# Ariens 922020 - Was just fully repaired...



## bryz (Jan 7, 2014)

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction on whether I can do a quick fix or if I need to bring it back to my service guy.

I have an old Ariens 922020 5HP Snowblower that I recently had fully serviced and was running fine after our first big slow fall about a month ago. The carburator was replaced, lines checked, everything greased, etc. and it was working perfectly fine; however, now despite letting it warm up, putting it into gear or interlock to on causes it to lose power and quit. 

Any thoughts? Tank is full of gas, barely used it since it was serviced. Initially I thought it was just extremely cold the last time I tried, but its about 10C warmer today than the last time. I left it to idle for at least 5-10mins before trying today and it still quit despite sounding like it was idling fine before engaging. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Brian


----------



## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

I am wondering if you might have blown a head gasket. It would start and idle OK, but it would not have any power under load. A compression test is in order. The other possibility is a loss of compression due to your valves being out of adjustment. If the valve clearance is too low, your valves don't close tightly and you lose compression. Again, most evident when under any load. MH


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I'm thinking more a carb problem. Governor worki g properly?
Hey, welcome to the forum.


----------



## bryz (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks for the welcome.

FYI, I'm a dentist, not a small engine expert, so I'll do my best to followup on what's being discussed. Since it was working perfectly fine before starting up the last time, I would find a gasket issue to be surprising. A bit more detail on the problem: 1/2/3/4/etc. gears result in normal speed moving, engaging the auger then reduces the power, but attacking snow seems to then reduce power to point of the engine stopping.

Also:

I was slightly impatient waiting for replies, so I brought my snowblower through the front door to take a look at it in better light with a bit of warmth for myself, and noticed that the throttle lever (fast/slow) seemed to be sticking. Followed the line down below the carburator and noticed it didn't seem to move the throttle at the engine at all except from the fast position to slow, but not back to fast again. I pushed it all the way to the fast position, brought it back outside, fired it up, and attempted clearing a bit. There was a slight improvement, but not great.

Light was failing outside, so I couldn't play with the toggle on the engine directly much without risking unwanted consequences, and I didn't want to pollute the inside of myself in the house either.

Is this the governor you're referring to? The toggle this lever articulates with?

Perhaps this amount of information may lead to some greater thought?

I've also stumbled across other problems where there has been some improvement in power by adjusting the carburator? As a novice, I'm not sure this would be the correct direction to take.

Any further thoughts? Also contemplating bringing it in for the night in case something is frozen...


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

You want to go to youtube and snowblower carburetor adjust. You will see a *bunch* of videos posted by doneyboy 73. You will get lots of info there on how to check/adjust your carb.
I can't think of anything else that would cause the problem. Let us know what you find.


----------



## bryz (Jan 7, 2014)

Great resource, those are great videos for a starting point. 



The first thing I should note is that my OCD makes me understand the point of the adjustments before I run out and do them. I hope you can bear with me as I walk through what I've learned, then try to explain my planned approach to examining my engine.



Carburetor Adjustment Screws:
A) Torx Bottom of Carburetor = Fuel Mixture Screw
o “RECC SETTING: 1.5 Turns Out”
B) Slotted Side of Carburetor = Idle Mixture Screw
o "RECC SETTING: 1.25 Turns Out and then only need to adjust Fuel Mixture Screw”

When throttle at full, begin by adjusting the Fuel Mixture Screw until just prior to stalling, turn out until: ?idles well? (see below).


C) Top of Carburetor = “Functions to Adjust Speed of Engine When Throttled Down”
o “Turn In – Idle Faster”
o “Turn Out – Idle Slower”
o “Make adjustments with throttle at notch between High and Low”

If still having problems, try adjusting the idle mixture screw.

Engine Speed Governor Adjustments:
A) Torx Screw on Throttle Mechanism
a. Fns to adjust maximum rev speed at full throttle.
b. Screw In to Increase Maximum Rev Speed at Full Throttle
c. Screw Out to Reduce Maximum Rev Speed at Full Throttle
B) Governor Arm
a. Should be angle slightly posterior towards throttle control.
b. Adjusting Arm Posterior Towards Carburetor à Runs Slower @ High Speeds
c. Adjusting Anteriors Away from Carburetor à Runs Faster @ High Speed
d. Has a Torx T15 To Loosen, and make the adjustments with throttle lever in down position.



