# Tecumseh 5HP dies when auger is engaged



## kodogoro10 (Jan 6, 2014)

Hey all, tis the season for broken down snow-blowers. I have a Ace 24" snow-blower with a Tecumseh 5hp HSSK50-67366S. I got it form my brother-in-law for free because he gave up on it after it stared dying when he engaged the auger. It sat in his garage for a few years before I got my hands on it. I began trying to get it running so I have cleaned the carb 3 times, put in a new spark plug, replaced the o-rings on the nozzle, replaced the float pin and seat, and ran a tank through it with a fuel additive. It took a while , but eventually I was able to get the thing running without having to have the choke open. As I was attempting to get it started, it continuously backfired and shot a blue flame from the muffler. Once I had it started for about twenty minutes I was able to engage the self-propelled gears and it moved fine. When I engaged the auger it bogged down and died. I attempted to get it running for a while but finally quit because I am sure my neighbors were getting irritated listening to it running at 11:30pm(we got a ton of snow last night so it was somewhat justified). Today, I tried to start it again and it took many attempts to get it to stay running and it was still backfiring and blowing the blue flame. Once I was able to get it to stay running, I attempted the auger again and it died. I have been through a ton of forums and found many with the same issues, but no solutions. Many responders said it was a carb issue and to clean the jet which I have done.One post I found described my exact symptoms and said it is an exhaust issue rather than a carb issue. I am just about ready to throw in the towel , but am looking for any last ditch effort suggestions. I have enough time in this thing that I am determined to throw snow with it. Thanks in advance for your responses.


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## mkd (Dec 31, 2013)

kodo did you have the brass nut off the bottom of the float bowl? if so did you clean the little holes in that brass nut? what have you got the idle mixture and high speed mixture set at? idle should be close to 1 turn out and high speed initial is 1 1/2 turns out but on mine it ended up about 2 1/4 turns out to run good.


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## kodogoro10 (Jan 6, 2014)

The brass nut is the jet that contains the holes, I did clean them. That seems to be a very common issue so I was somewhat disappointed when that did not correct my issue. On my carburetor the nut on the bottom of the carb pan does not have the adjustable screw. It is a fixed jet as I have seen some call it. Thanks for the response though.


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## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

2 problems. The running and the dying with the auger engagement.

Blue flames happen sometimes, no big deal but blue flames with hard starting and back firing could be a lot of things.

Start simple. Check the flywheel key. If it is partially sheared it will throw the motor out of time. 
After that I would start looking at the exhaust valve adjustment or just not closing fully.

Checking adjustment is easy enough. Behind the carb on the block is the breather. Under those plates are the valves.


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## kodogoro10 (Jan 6, 2014)

I'll give that a try, thanks.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

Air in, air out, fuel, compression, spark. Chances are Air in and out are fine, and compression is probably OK, leaving fuel and spark.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

You have two issues. One seems to be timing more than the carb.

I was interested in the second. Dies when you engage the auger. If it stays running when you engage the drive for the wheels but dies when you engage the auger it makes me wonder if there is a bad bearing in the impeller / auger that is causing the engine to struggle and die. If you pull the belt cover off can you manually take the belt and pull it and see if the impeller/auger drive pulley turns and is it turning fairly easy ?? Of if your hand is small enough reach down to the drive pulley and feel how it spins. Pull the spark plug lead before sticking your fingers in there


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I am with the others with thinking it is your exhaust valve. Especially with a 5 HP engine as those seem to pop up on here regularly like that.


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## kodogoro10 (Jan 6, 2014)

@ Kiss, I have pulled the shroud to inspect the belts. They seem to move freely and it take very little load to make the engine die. If I barely push down the auger lever it begins to bog down. Also, I have an uncle in Hudson. If you know a dentist named Mel Olson tell him I said hey . I am also thinking that it is the exhaust issue, but my knowledge of small engines is pretty minimal. I am going to dig in and do my best. Is there any secret to adjusting the exhaust valves?


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

kodogoro10 said:


> @ Kiss, I have pulled the shroud to inspect the belts. They seem to move freely and it take very little load to make the engine die. If I barely push down the auger lever it begins to bog down. Also, I have an uncle in Hudson. If you know a dentist named Mel Olson tell him I said hey . I am also thinking that it is the exhaust issue, but my knowledge of small engines is pretty minimal. I am going to dig in and do my best. Is there any secret to adjusting the exhaust valves?


 That engine has seen more than it share of problems with the exhaust valve pounding the seat and causing no gap between the lifter and the valve stem. There is not adjustment of the valve to lifter clearance. You need to first determine what the gap between the valve stem and the lifter is then you need to grind the valve stem down to get the proper gap if it is too tight. I think the lash or gap on that engine is around .008 to .010 but i am not sure. You should be able to find a video on youtube showing you how to remove the valves and grind the stem to get the proper clearance. you must keep the end of the valve stem square when you grind or file it down.


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