# Draining Fuel - Ariens 28



## Bob_Cabbit

Hi All -

I am new to the forum and have a quick question I know someone can help me with. I own an Ariens Deluxe 28 which I purchased brand new in 2015, only to use it once last winter. Well, I left some gas in the tank and now it won't start. I have done some research on the forum and everything is telling me to drain the fuel and try fresh fuel before anything else. My question is how do I do this. Can I drain all the fuel through the screw underneath the carb? I know this is a complete rookie mistake but any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

Bob


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## UNDERTAKER

* if the carb is not all screwed up I would just dump fresh gas in there to mix with old and burn that up. but if the carb is gummed up then you are looking at a rebuild. every time the carb goes down on SR. I farm that job off to my jet mechanic next door neighbor. the only thing I can do is screw those Bloody things up.:facepalm_zpsdj194qh:facepalm_zpsdj194qh*


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## Bob_Cabbit

Thanks for the reply. What is the easiest way to know if the carb is the problem?


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## linksbox

When you remove the bolt at the bottom of the carb, does anything that does not look like clean gas come out?
If so, then you need to remove carb and do some serious cleaning. 
If it is clean, you can drain the old gas, put new gas with Sea Foam (up to 50/50 mix) and try starting it.
Don't forget to check the spark plug. If the sea foam does not help, remove the carb and clean it.


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## Bob_Cabbit

Thanks for the help, I'll let you guys know how I make out.


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## nwcove

does your carb bowl have two bolts ? if so, only remove the one thats on an angle to drain it. the bolt that goes straight up from the bottom holds the bowl on.


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## Town

nwcove said:


> does your carb bowl have two bolts ? if so, only remove the one thats on an angle to drain it. the bolt that goes straight up from the bottom holds the bowl on.


I use that angled screw on the bowl to drain the fuel tank since the hoses are not that easy to get at. The center mounted bolt tightens the bowl against a very small gasket which moves out of position if loosened. Quite the job to replace, not like other carbs that use a large gasket that tends to stay put if the center bolt is loosened. 

If you turn off the gas and drain the fuel from the bowl in a container you may see some liquid at the bottom of the gas that will not mix with gas. It is water sodden alcohol that will not burn. Toss that and open the fuel drain and see if you get more "water". If not the engine should start on the remaining fuel. Fuel without ethanol will last without additional chemicals.

Good luck.


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## Car78412

Wouldn't turning off the gas feed and running the engine dry prevent gumming up the carb?


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## Town

Car78412 said:


> Wouldn't turning off the gas feed and running the engine dry prevent gumming up the carb?


I think that would reduce the problem because the fuel height in the bowl and jets would be reduced. However, there would still be fuel to go bad. Draining the carb bowl would eliminate the possibility of a problem.

Good luck.


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## Bob_Cabbit

Hi All -

Thanks a lot for all the replies, definitely appreciate it! I ended up taking out the small bolt to the carburetor bowl and drained it (I am pretty sure I previously flooded it). Then I turned the fuel switch on and the remaining gas poured out. All of the fuel coming out looked fine so I replaced with fresh gas. 2 pulls and its started up fine, some smoke came out and blew the cobwebs off but I think I am ready for the winter. 

I may change the oil out and grease the points even though I literally only used for one storm we had last winter. Any thoughts on this - necessary?

Thanks again,

Bob


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## Loco-diablo

Definitely change the oil at least. Oil gets contaminated over time sitting in the engines. Cheap insurance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## GoBlowSnow

Naah, not necessary, as long as your oil level is good, the fresh gas is the big thing. Have fun! Send us a photo of your unit too.


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## GoBlowSnow

Remember that oil now a days have detergents and ad packs in them to keep them good longer. If you are using a good quality oil, you can go 2-4 years of light use before changing. This is especially true if you are using full synthetic oil. And, the only way oil gets contaminated is either you keep the dip stick out of the dip stick hole, or you actually use the machine a lot.


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## Town

Bob_Cabbit said:


> Hi All -
> 
> Thanks a lot for all the replies, definitely appreciate it! I ended up taking out the small bolt to the carburetor bowl and drained it (I am pretty sure I previously flooded it). Then I turned the fuel switch on and the remaining gas poured out. All of the fuel coming out looked fine so I replaced with fresh gas. 2 pulls and its started up fine, some smoke came out and blew the cobwebs off but I think I am ready for the winter.
> 
> I may change the oil out and grease the points even though I literally only used for one storm we had last winter. Any thoughts on this - necessary?
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Bob


The factory says to change the oil every year or more frequently if used a lot. The oil you see on your dipstick is not representative of the oil at the bottom of the crankcase that is actually lubricating your engine. For a few dollars you have peace of mind with an oil change as the factory specify. 

I think your main problem areas would be where water can get in and rust the parts. The 3 major areas are the wheel hubs and the auger shafts and the gears and hex sliding shaft for gear selection. 

For the auger shafts remove the bolts to allow the augers to spin and grease the zerks. When you replace the shear bolts they should pickup grease, tighten the bolts but not so tight that you cannot turn the bolt by hand, the lock nut will keep it safely attached.

For the wheel hubs Ariens does not lube at the factory, so it is important to lube soon. Water gets in and rusts the wheel hub to the axle. Support the chassis to allow the wheels to be off the ground. Lift up on the retaining key to clear the axle shaft end and slide the key off. Notice that there is a spacer on one axle end but not the other, this is because the axles are different to accommodate the Auto Turn differential. Keep that spacer for the correct side.The wheel should pull off the axle, but mine were seized before the end of the first season. There is a keyway cut into the both axles and keys, try to keep them in their original orientation because one edge is tapered slightly to ease the wheel into place over the key. Clean up the hub center bore and the axle shaft. Lubricate the wheel hub center and the axle shaft with waterproof grease and replace the retaining key and wheel and spacer on one side and the locks. 

For the gears, there is a zerk fitting on right side of chassis just above the axle and behind it. That needs a couple of pumps of grease but not much. The gears inside the chassis need a little grease since the factory does not lubricate them. The gear shift has a hex shaft running across the chassis that needs just a little grease to keep the rubber tired wheel assembly sliding smoothly.

Good luck.


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## linksbox

Change the oil, its part of yearly maintenance. If you don't use your machine often change every year, if you do use it a lot, change every 20 hours.
Its not a lot of volume and its cheap enough but it will make you feel better, and what machine does not like some fresh oil


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