# The auger has stop turning on my four year old PowerSmart snow blower



## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

I've only used my snow blower about a half dozen times. We got about 8 inches of snow last week, so I gas it up and started clearing my driveway. My driveway about one hundred and twenty square feet in size. I was about three quarters of the way done when the auger stopped turning. There were some weeds in the auger which I cleared. That didn't help. My snow blower is self propelled. That still works fine. There are two controllers up one the push arm. I squeeze these controllers. One activates the self propelled function. The other one activates the auger. 
When I activate the one that controls the auger function I can hear a strain being put on the engine, but the auger doesn't turn. I'm fairly handy with mechanical things, but I've never worked on a snow blower. The owners manual's trouble shooting guide has given me some ideas to look first, but I thought this forum might be more helpful.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Is this a single stage or 2 stage?

Posting a photo maty help .... My off hand guess is something got jammed maybe in the bucket, drive belt pulley area, ???? something broke, could be anything really.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Take the auger cover off, look at the belt, start, engage, look.


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## adegrno (Jul 6, 2017)

Have you checked the shear pin? 

Sent fra min SM-G960F via Tapatalk


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

I agree it acts like something is jammed. I don't know what you mean by the "bucket". I'm going to go work on it in about an hour. I'm letting it warm up a little. I'll check all of your ideas. Thanks.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Post some photos would be very helpful.


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

I don't have a camera. sorry


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

rickyd123 said:


> I agree it acts like something is jammed. I don't know what you mean by the "bucket". I'm going to go work on it in about an hour. I'm letting it warm up a little. I'll check all of your ideas. Thanks.


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The bucket is the cross auger housing.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

rickyd123 said:


> "bucket"


That is the auger housing


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

Thanks. I believe something is jammed inside because the engine is bearing down when the auger is engage. If it was broken shear pins then the engine would spin freely. Right?


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

Unplug the spark plug.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Most mobile phones today have a camera built in, as well as most pads and tablets ... just sayin ...

I mention this, because its like saying "my car runs rough, could someone tell me why?"


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

welcome to the SBF 
is that a single stage or 2 stage, single doesn't show any shear bolts just a drive belt in the owners manual on HD's web site


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I asked that in my very first response post, never got an answer .....


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

rickyd123 said:


> My snow blower is self propelled. That still works fine. There are two controllers up one the push arm. I squeeze these controllers. One activates the self propelled function. The other one activates the auger.


Probably 2 stage


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

I didn't answer about single stage or two stage because I don't know. I don't mix the gas if that helps. It's a big one. It cost almost $600 bucks. I don't have a smart phone or a tablet. Just a land line and a desktop computer. I do have high speed internet though. That's something. I'm going to go out and try to fix it. Thank for all your help.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

$600.00 helps a little as the HD website shows a 2 stage for that price, from what i see all those branded machines are a 4 cycle engine so you wouldn't be mixing gas and oil , with you not knowing to be sure it's a 2 stage look inside the front housing on a 2 stage you will see the toothed auger ,auger gear case behind another disc called the impeller the one that forces the snow out the Shute, 

that machine has 4 of part number 303160355 Shear Pin it is very possible that you could have hit something and broken them . photos' of them look very universal 5/16/ 8mm pins you can pick up in most outdoor power equipment shops .tractor supply, walmart,


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)




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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

This is from 2017 I think.


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

It's fixed. I didn't do anything. I took the plastic cover off of the belt assembly. I shined a light at it. Everything looked fine. I wanted to see it working with the motor running and see what happed when I engaged the auger and it didn't work, but when I engaged the auger it did work. I bought it from Home depot. I called them earlier today. They said the tech that works on them will be in at 1:30. I think I'll call him and see if he has an idea, but for now I'm just happy it didn't cost me anything to fix it. Once again thanks for the advice.


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

The picture posted by Zavie looks like mine.


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

You fixed it? 
Good job.


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

They should all be that easy.


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## rickyd123 (Oct 30, 2020)

I didn't fix it. I didn't do anything but start it. I'm a little dumb founded. It has impeller like Captchas described. It didn't have any broken shear pins though. Well I'm done with it until the next big snow fall.


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

Just because the impeller and augers are rotating once you warmed the machine up doesn't mean you fixed it. The friction of the shafts inside the tubes can give you a false reading so it still sounds like broken shear pins to me. Take it outside again and put it back under a snow load and see if the problem comes back.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

broken pins or simply blocked up from slush?


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

As mentioned, many times a shear pin will look good, but sheared as intended, right at the internal auger shaft. It will just spin on its shaft under load.

You also could have sheared the impeller roll pin or shear bolt ... again, looking normal and spinning from friction, until you subject it to a load, then it just spins freely on its shaft.


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