problem.  This Ariens has been the worst piece of power equipment I have ever owned!  Any other Ariens owners with similar problems?

***I just got my snowblower back from the shop.  They said the problem was a "sunken float" in the carburetor, and they replaced the float under warranty.  So it's repaired,  for now.  I just finished reading the 37 replies to my post and I am now wondering who to blame?  Ariens, Tecumseh, or the carburetor float manufacturer??  The Ariens website says that they use Tecumseh Snow King engines built to Ariens specifications.  So does Ariens specify the carburetor float?  Who knows.  What I do know is that I have a 1 year old snowblower (used 4 times) that's been in the shop twice in a year for repairs.  NOT a very good track record.  My snowblower for me is not a toy.  I need it to clear my driveway to get to work.  So far this Ariens has not performed to my expectations and I regret my purchase.  If I could get my money back I'd sell this Ariens in a second and buy another manufacturers machine.  Anyway, that's the update.  Looking forward to warmer weather.

Here is my two cents:

Ariens should be responsible if the engine they chose has a major defect or design flaw, since they are the ones that picked/tested/certified it.

Ariens should also act as a contact point for engine problems, to answer questions or find out info, or even if it is just to forward the person to the correct company.  To use the previous analogy, if you call Ford for an issue with your engine (which makes perfect sense) they would consult with their engine group.

I don't think people should "blame" Ariens for quality issues with the engine, however since it is part of their unit, and they are the customer facing brand, they should expect for engine problems to be considered "snowblower problems" by the average consumer.  If there were major or widespread issues with the engine, or if the engine was installed improperly or not adjusted/inspected properly, then in this case I don't feel it would be unreasonable to consider Ariens as having dropped the ball.  That is not the case here, its a common problem that can happen to any engine on any device, and was not present when new.

Plus, the engine (if I'm not mistaken) is covered under the Ariens warranty, therefore it sort of becomes their problem to deal with any issues that arise anyway, though if its just a fluke then like I said, I wouldn't say to "blame" them, just appreciate the fact that they will fix it for you under warranty.

Like I said, just my opinions.

-Dave

The following items are not covered by this warranty:

• Engines and engine accessories are covered only by the warranty made by the engine manufacturer, and are not covered by this warranty.
• Parts that are not genuine Ariens® service parts are not covered by this warranty.
• Shoes, scraper blades, shear bolts, headlights, light bulbs, are not covered by this warranty.
• Any defect which is the result of misuse, alteration, improper assembly, improper adjustment, neglect, or accident, is not covered by this warranty.
• Products which were not purchased in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada are not covered by this warranty. In all other countries, contact place of purchase.

Source: From there website. http://www.ariens.com/customer_service/snow_warranty_info/

Ariens does see to it that you get an extra year on the standard Tecumseh two year consumer warranty.

AJace wrote:

The reason I said that was because the engine warranty comes from Tecusmeh, not Ariens.  Like many have pointed out in a later time.  It is separate.  I believe that Toro includes the engine in their warranty.  It depends on the situation, who should take the blame.  In this case, it seems that Tecumseh should take the blame.  If a chute crank assembly falls apart then Ariens should be at blame.  The the actual rod rusts, Ariens should still be at blame.