# Crack next to spark plug hole



## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

Hi All

Very unhappy right now!!!! I bought a new Deluxe 24 last fall and it worked very well and was pleased with the machine until I did some maintenance on it. When I put the machine away last spring I removed the spark plug to fog the motor and when I was removing the plug I noticed it felt strange when it was threading out, I noticed that the area where the plug is that the valve cover is so close to this area that my spark plug socket was rubbing against it and I figured that was the problem. So I fogged the motor and put my plug back in by hand first so as to not cross thread the cylinder head and than used my socket to tighten to torque specs. Well when I pulled my plug out to check the plug gap today, I had the same issue while removing it. I looked in the cylinder head and saw that the threads for the plug were stripped about 3/16 of an inch in and there is no way to get my plug back in.

I have changed plugs on allot of motors before, and I am always careful to thread the plug in first by hand than use a socket. I think that the Ariens dealer who did the pre - sale work on the blower must of cross threaded the cylinder head and sold it to me that way. I think I am going to have a hard time to convince them that it was nothing that I did, and they are probably going to deny any responsibility. 

So if I can't get them to repair this for me, what do you suggest I do? Should I try going straight to Ariens or try and fix this with a heli coil. I did notice that pieces of the stripped threads came out with the plug so not sure if I need to do anything else to motor except change motor oil which I just did prior to the spark plug mess and hope that all pieces of threads comes out with it. Sorry for the long post but figured I needed to give a good explanation before asking for help.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I vote for heli coil if the dealer gives you the bums rush


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

threaten to take the story to the news, "ariens dealer scams local customer" watch them apologize and fix it for free


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I doubt that the dealer would remove and replace the spark plug, just no reason to do that. So I would go easy on the dealer. That leaves Ariens responsible for the plug installation through their engine manufacturer LCT of your AX engine.

Ariens has a great reputation for customer service and honest dealings. I would talk to your dealer about your findings and see what happens. 

Ariens advises checking and replacing the spark plug when the engine is cool, which you did not say in your story.

Good luck.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Town said:


> I doubt that the dealer would remove and replace the spark plug, just no reason to do that. So I would go easy on the dealer.


Agree that there would be no reason for the dealer to remove a spark plug on a new engine.


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## Duff Daddy (Sep 22, 2014)

Timesert

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. You are probably correct that the dealer is not at fault. As far as removing the plug while engine was hot: No I did not do this, the engine was cold and was not started for weeks. I know that aluminum heads expand when hot and this would make the removal of the plug difficult. Another reason I believe now that it must be a manufacturing default is because after closer inspection I noticed a 1/8 of an inch hair line crack extending out from the edge of the spark plug hole. That had to happen at the factory so I will be contacting my dealer first thing Monday and hope that they can resolve this issue. I have the extended 5 year warranty that Ariens was offering last fall so I hope that they can fix this for me quickly. I will post again when I have this problem fixed, in case anyone else has this issue they will know what to do.

Thanks


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

I think it's a Briggs problem. I doubt the dealer would have removed the plug. Nicely tell your dealer about it and maybe they can get briggs to give you another head for it.


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

*Crack inext to spark plug hole*

Hi All

I posted a week ago about problems with my new Deluxe 24 that I bought last year, with bad threads in the spark plug hole of the cylinder head and having trouble removing/installing plug for first time. I also posted that after closer inspection I noticed a small crack next to spark plug hole. I mentioned that I will be bringing this into my dealer for Warranty repair and this is what happened when I dropped it off.
They said that the technician would determine if this would be a warranty issue or not and if not I would have to pay to fix it. I replied " Why would this not be a warranty issue when this was a bad spark plug install and or manufacturing issue from day one, and than I explained to them that it was not something I did and I have removed and reinstalled countless spark plugs in motors without this happening. 

