# Ariens Gas Cap 921052



## Paulie139 (Sep 25, 2017)

Cardo111 has pointed out that there have been issues with some of Ariens gas caps not wanting to go back on without a fight. He, himself, has experienced it firsthand with his machine. On the other hand, I have had no issue with mine. In an effort to figure out why it is occurring, here are some pics of my gas tank/cap so they can possibly be used as a comparison to others who are experiencing problems with theirs. I tried to get as close as I could from a variety of angles. I hope this helps.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Wow Paulie, you da man! Nice post and pics to help out your fellow brothers. Just looking at the cap it seems to be an over complicated design for what's needed to get the job done. I've always wondered when reading threads about hard to use gas caps and thinking "what am I missing" The gas caps on my Toro and Husky, (Briggs) and Honda lawn mower look nothing like those pics. Just how many separate pieces are needed to make one cap?


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## Paulie139 (Sep 25, 2017)

Zavie said:


> Wow Paulie, you da man! Nice post and pics to help out your fellow brothers.


Like I tell my kids, "You get out of life what you put into it."

This site has helped me immensely over the past several months so now I can start giving something back.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

On my 2015 model Platinum 30 SHO there was a coil of wire sitting on top of the screen to which was attached a tether to the gas cap. This made the cap difficult to deal with. Removing the wire coil and the tether solved the gas cap removal problem, back in 2015. I cannot see the coil or the tether in the above pics so Ariens figured it out too from all the negative comments and how to fix the problem.


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## Paulie139 (Sep 25, 2017)

Town said:


> On my 2015 model Platinum 30 SHO there was a coil of wire sitting on top of the screen to which was attached a tether to the gas cap. This made the cap difficult to deal with. Removing the wire coil and the tether solved the gas cap removal problem, back in 2015. I cannot see the coil or the tether in the above pics so Ariens figured it out too from all the negative comments and how to fix the problem.


Cardo111 said he's literally been 10-15 minutes getting his cap back on - does that sound like what you were going through, Town? That would be a MAJOR PITA to be messing around with that in cold temps. I hope we can get some resolution for him.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Paulie139 said:


> Cardo111 said he's literally been 10-15 minutes getting his cap back on - does that sound like what you were going through, Town? That would be a MAJOR PITA to be messing around with that in cold temps. I hope we can get some resolution for him.


Not that long for me or as I remember from others so inflicted, but it did take a while and frustration sets in which increases the time. I removed the coil and tether and the screen. That gives lots of room for the cap to fit down in the neck and close properly. There is another screen at the fuel exit shutoff in a little well just above the minimum fuel level so the filler neck screen can be eliminated.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Paulie, I really appreciate you taking the time to post this excellent thread with great photos. The gas cap opening has been slightly redesigned, the recessed filler opening in the tank now has the strainer holder under the cap opening slots (one on each side of filler opening) on the 2015/2016 369cc Gen 3 LCT engine it sits on top of the filler opening and has to be lined up with the 2 cap opening slots before installing the fuel cap. The gas cap is the same. I have a replacement gas cap that I was able to install tonight without issue. Excited about that, my original cap was a little off. I agree with Zavie much more complicated than it has to be, Ariens tech support said they did it for emissions reasons, an anti-spill design. Perhaps they tried to copy Honda, not sure why. I know on the 420cc Briggs Polar Force engine on the Pro Series it's also a bayonnet style cap but a much simpler design. I'm pleased that is does work now but I still prefer the old screw on caps, still used on LCT engines with less than 306cc's.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

A strainer on a snowblower? That's over kill. I can see it on a leaf blower because of the dirty conditions, but not on a snow machine. If that strainer is a problem take it off and throw it away.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Ariens hydro pro said:


> A strainer on a snowblower? That's over kill. I can see it on a leaf blower because of the dirty conditions, but not on a snow machine. If that strainer is a problem take it off and throw it away.


The strainer, actually 2 strainers, are not for the working conditions of the snowblower they are insurance against foreign matter in the gas "can" used to refill the blower gas tank. It is surprising how debris can form in those plastic or metal containers even when being careful.

Your snow blower also has a screen at the fuel shutoff valve. I installed the Pro 6 liter tank a couple of years ago. 

Good luck.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Ariens hydro pro said:


> A strainer on a snowblower? That's over kill. I can see it on a leaf blower because of the dirty conditions, but not on a snow machine. If that strainer is a problem take it off and throw it away.





Town said:


> The strainer, actually 2 strainers, are not for the working conditions of the snowblower they are insurance against foreign matter in the gas "can" used to refill the blower gas tank. It is surprising how debris can form in those plastic or metal containers even when being careful.
> 
> Your snow blower also has a screen at the fuel shutoff valve. I installed the Pro 6 liter tank a couple of years ago.
> 
> Good luck.


