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

Just picked up my new Deluxe 30 blower.  Like the manual said to, I checked fluid levels before trying to start it.  The manual clearly states to not overtighten the gear case fill screw so I used a torque wrench to get it right.  Well, me or the wrench "screwed" up and I stripped the thread.  I removed the cover to the gear case (which the manual advised against) to see if I could see and remove any shavings that fell into the case.  I couldn't  see any but it's likely that some got in and I are just too hard to see.  I have two questions:

1. The manual states that if the thread is stripped then the warranty is voided.  Is it just the warranty for that part?  If I install a new cover how would they even know?

2. If there are any shavings that did get in, they are small and few.  Is that a problem for the gears?

Any help is appreciated.  Spending $1400 on a new machine and then messing it up about an hour later is not fun.

Dave

The warranty would only be void if you stripped out the filler screw and did not repair it. Damage to the gear case resulting from water infiltration would not be covered. That is, if you rectify the problem appropriately and timely, the warranty is intact. The cover is steel, not aluminum. The seal washer on the earlier serial numbers is aluminum. This washer is much like the drain plug washers on certain cars. It's ductile and provides the means of sealing. Check the underside of the bolt head and you might find this washer stuck to the bottom of the flange head. There was a change made later in the build to use a rubber bonded seal washer that is more tolerant of torque variability (and seals at a lower torque). Some folks do not have a torque wrench and will be torqueing this by the "seat of their pants" so to speak, hence a more tolerant seal washer was selected. The torque spec for the rubberized seal washer is 80 in-lb according the latested owner's manual. The seal washer is superseded so if you order the old one, you'll get the latest part. You need to order a new top cover, seal washer, and filler screw (if you can remove the aluminum washer from the bottom of the flange from the old filler screw you can use the old one). I would order a new rubber cover gasket if I were doing the work, but the old one is reusable. As the filler screw is mounted on the top of the gear case, the intent is not to hold the oil in, but to keep water out. The synthetic L3 gear oil can absorb a fair amount of moisture (as far as oils go) and still function well, but no water infiltration is always preferable, and a block of ice inside this gearcase would not be good. As far the metal shavings go, unless you drain and flush the gear case, the best route would be to root around in the oil with a decent strength magnet to catch any shavings. I'm not sure what the torque is for the 4 cover bolts, send me a PM and I can get that for you.

You can use the locking washers over again, I have many times. Like the other guy said, just snug them up, they don't have to be that tight.

Coldfingers wrote:
Actually this isn't correct. You can re-use the hardware for the top cover mounts (4 bolts and starlock washers), but the clamp load is important. There is a rubber gasket under the cover that requires a certain clamp load to seal. 96 to 144 in-lbs is the spec.

Dave,

Bummer about your new blower.... just as an point of interest, was the gear case full when you opened it? 

Mine was full, but I've heard from some that the fluid was low, from the factory.....

- Ken

BTW, as far as I know, all the gear cases on this years Ariens Snow blowers are cast iron.

Intruder wrote:
It appeared to be filled to specs but the only way to tell that by just removing the fill screw would be to stick something all the way down and measure from the top.  There's only about an inch of fluid.

Snowmann wrote:

Does the clamp load mean the the screws have to be set to a certain tourqe or is there another tool I need?  Also, the blower manual states "reinstall filler screw and seal washer to 12,5 lbf-ft"  The comma didn't make sense to me.  As a complete newbie with a tourqe wrench, I set it to 12.5 foot pounds. Was I incorrect?

I would interpret 12,5 as 12.5 as well.  However, are you sure it says foot pounds and not inch pounds?  I have never seen it, but for what size I would think of a fill plug on there I would be thinking inch pounds and not foot pounds.

I would read it 12.5 ft/lbs.  You can really just run it in with your fingers until you can't anymore. ( I believe snowman said that it has a type of crush washer on it).
So you will feel some resistance beyond that point with a wrench or socket. But then it will just stop turning.  At that point it's tight.  It's just a plug.  It's not holding a part on, or bolting two parts together. 

Shryp wrote:

12.5 ft-lbs for the early revision aluminum crush washer, 6.7 ft-lb for the later revision rubberized washer. The torque is a critical spec. It is noted in the manual that failing to torque this properly will void the warranty.