# Toro 521 (38052) Bogs Down / Won't Push Snow



## lo2e

Hi everyone, I'm brand new here and I'll introduce myself in the newbie thread soon.

I have a Toro 521 (38052 - unsure what year) that I bought second-hand a couple of years ago. It seems to be having a problem actually pushing snow out the chute. It starts off okay, but then seems to bog down and get stuck very easily, even with very light snow.

When there is no snow or very little snow in the auger, everything spins splendidly, but as soon as there is a good amount of snow in there, the auger stops spinning.

I recently had to replace the pulley key and set screws on the pulley, and while I was at it I greased the auger gear box with Mag-1 grease. I've checked the belt and there are no problems there, and after splitting the snowblower apart, I'm able to turn the pulley wheel with absolutely no problem, and the auger blades rotate with the greatest of ease when turning the pulley wheel.

I did notice there seems to be a lot of rust down inside the chamber where the impeller (not sure if that's the right term - the thing that pushes the snow out the chute) is, so I don't know if that's a culprit here.

Thanks for any and all help, this site has been hugely helpful for me so far.


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## classiccat

lo2e said:


> Hi everyone, I'm brand new here and I'll introduce myself in the newbie thread soon.
> 
> I have a Toro 521 (38052 - unsure what year) that I bought second-hand a couple of years ago. It seems to be having a problem actually pushing snow out the chute. It starts off okay, but then seems to bog down and get stuck very easily, even with very light snow.
> 
> When there is no snow or very little snow in the auger, everything spins splendidly, but as soon as there is a good amount of snow in there, the auger stops spinning.
> 
> I recently had to replace the pulley key and set screws on the pulley, and while I was at it I greased the auger gear box with Mag-1 grease. I've checked the belt and there are no problems there, and after splitting the snowblower apart, I'm able to turn the pulley wheel with absolutely no problem, and the auger blades rotate with the greatest of ease when turning the pulley wheel.
> 
> I did notice there seems to be a lot of rust down inside the chamber where the impeller (not sure if that's the right term - the thing that pushes the snow out the chute) is, so I don't know if that's a culprit here.
> 
> Thanks for any and all help, this site has been hugely helpful for me so far.


 Welcome to the Toro Lair of SBF lo2e!!!

Do you have the serial number (next to the model) from your machine? We can get the year from that.

A few things to check...


are you using snowblower belts and not automotive belts? 
are the belts & pulleys free from oil/grease? 
belt tension 
Is the engine bogging down? If so, you may have weak compression (valves, bad head gasket) and/or carb (settings, dirty) and/or governor issues. 
Look into installing impeller kits...a 521 shouldn't be clogging like this...so remedy the issue & an impeller kit will make things much better!
 I'm sure other members will swing by and provide their wisdom as well!!!


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## detdrbuzzard

hello lo2e, welcome to *SBF!!* so is the engine bogging down or just the auger


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## lo2e

Thanks, *classiccat* - responses to your questions, in order:

Serial 6010406
Yes, snowblower belts from the Toro dealer (replaced last year)
I don't happen to see any oil/grease on the belt or pulley
The belt seems to be tight when I press the auger handle, the idler pulley seems to be functioning properly
The engine doesn't seem to be bogging down at all, and I replaced the carb last year (thank goodness for YouTube! )
Just googled "impeller kit" - definitely will try to get one and install it as soon as I can diagnose the current problem!

*detdrbuzzard*, it is just the auger bogging down, no apparent problems with the engine itself.




classiccat said:


> Welcome to the Toro Lair of SBF lo2e!!!
> 
> Do you have the serial number (next to the model) from your machine? We can get the year from that.
> 
> A few things to check...
> 
> 
> are you using snowblower belts and not automotive belts?
> are the belts & pulleys free from oil/grease?
> belt tension
> Is the engine bogging down? If so, you may have weak compression (valves, bad head gasket) and/or carb (settings, dirty) and/or governor issues.
> Look into installing impeller kits...a 521 shouldn't be clogging like this...so remedy the issue & an impeller kit will make things much better!
> I'm sure other members will swing by and provide their wisdom as well!!!


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## Zavie

lo2e, I had a similar problem on my 524, I adjusted my auger belt on my 524 so that
when the auger drive is disengaged the auger very slowly rotated. It moved the snow really good.
After I was satisfied with the way it was throwing I backed off the adjustment just enough so the auger does not rotate when disengaged. Works great now.
Welcome to the forum and best of luck with your 521.


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## classiccat

I believe you have a 1986 model.


