# Craftsman 536-887992 snow blower



## neilweaver (Dec 19, 2013)

Hello to all - 

I went to start the snow blower this year and the manual pull starter feels like it is seized up. I took it off and it pulls fine. So that leads me to some problem with the engine. Does anyone have suggestions that could guide me to a fix for this problem? Thanks.

Neil Weaver


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## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

If when it was put away it was fine. Take out the plug and put a little oil on top of the piston.
remove the belt cover and put a wrench on the engine pulley and turn it over for a while until you can pull it easy with the pull start. Add a little more oil and pulley it over with no spark plug until it is nice and loose. Put the plug back in and fire it up. It will smoke for a bit till the oil burns off.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I'd pull the belt cover and just make sure the belt(s) are loose on the motors pulley. You could also put a wrench on that nut and see if the engine turns but I'd lube that cylinder first.

Instead of oil you might try a penetrating oil like PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench or even a couple squirts of diesel to help free the rings if the rings or cylinder rusted a bit in the off season and that's what is keeping the engine from spinning. These will do a better job of penetrating to where the problem might be instead of just oil. But oil is good too. Might want to add a little engine oil in the spark plug hole once it's free to get it pre-lubed before actually trying to fire it up.

If you have electric start I wouldn't even touch that until you get the engine spinning by hand so you don't damage the starter itself.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Rope start*

Take the rope starter off the engine and look on the inside. One have a plastic tab on the inside that holds the 'arm' in that swings out to engage the flywheel. I've had them go bad but to the area where screw that holds that tab in 'breaking'. The fix was to get a different recoil starter as most I don't think were repairable.

If you have an electric starter and it works ok that way, then helps reinforce the possibility of it being the recoil.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

What did you find ? ? ?


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## neilweaver (Dec 19, 2013)

Thanks to all. The combination of each suggestion, I believe contributed to the resolution. 

Kiss4aFrog - It worked exactly like you described and was quite simple to do. Thanks.

While I was fixing that I discovered the gas line was leaking. I got a replacement hose and fished it through and reconnected. I got it started with one pull. So, I figured everything was good. We got 5 inches of snow over night and when I went to use it this morning, I got it started, but it would only stay running for less than 30 seconds. 

Any thoughts about what might be the issue?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Life is good


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