I use only my Chilton vintage gas cans with the built in brass screen in the spout when filling power equipment. Those cans get filled with non-ethanol gas.


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## Dee74 (Nov 18, 2017)

The gas cap is my only complaint on my 2015 Deluxe 28 SHO. Your cap looks different than mine. I have to line up the cap with the notches in the screen and then line those up with the notches in the neck of the tank. This can be tricky especially when it is cold and blowing out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Same thing. The gas cap was my only complaint on my 2016 Deluxe 28 SHO. Loved the machine.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Dee74 said:


> The gas cap is my only complaint on my 2015 Deluxe 28 SHO. Your cap looks different than mine. I have to line up the cap with the notches in the screen and then line those up with the notches in the neck of the tank. This can be tricky especially when it is cold and blowing out.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


We have the same gas cap/strainer design. Ariens addressed the issue based on Paulie's excellent photos. Ariens is usually quick to respond to issues. They did this on the DL as they did with Auto Turn, obviously this being a more minor issue. I still think the gas tank capacity should be larger on LCT 369cc and 414cc engines. At least they improved the fuel cap seating in the tank properly and with more ease on the current model and possibly last year's model. 

Ariens doesn't want to admit that there was fault with their previous designs and offer a costly recall however like most companies they will make modifications along the way. Their stance with Auto-Turn when I mentioned it on a call in to their technical support depatment: it was revised for "ease of manufacturing" not because there was a problem with the previous design. That being said I am still a fan of their customer support relative to most of the other snowblower manufacturers. I have dealt with the customer support departments of all the main players. Honda support is also very good.


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## Paulie139 (Sep 25, 2017)

Cardo111 said:


> We have the same gas cap/strainer design. Ariens addressed the issue based on Paulie's excellent photos. Ariens is usually quick to respond to issues. They did this on the DL as they did with Auto Turn, obviously this being a more minor issue. I still think the gas tank capacity should be larger on LCT 369cc and 414cc engines. At least they improved the fuel cap seating in the tank properly and with more ease on the current model and possibly last year's model.
> 
> Ariens doesn't want to admit that there was fault with their previous designs and offer a costly recall however like most companies they will make modifications along the way. Their stance with Auto-Turn when I mentioned it on a call in to their technical support depatment: it was revised for "ease of manufacturing" not because there was a problem with the previous design. That being said I am still a fan of their customer support relative to most of the other snowblower manufacturers. I have dealt with the customer support departments of all the main players. Honda support is also very good.


Has Ariens offered a solution for the pre-redesigned (older) models that we know of?


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

for the gas cap? no.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

For owners who complained that fuel was leaking from the gas tank filler opening, Ariens offered a redesigned gas cap that has a wider rubber gasket to address the leaking issue. However they did not offer the recently redesigned fuel tank w/revised filler neck strainer location. I was advised to have my dealer look at it and "diagnose" the issue. If he determined the tank was defective they would replace it in warranty. The cost to pick up the machine and return it back to me would be $60. which is understandable it would cost me about $35. to rent a motorcycle trailer 2 times and about 2 hours of my time. At this point with the cap functioning well, I'm good. I will check for leaks after I use it this season just to make sure.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

These photos are to illustrate the differences between the previous design fuel tank strainer on my winter 2015/2016 model LCT AX369 cc Gen 3 engine (a 2 piece design with a sleeve and separate strainer) the sleeve rests on top of the fuel tank filler opening. To help illustrate the difference I have the strainer sleeve slightly askew from the fuel tank slots in the photos to show that the separate strainer sleeve has to be lined up with the tank slots in order to properly secure the gas cap to the tank. I am unsure if Ariens first redesigned this last year on the 2016/2017 models with 306cc or larger LCT engines or the current 2017/2018 model Paulie's photos are of the current model.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Another photo using my iPad I am only able to attach one photo at a time without a photo app or photo hosting site. Not sure why.


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## Paulie139 (Sep 25, 2017)

Just so it's out here for people to easily see, here's a side-by-side pic with my tank opening on the left and Cardo111's on the right. The difference is minimal but noticeable.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Cardo111 said:


> I still think the gas tank capacity should be larger on LCT 369cc and 414cc engines.


Agree that these bigger engines need larger tanks and this will be my work around.

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/general-snowblower-discussion/121369-simplicity-p1728e-er.html


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Paulie, nice job with the side by side comparison photos this was a well done and helpful thread. The new fuel tank filler opening style is a simpler more robust design that eliminates the hassle of ever having to line up the strainer sleeve with the tank opening slots to reinstall the gas cap.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

bump


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