They again said that the Technician will determine this and we will only be able to look at the machine in 2 to 3 weeks. So now I have to wait for the technician to say to me that either I am lying and I did this damage or that he will get Ariens to fix it under warranty, which will take awhile for parts to come in. So now with 3 snowfalls since than I am back to clearing my driveway with a shovel again. Not good customer service in my mind. I realize that they are the only warranty dealer in my city and they also repair all makes of snow blowers but one would think that since I bought it from them and that they are an Ariens Dealer, that I would at least have a little better service than what I received.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

not even offer to let you have a loaner until it's settled? Humpf! Well - see what they end up doing before jumping to conclusions I guess, but I certainly wouldn't do business with them from here on out.....


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## Boosted3g (Oct 9, 2016)

2-3 weeks to take a look is unacceptable.


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## all3939 (Dec 21, 2014)

Builder said:


> Hi All
> 
> I posted a week ago about problems with my new Deluxe 24 that I bought last year, with bad threads in the spark plug hole of the cylinder head and having trouble removing/installing plug for first time. I also posted that after closer inspection I noticed a small crack next to spark plug hole. I mentioned that I will be bringing this into my dealer for Warranty repair and this is what happened when I dropped it off.
> They said that the technician would determine if this would be a warranty issue or not and if not I would have to pay to fix it. I replied " Why would this not be a warranty issue when this was a bad spark plug install and or manufacturing issue from day one, and than I explained to them that it was not something I did and I have removed and reinstalled countless spark plugs in motors without this happening.
> ...


Builder, 
Time to call Ariens and let them know it's unacceptable that within the warranted period let alone it's brand new, to have to wait three weeks. The least the dealer can do is look at it asap to get the ball rolling and then wait for parts to arrive.


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

*reults from Dealer on Crack in Cylinder Head*

Hello Everyone

Well I just got the results back from the dealer about the crack in the cylinder head of my Deluxe 24 Blower with only about 10 hours on it. Let me refresh your memory about my last post about this.

I was doing my pre season checks and decided to check the gap on the spark plug and when I was removing the plug it was unthreading with some difficultly, and this was done while the motor was cold, in case anyone was wondering. When I tried to re-install the plug it was hard to get started so I took a look at the threads of the plug and they didn't look to bad, but when I looked into the spark plug hole the threads in the cylinder head didn't look so good and I noticed a 1/8 long crack extending out from the plug hole on top of the cylinder head.

I brought the machine to my dealer and this is what the tech said he did. He removed the plug and inspected the threads in the cylinder head for cracks and damaged threads and said that he could not find any cracks in the plug hole and said that the threads were not that bad and replaced the spark plug. He than started the blower and ran it for a few minutes at a high rpm than let it idle for about 30 minutes to see if the plug would come loose or if the crack would of expanded due to the head getting hot . He explained that the plug was still seated properly in the head and that the crack did not get any larger, so he said you can come and pick it up and there will be no charge for this work. They also said that they put an entry in my file about this issue in case in the future any problems will occur due to this that they will have it on record and fix it accordingly.

I was not sure if this was how to leave this so I called MTI which is the Canadian Distributor and spoke to the person who is in charge of service and warranty. I explained to him what was going on and he said he would call the Dealer to find out their results and than he would call me back. When he called me back he explained to me the same thing the dealer said but also said that since you have 2 years left of warranty on the motor that I should use it this way and if anything goes wrong, such as, if the crack gets bigger or there is a problem with the motor to bring it in and the motor will be replaced under warranty, and if nothing happens during this season to bring it to the dealer at the end of the season anyway, to have them check it out to see if anything is wrong and to do this next season as well.

Well that is all find and dandy for now that I have a warranty , but what after the third year the crack finally starts to get bigger and I have no warranty left, I will be stuck having to pay for the repair. I think they are just trying to hold me off until my warranty is over and than it will be me paying for the repairs. I think I will be contacting Ariens directly on this or do you think I should just follow the results I got today?

Thanks


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

So essentially they're saying a crack is normal?!?! Bovine feces!


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

contact ariens directly


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

So the dealer said he could not find a crack, but if the crack gets bigger, bring it back??? What? A little bit contradictory! LOL


Do you have a picture of this mystery crack that the dealer can't find? Might send that to Ariens.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

This just seems foolish on their part to not replace the head. 
So they are gambling that it will not do anything until it is off warrantee and then at that time you will really be pissed and probably will go elsewhere for the repair or even a new machine.