And, queue the stream of consciousness:

Confused on where to start… looks like I should check/set the governor as the video demonstrates, then set all the screws to the video’s reccomendations, fire up the snowblower, full throttle, then adjust the fuel mixture screw on the bottom of the carburetor in or out to achieve a good maximum rev. Then how do I decide if I should adjust the governor? I'm assuming if my existing idle speed seems adequate, then the carburator is likely pulling enough fuel, so adjusting the mixture screw won't help much, but adjusting the screw on the throttle to increase the maximum revs @ full throttle might?


Note: I’m confused on what the screw on the top of the carburetor is for, ie. C) Top of Carburetor. Is this the minimum idle speed at low throttle?


Thanks for the help so far, its really appreciated. I always like to address my own problems rather than have someone else fix them for me so that I can rectify issues myself and understand how things work better.


----------



## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

You have read well. Yes, the screw on the top is sometimes referred to as the idle crack screw. The "mixture screw" on the side sets the fuel/air mixture for optimum running. The crack screw ups or lows the idle rpms without regard to mixture. Good luck. MH


----------



## bryz (Jan 7, 2014)

So it seems that it was the throttle that was stuck below full that was the culprit; however, I did adjust the fuel flow a bit as well.

Throttle is still extremely stiff, cannot operate from slow-->fast with the cable, only fast to slow. Thoughts on rectifying that? WD40 didn't seem to penetrate deep enough to loosen it.

Also, when I had the cover off, I noticed the governor seemed to bob back and forth in sink with a slight revving @ full throttle. Normal? Something to adjust?

Besides these two points, seems like she's running like a beast. Thanks again, and in advance, for the help and resources so far.

Brian


----------



## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

If your throttle cable doesn't respond to lubrication, you might consider replacing it. They come in different lengths, so you would have to measure it carefully. Also, the "power plate" that indicates engine speed is important to note before ordering as some are exactly opposite others in how they are marked. 
As far as your governor is concerned, its job is to provide a constant engine speed under varying load conditions. If you are "revving" the engine, it is trying to adjust for the change in rpms...normal. MH


----------



## bryz (Jan 7, 2014)

I think the cable itself is working since it will pull down on the throttle arm to reduce from Fast-->Slow, but when adjust from Slow-->Fast, it doesn't have enough force to push against the sticky throttle.

Are you implying that the cable itself is what should be driving the arm up?
Couldn't I just disassemble and inspect for rust/grit maybe instead since the cable pulls effectively?

Regarding the revving, this is only occurring @ full throttle, when idling, the governor bounces.


----------



## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

I dont know if the shop you brought it to took the carb off or not but I just repaired a snowblower that wouldnt run and had a fuel leak. I did all my usual carb rebuild etc. and after putting it back together the throttle acted completely erratic. wouldnt move with the throttle lever, sticky.

I tried to move the throttle by hand and it was very stiff, the governor wouldnt move it.

removed the carb, moved the throttle on the carb with the carb disconnected---smooth and easy as could be.

tried to move the governor arm---smooth and easy as could be.

reassembled it---sticking

Turns out somewhere along the line the small steel governor link that connects the governor arm the the throttle on the carb got a small bend in it that was binding on the plate with the small hole on the carb it attaches to.

Give me a couple minutes and I will take a picture of what I mean.


----------



## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

once the sticky throttle is fixed the revving is just an adjustment of the high mixture screw on the bottom or a fuel float adjustment.


----------



## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

I think you mean surging or hunting...when the engine changes speeds by itself. Revving refers to the operator throttling up the engine. Hunting is most commonly caused by a lean running carburetor. If you have a high speed mixture screw on the bottom of the carb, try opening it counter clockwise a quarter turn to richen the mixture.
As far as the cable goes, "pulling" is mechanically easier than pushing for a cable. Pulling is less affected by kinks or corrosion in the cable's interior. Pushing requires a smooth passage through the cable housing in order to transmit any force at the other end. A small kink or a binding against the housing caused by corrosion will reduce the pushing force at the working end. Make sure your throttle linkage is well lubricated and try to shoot some wd40 down the housing if you can. If that doesn't do it, replace the cable itself. MH


----------



## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

here are the pics, since youve used it and it was fine after the repair this may not be it but it does not take much to bend the small wire from the governor to the carb.

sorry for the terrible pic quality.

pic 1 shows its good, loose fitting

pic 2 you can see how the small bend just touches the throttle plate. 

it was enough to do everything your describing.

follow what MH said for the revving/hunting issue after the throttle is good.

a pic or 2 may help us help you.


----------

