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

I got a Power Clear 210R and couldn't be happier with it's performance (review #2 if anyone is interested: http://www.abbysguide.com/snow-blower/reviews/424-0-2.html) .
However something is going on with it and I am not sure it's a problem or not and wondered if anyone else had the same issue.

Two times now I have started blowing snow with a full tank of the gas/oil mixture and after a while it starts cutting out, losing RPMs , and acting like it's running out of gas.   So both times I have shut it down and looked in the tank and while it is not full it looks like there is still fuel in the tank.  I then try without success to re-start it and then decide, "what the hell" I will fill it back up even though there looks to be fuel in the tank.   Both times sure enough it starts right back up after re-filling.    Anyone else experience this and is it a problem or just truly out of fuel?

Sounds like your vented gas cap might be clogged, preventing the fuel from getting to the carburetor.

Or, you might have water in the fuel.  How cold is it there?  Is the machine kept at above freezing temps?   If it's cold enough to freeze the water in the fuel, you'll have ice in the tank but once the machine is running, the engine will probably thaw the ice in the fuel and allow it to get into the carb thus causing erratic running and possibly stalling.  If the gas cap isn't the culprit, drain/siphon all fuel from the fuel tank into a clear container and inspect for contamination.  Drain the carb while the engine is warm to get out the water that might be in the float bowl.   Two cycle engines are very simple and reliable.  The great majority of problems with engine operations, is usually fuel related.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I will check the gas cap, although would that only affect it when there is just a little gas in the tank as opposed to full?
  The gas I used was fresh from the pump and the oil was the type with stabilizer in it, so I am thinking it should be ok, but I guess that is always a possibility, it has been down in the single digits this week here and I keep the blower in an unheated garage.  Just got a fresh gallon yesterday, so maybe it will not happen again.