The other gamble is that is fails under warrantee and it will likely inconvenience everyone. The the shop and the customer. Now repair it during the season. You may even have to shovel while waiting for the new head to get installed.

What are the odds it will never get worse? probably very small!

This just seems foolish but never overestimate the intelligence of a corporate decision maker.

I agree with the others that say to call Ariens and push them. 

The other thing you could do if you are getting no where and want to be hard core is take it to an automotive machine shop and have them use a florescent penetrant die on it. It will expose all of the surface cracks. Some you may not see with the naked eye. If there is one good sized crack there may be more. You can also inspect the inside of it too which may have even more compelling cracks.

Good Luck.


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## tuffnell (Dec 1, 2011)

Eventually that crack is going to get bigger, so push Ariens for a replacement head.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Maybe send all your info to LCT directly even though Ariens warranties the engine through Ariens. LCT may step in and send you a new head to keep a customer. Their service question/contact us section is fantastic in my experience and I've received answers for questions within hours to include "call me at this number, it's easier to talk you through it than type an answer." Worth a shot if you feel Ariens isn't answering your situation. Ariens sells a complete product and deals with all sorts of issues over the complete asembly, whereas LCT is a supplier of the power plant and really only cares it works. A replacement head to them is nothing. I know you feel Ariens should be doing that for you, but I focus more on what needs to be done to fix it than proper protocol. My biggest pet peeve with seasonal equipment warranty is the time it takes negates the useful season of the equipment. While it may be ultimately "free" by definition, downtime and travel to and from service have you with a repaired item when you no longer need it. Not a big fan of the dealer only purchase to say the least unless they can get you in and out. 4 week service backlog is a lost season to me:icon-thumbsdown:
Boat dealers are the worst.
[email protected]


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

One of our site sponsors is Ariens. You might want to start a thread about your concern with the cracked head in their specific area of our forum and see what they might say or be able to advise you to do.

Post here - - > Ariens - Snowblower Forum : Snow Blower Forums

My two cents, if they can see a crack the head should be replaced.

.
.


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## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

Maybe I missed it; but I'd still like to see a photo of the crack or the imperfection in the casting that "looks like a crack" . . . . and still passed the LCT Quality Control inspection.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Just contact LCT even if your local Ariens "wanna be homeland security expert" thinks you did it, I have had 3 times with Ariens products that the "lawnmower dealer" would not fix and LCT did. 2 were Sno-Tek and one an orange one. Seasonal "dealers" are nothing more than local QVC hosts. Best choice I have found is to never again deal with the "dealer", only speak with the service mgr, or lead tech. Nobody else there knows anything other than finance and sales count for the month. :smiley-confused013:


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

*Crack in cylinder head*

Hi
I have a year old Deluxe 24 snow blower with about 10 hours on it. While I was doing my pre-season checks I decided to check the spark plug gap. When I tried to remove the plug (while the engine wad cold) it was unthreading with difficulty by hand after using the correct spark plug socket. I did not give it much concern at that time but after checking the gap on plug and I tried to start the plug back into head it would not go in correctly. I had to try to start threading in the plug by hand for about 5 or 6 times until it finally started to thread in but was still threading in not very smoothly. I decided to remove the plug again and take a closer look at the threads on the plug and they looked fine, but when I looked at the threads in the spark plug hole they looked messed up and I noticed a crack about 1/8" long extending outward from the edge of the plug hole on the cylinder head.

I dropped off the blower to my dealer who said they would check it out for me and this is the results I got back from them.
They said that they have seen cracks like this before. They installed a new plug and started the motor and ran it at high speed for a few minutes and than at idle for about 30 minutes and they said that the spark plug was still seated in the head tightly. They said there would be no charge for this and said that I can come and pick it up.

