# MTD 8/26 Auger Stops spinning???



## pozarskij

12-31-2015

I recently purchased a used MTD 8/26 snowblower from a relative. The machine is in like new condition and hadn't been run in a couple years. After emptying out the gas and cleaning out the carbs the machine ran great Auger and impellers all function properly...Until it snowed. The Auger spins fine and seems connected when no snow is in the unit. When it gets into snow, the auger slows to a stop... The impeller works the entire time though. So far I have looked at the belt tension, (seems tight although i have not taken them off to fully inspect). Looking for my next steps. Thanks in advance for the help. 

Jon


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## Motor City

I would have to say that something failed in the the gear box that turns the augers. Do you feel any kind of vibration? Also check the the shear bolts for the augers, also. With you saying the impeller is still turning, it has to be one of the 2 things, I stated.


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## Clutch Cargo

Ditto Motor City.


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## db9938

I would also inspect the belt and pulley for glazing.


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## unknown1

Motor City said:


> I would have to say that something failed in the the gear box that turns the augers. Do you feel any kind of vibration? Also check the the shear bolts for the augers, also. With you saying the impeller is still turning, it has to be one of the 2 things, I stated.


I am with motorcity on this one.

This picture lets you get things clear in your head..
https://www.toro.com/~/media/Toro%20Media%20Sharepoint%20Libraries/_Images/ProductCatalog594X694/HeavyDutyAugerGearcasesn_pwrmx_gearboxHD_02,-d-,jpg.ashx

If the impeller is spinning but the auger is NOT spinning then there's two possibilities that spring to mind.
1) The gearbox that connects the impeller shaft to the auger shaft is failing. That is an expensive or time-consuming fix.
2) The auger shear pins are broken or missing. That is an easy cheap fix.

To figure out which problem you have... do this....

First disconnect the spark plug (for safety)

a) try to rotate the augers (both sides) by hand. They should not turn by hand. If they DO turn but the shafts they are sitting on do NOT turn...then the shear bolts/pins are missing or snapped. Check each section of the auger. The auger blades are in separate pieces. There will be a shear bolt/pin for each piece.

b) If all the auger blades DO turn together and the auger shaft ALSO turns (but the impeller shaft does NOT turn), then the gearbox (usually sitting in the center of the auger shaft) has probably stripped its cogs/gears. 

Another way of doing the gearbox test is follows...

c) reach in past the augers and try to turn the impeller disc by hand. This will turn the impeller shaft. The gearbox should transmit that motion to the auger shaft and therefore turn the auger blades as you turn the impeller disc. If the augers do not turn at the same time then the teeth in the gears are stripped.

There are a couple of things to watch for....

1) If the only thing hold holding the augers onto their shaft is rust (but not shear bolts) you might be fooled into thinking they are turning when in fact they are almost free-spinning... check the shear bolts again in this case.

2) If the gears are partly stripped but not totally chewed up... the auger may sometimes turn and sometimes not turn when you spin the impeller by hand. This is because some teeth are catching and others are stripped. Everything should turn in unison. In this case you will need to fix the gears. You will probably notice a rough grinding noise in this case as the gears chew themselves up.

That's a lot of words! It will all make more sense as you perform the manual tests and feel what is turning and what is free-spinning.

Hope this helps you diagnose what's happening.
I'm on your side hoping for the shear bolts and not the gears.

Here is a worst case scenario picture:
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6EeebI-plFk/VGPOxW_hgXI/AAAAAAAAoa8/3ERz1bUb3Ys/s1600/DSCN9917.jpg

Let us know what you find.


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## Jackmels

I ran into this last month. There is a flange on the impeller shaft with 3 Tabs that keeps the Auger belt pulley(s) in place. They might be sheared off.


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## pozarskij

*Thanks for the advice*

Thanks everyone for the trouble shooting info. i will try to dive into this thing today and repost when i find the problem.

Jon


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## pozarskij

Sorry for wait on my fix but the problem ended up being a the gears for the drive shaft powering the auger were partially ground down due to previous owner replacing shear pins with bolts. Was able to get replacement parts at Sears and put back together. Due to Lack of snow in Wisconsin this year I didn't get to test it after it was fixed. I guess I can hope for an early winter to test it out. Thanks everyone for all the help.


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## unknown1

pozarskij said:


> Sorry for wait on my fix but the problem ended up being a the gears for the drive shaft powering the auger were partially ground down due to previous owner replacing shear pins with bolts. Was able to get replacement parts at Sears and put back together. Due to Lack of snow in Wisconsin this year I didn't get to test it after it was fixed. I guess I can hope for an early winter to test it out. Thanks everyone for all the help.


It sounds like you needed to dismantle the auger gear box and replace the brass gear.... right? I hope my earlier response helped with the diagnosis.
Good job taking care of all that!


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## 43128

Genuine MTD 20 Teeth Snowblower Auger Worm Gear 917 04861 917 0528 717 04449 | eBay

thats the part you need, you may also need the impeller shaft.


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