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## detdrbuzzard

sounds like an '86 toro 521 by the number you gave, there is an owners manual on the toro website for your machine, the download is free


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## lo2e

Wow, thanks for all the answers so far.

*detdrbuzzard*, I just downloaded the manual, thanks for that tip.

*Zavie*, it looks like from the manual that adjusting the belt involves the clevis linkage near where the handles attach to the rest of the snowblower? Or is there somewhere near the belt itself where I can adjust?

Thanks again all - this site is wonderful.

Edit to add: I forgot to mention that my auger currently does spin very slowly when the auger drive is disengaged, same as what *Zavie* described at first. It has done that as long as I've had it.


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## GustoGuy

Glazed belts can cause much slipping and some times taking off the belts an cleaning the pulleys with brake cleaner and replacing the belts will restore the grip again once you engage the auger. Likewise check the tension on the tensioner for the belt if it is too loose it will allow slipping. Belt should be snug when auger drive is engaged.


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## micah68kj

Welcome from the Keystone state.
Stick around here for a whole and your blower problems will disappear. Lots of good help here.


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## lo2e

Eureka!!!! Turns out it was in fact the belt was not tight enough. I adjusted the clevis linkage to make the idler pulley make the belt tighter when engaged, and voila - works perfectly now without a single clog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can just imagine what the repair bill would have been if I had it sent to a shop (or more likely had someone come get it as I don't have a vehicle suitable to transport it). If you all were nearby, I'd buy you a drink or two or several.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Welcome to the forum 

You need to post a location in your profile so we know if we're close enough.


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## detdrbuzzard

well lookie there you got your 521 fixed and an owners manual all in one day. if you can add an impeller kit to your 521 and read the thread about transporting your snowblower


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## classiccat

Cheers!!!! Dont be a stranger now that your machine works!!!!!


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## lo2e

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Welcome to the forum
> 
> You need to post a location in your profile so we know if we're close enough.


Haha, done - long trek from WI to ME.


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## GustoGuy

[ QUOTE=lo2e;443073]Eureka!!!! Turns out it was in fact the belt was not tight enough. I adjusted the clevis linkage to make the idler pulley make the belt tighter when engaged, and voila - works perfectly now without a single clog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can just imagine what the repair bill would have been if I had it sent to a shop (or more likely had someone come get it as I don't have a vehicle suitable to transport it). If you all were nearby, I'd buy you a drink or two or several.[/QUOTE]


I am glad you figured it out. Since your engine was running well I figured it had to be due to slipping belts. Post a picture of your Snowblower. Welcome to SBF


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## Big Ed

Welcome to the site.

Free drinks.
I didn't say anything can I get a few free drinks?

Have you ever serviced your blower properly?
Not just change the oil, you do change the oil right?


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## lo2e

Big Ed said:


> Not just change the oil, you do change the oil right?


Yes indeed, change the oil at the start of each winter.


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## Big Ed

lo2e said:


> Yes indeed, change the oil at the start of each winter.


I had to add something for the free drinks.


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## NJBill

This is funny. I have this exact same model and exactly the same problem. Did you adjust the clevis on the linkage connected to the handle? The more detail you could give the better.


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## 762mm

NJBill said:


> This is funny. I have this exact same model and exactly the same problem. Did you adjust the clevis on the linkage connected to the handle? The more detail you could give the better.



Yes, that's where it gets adjusted. The manual covers it under the belt replacement section. I believe you have to remove the clevis pin, remove the clevis, turn the adjusting nut counter-clockwise (?) and reinstall everything, then check tension. Extremely simple to do.

Here's a pic of mine:










I had a similar problem on my 826 and remedied it by doing the clevis pin removal and adjustment procedure... took less than 3 minutes and it tightened everything up right as it should be. 

My manual mentions that the belts (both the drive belt and auger belt) should not deflect more that 1/2 inch when a force of approx. 10 lbs is applied. I got it just about perfect, although I only measured deflection by pushing with my thumb on the belts between the pullies on the left side. Note that the drive belt is adjusted differently than the auger belt, at least on my 826 model (it has an idler pulley that moves back and forth on a bolt - that's what you use to adjust that one).

Good luck!


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## NJBill

Thank you. This is very helpful. I'm going to make the fix this weekend and hopefully be more effective with this weekend's coming storm.


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## NJBill

Made this fix today. Works perfectly now. Did a test run through some leftover snow and was throwing 15ft! No need for the impeller kit. Thanks for all the help. Very pleased with this 26yrold machine.


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