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

We have an Ariens 26" snowblower - model 8526 with an electric starter and a pull cord. When put away last spring was running fine. Pulled it out yesterday for prep for winter and the electric starter spins and the pull cord can't be pulled. There is good oil in it, etc. Any repair shop is booked until well into January since snow is coming and we need a working blower. Ideas? help? Suggestions?

   Possibly a mouse nest under the cowling binding the flywheel.

There are normally three or four bolts that hold the pull starter cover on.  You can take them out and remove the pull starter with little effort.  There may be something stuck in there.   I would take it off and look for anything unusual.   You can grip the disk/wheel that the rope wraps around to see if you can turn it.  

This wheel can be removed but there is a spring underneath and you have to be careful when taking it off.


carl

trouts2 wrote:

Those little SOB's get into places you'd never think of looking! I had an old riding mower several years ago that almost caught on fire because of a mouse nest - a big one - under the flywheel cowling.

Have you stored it properly each of those six years by first removing the spark plug, then pouring a tablespoon of motor oil into the cylinder so the piston rings don't rust tight to the cylinder wall, and then pull the cord slowly until it reaches maximum resistance so the engine valves are all closed to keep moisture out during the summer months ?   If not the cylinder wall and the piston are rusted together.  This is why you can't pull that starter cord, not a mouse nest.  Take the plug out spray some penetrating oil inh the engine cylinder and then whack it to create a vibration that will get the oil to break loose the rust.  You don't need to smash the engine block hard, just set up sufficient vibration to cause that  rust to break loose.  Between the penetrating oil and the vibration it should come loose, thenwhen you can get the piston to move again, put in the spark plug and try starting it up.  This is why the manufacturer tells you how to store the machine in the off season.  You should listen to him.

jimsz wrote:
Can you clarify what you mean? The electric starter spins, and also turns the engine over, but it just won't start? Or the electric starter tries to engage, but the engine still won't turn? 

If you can reach the flywheel (maybe up underneath the engine shroud, by the electric starter), can you turn the flywheel at all by hand, in either direction? If the electric starter engages but will not turn the engine, and the pull starter meets resistance but won't turn the engine, and you can't turn the flywheel by hand, then I'd be concerned about something rusting together, as New_Yorker mentioned.

That said, I'll be honest, I've never gone through the procedure of adding oil at the end of the season, turning the engine over, and stopping when I feel compression. And I've never had a problem. Mind you, doing that is still a good idea, it can only help. But just because you *didn't* do that shouldn't mean that all hope is lost. Now, if this gets stored unsheltered, out in the rain all summer, the chances of something rusting up increase considerably.

RedOctobyr wrote:

The starter spins but does not engage or able to turn the engine over. Like the poster above you I am thinking it is rusted. I did put some penetrating oil in last night but did not think to cause a vibration to help in the breaking up of the rust. The blower was stored indoors all year but it was a very damp spring, summer and fall and I do not know what steps were taken for storage as that was done by someone else. I'll give the suggestions a try this morning and post back. The assistance is greatly appreciated!

If it spun before being stored, then personally, I'd be surprised if you would run into trouble with it being stored indoors. Damp spring or not, that's still going to be comparatively dry. My snowblower, mower, weedwhacker, etc, are stored in my garage. My lawn tractor is stored outdoors under a tarp. I've never had an issue like that. That certainly doesn't mean it can't happen, of course.

If you have something like a plastic-faced mallet you might want to try that, if you decide to give the engine a whack to add some vibration. Personally, I wouldn't just haul off and hammer on the aluminum block with a steel hammer. Maybe at least put a piece of wood against the engine, and hit that. Maybe don't hit it on the cooling fins, if possible, you don't want to break any of them.

If you've put oil in the spark plug hole, leave the spark plug out when you're trying to turn the engine over. Otherwise you can end up trying to compress the oil as it gets to the compression stroke, and the oil won't compress. It might simply not turn. If the electric starter is actually spinning, but the engine is not, then that sounds strange. The starter should engage with the flywheel. If the flywheel can't turn, then the starter motor shouldn't be turning either. If the gear on the starter motor cannot actually engage with the flywheel (something is stuck on the starter), that could cause the starter to turn, without turning the engine. It may be worth taking a close look at where the starter engages with the engine's flywheel. Perhaps something is bound/jammed up between the two, and the starter itself is actually what's keeping the engine from being able to turn?

If need be, remove the belt cover and see if you can turn the crankshaft.

OK, I have sprayed something similar to WD-40 into the engine via the spark plug hole several times over the last 24 hours. Tapped it with a rubber/plastic coated mallet enough to cause it to vibrate but not jar or damage. No luck. Still can't pull the pull cord or start with the starter. It did run fine when it was stored, we used it all winter without issue. I'm stuck! I'll have to se if I can find the instructions on taking off the starter and/or pull cord. Any ideas?

Actually, yes, remove the belt cover and take the belts off.  Determine if it is a problem with the engine or a problem with the transmission in the machine.  The auger belt is suppose to disengage when not in use, but the drive wheels always have part of the system engaged.