I was not sure if this was the correct way to deal with a cracked cylinder head, so I called MTI which is the Distributor for Ariens products in Canada and spoke to someone in their service department. After explaining to him what I mentioned above, and sent him a picture of the crack in the cylinder head, he said he would contact the dealer who looked at my blower and would call me back. After a short while he called me back and agreed with the diagnosis of the dealer and also said that since I have 2 years left on my warranty on the motor that this is what I should do. He suggested that I use the blower like this, and if anything goes wrong to bring it in and they will replace the motor and if nothing happens this winter to bring it to the dealer anyway so they can inspect if the crack got larger or not. If it did than motor will be replaced, and if not,than to use it again next season and do the same thing after that winter. If after 2 seasons the crack does not get any bigger than the motor should be fine.

Well this is ok during my warranty period but what if the cylinder head crack gets larger or gives me engine trouble after this time. I will have to pay out of my pocket to get the motor repaired or replaced. I believe that they are just trying to put me off until my warranty expires and than I am stuck with a useless motor which I would have to pay to fix. 

Before I bought this blower I did alot of research on different makes and models and Ariens always came out on top of every category. I was very pleased on how this unit performed and was very pleased with my purchase until this issue occurred. I feel that this cylinder should be replaced and any other damage that may of occurred to the motor because of this issue under the warranty.


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

*Photo of cracked head*

Here is a photo of the crack in the cylinder head.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Have you read any responses to your exact other posting?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

The purpose of a thread is to ask a question and then follow it through to it's conclusion.

Not sure why you have started four different threads on the same problem but they are now consolidated into one thread.
Anything to do with the cracked head should go in this thread and not into a fresh new thread unless you want to discuss a new problem.


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

No way would I accept that. Make them replace it now. The price of the cyl head is nothing to them esp seeing as how its all cast in China.


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

Sure appears to be a crack to me! Hard to believe any dealer mechanic would deny you warranty replacement. 
Like others have said, try another dealer or contact Ariens or lastly an LCT repair center.
Totally unacceptable lack of concern on this dealer.


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

jtclays said:


> Have you read any responses to your exact other posting?


Yes I have read the responses and I will be contacting Ariens directly after the Holidays. I started multiple threads on the same topic just to keep everyone up to date on the issue.


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## Builder (Feb 10, 2016)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> The purpose of a thread is to ask a question and then follow it through to it's conclusion.
> 
> Not sure why you have started four different threads on the same problem but they are now consolidated into one thread.
> Anything to do with the cracked head should go in this thread and not into a fresh new thread unless you want to discuss a new problem.


I did as you suggested to post in the forum that is sponsored by Ariens and somehow my post ended up being posted back into the very first forum when I started this thread. I have posted a few times on this topic just to keep members up to date on what is happening, if this is against the policy of this forum I apologize. I will not post anymore.


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## FearlessFront (Aug 18, 2016)

Make sure your top dead center when you start working on this thing, it takes one small piece of aluminum to scratch the bore and its a done deal, oil will pass the rings and you'll start loosing compression. After your done working take an air compressor and blow the top of the piston valve's, etc and make sure all metal shaving/pieces are off.
How much would it be to just get a new head. That is your best option.
A helicoil is not a permanent fix and sometimes it causes problems if the spark plug is not exactly where it was before. An engine I purchased was repaired with a helicoil and the sparkplug was off a little and it caused major carbon buildup above the valves which made the engine burn oil and smoke and when I went to remove the spark plug, the helicoil came out with it stuck onthe carbon built up messy tip of the spark plug. I put a new head and head gasket on that engine and a new sparkplug and it was good to go.
Also I really am not surprised to hear their was a crack in the head as the one person said during quality control. They build these engines in China on the Super cheap, they are worth about $10 bucks U.S. a piece. I've seen them sell 10 for $100 when bought in bulk. If the engine is really only worth $10 and they sell them for even $100, its usually much more, they are making a huge profit on them, the parts are dirt cheap to make, the labor to have them built and put together is dirt cheap, its not a big surprise. I hear issues on these engine's all of the time. You can get the Predator for $99 which is the exact same thing and that price if you get a dud its not a huge deal, when you buy one of these other brands at 3 to 4 hundred that hurts....
Other than the Predator I stay away from all of those Chinese Honda clones.


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