I got an older AMF Polar Bear walk behind snow blower today. It was free... Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone has info on manuals, parts supplies, etc. The guy said it runs but it didn't start for me. It has a Tecumseh engine. The "clutch" for the drive wheels seems to be out. It's a friction plate with the sliding rubber wheel that moves for speeds, neutral, and reverse. It could be that the "rubber band" is dried out and cracked and needs to be replaced. Any help or resources would be great! Thanks.
Sam
Sam,
I own one of these machines and I have a owners manual. There is a belt tensioner under the cover in front of your gas tank, that is the first thing to check, there is one belt that runs the auger and one for the axle. The second thing to check is that there is no grease on the rubber wheel and disc that it rides on. If you take the back cover off that the transmission selector rod runs through you can view the axle drive mechanism. Start your machine and see if the axles are turning and if they are the problem is in the pawl gear that drives the cogged wheels. Starting has three needs, primer which is the knob on the back left, make sure this stays in the out position after priming or it will flood. If the sproing is broke use a alligator clip on the shaft behind the knob to ensure it stays in the out position. Use full choke and wide open throttle while cranking.
