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

My Snow blower only runs with the choke full on.  The engine is a Tecumseh HS50 Snow King (according to the sheet in my packet.)  Loosining the gas cap has no effect.  I expect that the next step is to clean the bowl.  Any advice on this task? 

John G.

Cleaning the bowl isn't the whole solution.  Cleaning the carb is.  It sounds like your main jet is clogged or, possibly your float needle seat which control the fuel into the float bowl might be restricted.  I would bet that it's the main jet.  If you don't know where the jets are, do some searching and download an exploded view picture of the carb for reference.  Hopefully, someone here will be able to post one for you.  In the mean time, you can pull the carb, take the bowl off, very gently remove the float assembly and clean anything with a hole in it.  Get a very thin piece of wire.  Stripping the paper off of a garbage bag tie will be perfect.  Gently feed the wire in every hole you see and look very closely in the throat of the carb.  There will be holes there as well to clean.  Go through them all with the wire, blow WD-40 through all holes you find then blast them with compressed air.  If you can actually remove the jets to clean them, do so, if not just do as above.  If you clean every orifice and gallery you can find, there's a very good chance the carb will work fine.  Remember not to be too rough with the float mechanism.  Bending the float lever/mechanism will open up a whole world of grief.  Clean the float bowl out and put it back together.  Good luck.  Let us know how it goes.

If you're in a hurry, you can just try cleaning the main jet if you can access it.  I'm not familiar with your carb but on my old Tecumseh carbs, there was a needle on the bottom of the float bowl that could be removed to access the main jet.  If you pull the float bowl, you might be able to just put the wire and WD-40 into the orifice of the main jet and try to rinse out the debris.  I'd probably try that first.  

Well, I am keepng my fingers crossed until Monday.  I have removed the carb. I very carefully set aside the 3 bolts that hold the cover and a 1/8 in sq silver pointed piece that I guess is a jet control.  I can't figure out what the silver piece is fastened to.  Or does it just sit in the hollow bolt in the bottom of the bowl?  I have poked 24 Ga. wire in every hole I can see.  There was some crud in the bottom of he float bowl that I dumped.  With my usual luck I now can't find the parts I so carefully put aside.  So Monday I am off to either the snoblower store  or Sears parts.  I need a gasket plus the missing parts, Strangely, Sears says are in stock locally.  I guess eveyone uses these Tecumseh engines.

That "1/8 in sq silver pointed piece that I guess is a jet control" is probably your inlet needle. It sits on top of the float (or on a piece connected to the float) and as the float, well, floats, it pushes the needle into a hole to stop more gas from coming into the bowl.  As the level in the bowl drops, it lowers and more fuel can enter.

Download this: http://www.cpdonline.com/692509.pdf  and you'll find a section on carbs with diagrams showing what those parts are.

Here is a link to a bunch of Tecumseh carb cleaning pictures.
http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/

Here is a more direct link to something similar to what you have:
http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/tecumseh_carb_632334a.asp

Here is a youtube channel for a guy with a lot of repair videos, just search for carb or tecumseh or snow:
http://www.youtube.com/user/donyboy73

Look here:

http://www.opeonthenet.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10151

What this guy calls "the marty hole" is what gets clogged. You almost can't see it unless you've got good eyes (he's enhanced it for the picture).

So I was able to remove the carb.   And then I removed the bowl...There was some crud in the gas in the bowl so I took you-all's suggestion to heart and stripped the insulation off a length of 24 ga. wire and stuffed in every visable hole.  There was a pointed silver thing that I guessed was a jet control and shaking it and the float around, I was able to get it all back together.  Of course. after the fact, I realized it would have been easier to remove the float drop the silver thing in the hole and then replace the pin.  Half the illustrations I looked showed a spring on the pin but I didn't remember seeing one and the motor diagram that Sears shows doesn't show the spring, so it all got bolted up.  Turned the gas on, gave it a bit of choke and set the throttle about half way.  I held my breath pulled and on the second pull, the engine started.  Thank you to all who gave me the good advice.  After a short warm up, it was running full throttle with the auger turning and not a sign of a stall. 

I would not worry about the spring if you don't remember one.  I think that is mainly used on smaller 2 cycle carbs.

The silver pointed thing is the needle that opens and closes with the float to allow the gas to come into the carb.
It should have a small spring type thing clipping it to the float.

Glad everything is working now.

Good to hear you got it running well. 

You have achieve two important things.  1)  You understand your carb better and are able to repair it.  2) You probably saved $100.00 by not bringing it to a shop. 

So take that $100.00 you saved and treat yourself to something.