# Snowblower Won't Stay Running.....



## longislandcamper22 (Jan 7, 2017)

I have a little 16" Toto SS that my family bought for me about 9 years ago. Here's my machine. Toro CCR Powerlite 38182 snow blower, Don?t Buy: Safety Risk

All of our gas here has ethanol and this thing gums up all the time, even with stabilizer. I've brought it to the shop in the past for repairs but I finally decided to try it on my own. This is the first time I've ever worked on anything engine related. Everything I now know about engines is from watching youtube videos recently. lol

About 2 weeks ago I cleaned out the brass bolt that's on the carb with some carb cleaner. I then used store bought 50:1 mix in the tank along with some seafoam. This got my machine running but she would die instantly at half choke. I then started her up again and sprayed some seafoam into the carb at half choke and I got her to run a bit longer. Subsequent blasts of seafoam helped but she would still stall when I moved away from half choke. I eventually sprayed enough seafoam directly in the carb at half choke to get her to stall and she sat like that for 2-3 weeks.

Last night I did a better job of cleaning. I completely removed the carb and disassembled it. I took the float off and stuck some carb cleaning wire in all the holes on the carb and then hit the holes with carb cleaner. I then repeated the process for each hole. I then shot all the holes with my air compressor.

Next up I drained my fuel tank and shot some compressed air up the fuel line into the fuel tank and I had the cap off. I then sprayed out the fuel tank before spraying out the fuel line again and then the tank again.

At this point I put everything back together and poured some store bought 50:1 fuel in the tank with a few caps of seafoam in the tank for good measure. She started right up and spewed a bunch of white smoke from the seafoam she had in her from 2-3 weeks ago. After about 15 seconds I went to half choke and everything was still good and eventually the white smoke stopped. I then opened the choke and she stalled shortly afterwards.

She seems to run OK while choked and half choked but I really didn't let her run for more than 30-40 seconds. None of this involved snow, this was all in my garage last night. 

Any idea what else might be wrong?

Last month I finally upgraded to a 24" Ariens Platinum so it's not imperative that I get this machine running. We currently have about 12" of wet snow that is just ending so in about an hour I'm going to finally bust out the Ariens for the first time. It's a shame because she's so pretty right now. lol


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

judging from what you are saying it seems the carb is not getting enough fuel to keep up with the air. that is why it runs on choke and once it goes off it leans out and stalls.

it if everything is clean all passages and emulsion tube, idle and main circuit. i dont really know what it could be i wouldnt say bad gas or something like that.


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## dhazelton (Dec 8, 2014)

If something won't run without choke it's usually the idle or slow speed jet that's clogged and you really need a magnifying glass to see all the little holes. You carb is still not as whistle clean as you think it is.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Here's a break down pictorial of a very similar carb with a different governor hook up for reference.
Disassembly, Cleaning and Repair of Tecumseh Carb 640342 on a Sears 143.025071 Engine
Those carbs can be VERY picky about any extra air. Bowl gasket is first thought or the rim of the bowl is corroded and this will draw too much air. The two gaskets (one on either side of the plastic insulator) between carb and engine can be a source, too. If it'll run at half choke try spraying carb cleaner around the engine to carb area and see if the tone changes. If not try a little around the bowl gasket trying not to let the mist go up into the choke area. Otherwise I've seen people knock the atmospheric vent plug into the carb body. It's press fit in the hole and VERY tiny, like one strand of a wire wheel small (reference picture #19). If you poked anything bigger in there it'll push the plug right on through into the welch plug cavity inside. The idle pick up is hard to see inside the main stalk (reference picture #9) but needs to be clear. When they are clean and running good gas they're great. When they run like you're describing it's PIA because as you know the bolts to mount the carb are not in the best spot for bigger hands:[email protected]: After chasing all that it can also be the crank seals finally wearing out and that causes extra air.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I agree with the others, dhazelton said your carb was not as clean as you think it is. Use a dip solvent tank or buy another carburetor.


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## longislandcamper22 (Jan 7, 2017)

I'll try to clean it again when I get around to it but there's no rush as my new Ariens is freaking awesome. 

I haven't looked at the spark plug yet. Do you think that may be the issue being it's 9 or 10 years old or do my symptoms begin and end with the carb?


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I would say your problems are with the carb (possibly including gaskets), I wouldn't worry about the spark plug.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Agree it's not the spark plug. I never replace a spark plug. Any spark plug I've replaced for an issue, never solved the issue. Still had it. Never made a difference. I'd like to say it's never the spark plug as long as it looks good. Look at a car spark plug, how often it fires, and how long it lasts, how many tens of thousands of miles, a hundred thousand miles, firing all the time, for hours a day. A lawnmower never fires as much as a car, not as long anyway you look at it.

Go back to the carb.

2 things run an engine, spark and gas. You either have spark or you don't, or it's very weak. If you spray ether in the carb and the motor runs and stops, it's not spark, it's fuel.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I've actually had a problem be the plug, once. It even visibly sparked when I laid it up against the engine, to check it. But the engine stayed really hard to start. Finally replaced the plug, being kind of out of ideas, and suddenly it was a lot easier to start. 

But with your symptoms, I still believe that your problem is fuel-related, not spark. 

It's worth noting that you can sometimes buy a new carb (Chinese) on eBay for $15-20, depending on the model of carb that you need. Especially if you've done a bunch to this one and it's still not quite right, replacing it may be a worthwhile option.


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## all3939 (Dec 21, 2014)

You say you took carb apart. Perhaps you haven't replaced the bowl in the right position thus not getting enough fuel due to the float cutting off fuel supply prematurely.


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## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

What symptoms originally prompted you to clean or re-build the carburetor ?

Any similarity to what you're experiencing now ?


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## a1411832 (Dec 19, 2016)

i would recommend using carb cleaner and blow all the jets through them. All of the gunk would spit out.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

dhazelton said:


> If something won't run without choke it's usually the idle or slow speed jet that's clogged and you really need a magnifying glass to see all the little holes. You carb is still not as whistle clean as you think it is.


not familiar with this machine but when this happens with a honda , i just change out the idle jet if cleaning did not work, and then she's good as new.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

If by chance you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, those can be a great tool for cleaning carbs.


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## dhazelton (Dec 8, 2014)

I recently cleaned an old Trail 90 carb that hadn't bee run since 1981. Carb cleaner wouldn't touch the jets at all and then I read about Hoppes No. 9 gun cleaner, so I soaked the jets in that stuff for several days. I had no wire small enough to poke out the holes so I used the spring from a pen and uncoiled it as straight as I could and softened the tip on some emery cloth. I was able to push that wire through and see daylight. Bike idled beautifully after that. There were holes in it you you didn't know where even there before the cleaning with Hoppes.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

longislandcamper22 said:


> I'll try to clean it again when I get around to it but there's no rush as my new Ariens is freaking awesome.
> 
> I haven't looked at the spark plug yet. Do you think that may be the issue being it's 9 or 10 years old or do my symptoms begin and end with the carb?


update???


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