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

Most Common Damage Done to any and all snowblowers is NOT preparing the engine and machine for the summer months.  The most necessary part of this is to prevent the unused engines one engine piston rings from rusting themself to the cylinder wall.  The solution is simple and easy if you posess the tools and the technical know how to change a spark plug.    Go to a local drugstore and buy a plastic syringe, tell them you need it to feed liquid medicine to a sick cat.  Then go home and remove the spark plug from the engine on your snowblower.  Fill the syringe with ordinary clean fresh motor oil, and empty it into the engine cylinder, then pull the starter cord a few times to distribute the oil on the cylinder walls and the piston rings, then  replace the spark plug.  Now Pull the cord slowly until it provides the maximum resistance, and then stop pulling.  This will effectively have closed all the engine valves and will keep the warm moist air of summer from getting into the engine cylinder.  This must be done every year once the threat of snow is gone.  April Fool's Day is a good day to remember if you've done such chores.

The other things are less important since they will not be so damaging, but drain all the gas out of the tank, the carburetor, and the lines.  Cover the machine with a plastic cover that allows air movement, like a piece of woven plastic or most housewraps, so long as yoy store the snowblower in a garage and out of the sun.  

Remember that snowblowers have no air filters so it is common for moisture-water to be injested during a snow storm.  For this reason I put the machine in the garage and run it until the gas runs out once I have shut off the fuel line.  My old snowblower required that I install an In-Line fuel shut-off valve because the $ 1100.00 bucks I paid wasn't sufficient for MTD to have included one when they built my Sears Craftsman Snowblower.  So if your engine has no fuel shut off, you too should install one yourself.    Oh, and always use gas that has sufficient fuel stabilizer in it, and always use fuel that is less thyan six months in the can even if it does have stabilizer in it.  Thenattempting to start the snowblower when you awake to the blizzard won't throw you into a state of panic.

Can someone explain this to me?
im sure there is a good reason for this, but I dont understand it:

When you are running the snowblower normally (or any small gas engine, lawnmower, etc)
isnt there *always* oil on the cylinder wall?
thats how engines are lubricated right?

So what is the point of removing the spark plug and adding in this "extra" oil?
isnt there oil in there already? coating the cylinder wall?
the point of this procedure I do not understand..seems like there is oil in there already..
can someone explain?
thanks,
Scot

sscotsman wrote:
The oil is in the bottom of the engine.  The top of the cylinder doesn't have oil unless you have an issue with the rings leaking.  The idea is just to stop the top half from rusting since if you get corrosion on the walls and then run the engine you could scratch it.  Having the piston at TDC for storage means that the piston is covering the entire cylinder and protecting it.  It could be compared to a hydraulic cylinder.  When not in use you should retract it completely so the bare metal isn't exposed to the elements.

sscotsman wrote:
Scot,

The oil control rings are in the lower grove of the piston and are designed to scrape the oil off the cylinder wall and return it to the sump. The top two groves have the compression rings and they don't normally see any oil if the oil rings are doing there job.  Adding oil through the spark plug hole will coat the top of the piston and in turn get pushed into the compression ring groves when you pull the engine over a few times.  Stopping the engine at TDC on compression stroke will ensure that both the valves are closed preventing moisture or critters from entering through the intake or exhaust. 

hirschallan wrote:

It is just made out of 1/4" copper round stock

About oiling the cylinder......

How many participant do this for car, truck, tractor, generator, motorcycle engines that are either put into storage or unused for months/years on end? 

How many participants have taken apart an engine that they had put into long term storage?

How many participants who've actually opened up an engine that was stored reasonably well, without oil in the cylinder found the rings rusted to the cylinder?

The answers should give us some idea of how necessary/unnecessary this procedure really is.

Waaaaay to many people giving out dire warnings of essential maintenance that is really not required.   I have to wonder if these people even own basic tools to do mechanical work?

When someone has an imaginary snowblower it is not any more work for that  person. 

MN_Runner wrote:
Good point.

I never considered the fantasy mechanics cluttering up the pages with their infinite knowledge. 

Will the real David from NJ please step forward?

As a rule I don't add oil or fog the cylinder in my OPE. However I always fog the cylinders in my outboard motors for the reason that all the marine service centers do it and it is directed in all the owners manuals. I don't think that fogging can hurt anything but over doing will certainly cause a smokey start up. In the world of model airplanes both the 2 and 4 stroke engines require an after run oil in the cylinder. The 4 stroke engines have valves but lack an oil sump so they use 2 stroke fuel for lubrication. These are Dykes ring equipped engines with ABC metallurgy (aluminum,brass and chrome). There is upwards of 5% nitro in the fuel along with alcohol and either castor or synthetic oil or a blend of both. I can tell you from experience that failure to use after run oil to fog the engine will seriously effect engine longevity and performance. I'm wondering if with the ever increasing percentages of alcohol in pump gas and it's ability to draw moisture if fogging isn't something to consider when storing seasonal use OPE. Marc

That's an interesting point. My 2-stroke, glow-plug engine in my RC truck runs on fuel that's primarily methanol, if memory serves, with 15-20% nitro, and I think it's synthetic oil. As you said, I used after-run oil after every use, per the manual, due to the water-absorbing qualities of the fuel. I haven't run it in a long time (~6 years or so). I tried the engine recently, it's been stored in my basement, which is pretty dry (I run a dehumidifier in the summer). The engine had always turned freely when I'd checked it before, but this time it wouldn't move. I was afraid it had finally rusted up. But with slowly working it back and forth, I got it to start moving (I think the oil was just sticky, it never felt like anything was grinding or gritty), then warmed it with a hair dryer, and then I could turn it over normally. Added some more oil through the plug hole, and put it away again. The after-run oil had me a bit nervous this time, but it seems to have done its job.

I probably won't start adding oil to my OPE when I put it away. But it wouldn't hurt to leave it on the compression stroke, at least (that takes 2 seconds). I use stabilizer in everything. But I might try also running machines dry before putting them away. I typically just leave the stabilized gas in them.