# First Snow-blower Purchase - Z518 - Stupid Questions



## mwisebaker (Nov 16, 2014)

Hey everybody! 

I live in NE Ohio and have never bought or used a snowblower before. I am not mechanically inclined at all (we don't even own a lawnmower - we pay our neighbor to do the grass if that's any indication) but I decided to bite the bullet and look into getting some kind of machine to get through the winter. 

I bought a Z518 at Home Depot yesterday - it seemed very well reviewed and it fit our budget. Plus I like the light weight and compact size. 

I got it all set up today and the very first time I started it, there seemed to be a lot of exhaust coming out. The engine also seems to be running kind of rough, more jumpy and hitchy than a lawnmower engine. 

I used the oil that came with the machine, and 89 octane gas (purchased yesterday). I let it run for probably 3-4 minutes tops. Is there anything I could have done wrong in the setup, or is this expected behavior for a very fresh single-stage machine? 

Thanks for your help.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

did you put oil in the gas??????


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## mwisebaker (Nov 16, 2014)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> did you put oil in the gas??????


I did not. Was I supposed to?


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

no you are not suppose to. you filled the crank case with oil right. if u can post a vid of what is going on there. it is a toro am I correct on that.


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## mwisebaker (Nov 16, 2014)

I put oil in and checked it with the dip-stick according to the manual.

Here is a video of what is happening.


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## mwisebaker (Nov 16, 2014)

Only other thing I'll note here is that I did not use the electric start feature but I used the pull start.


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## pwm (Jun 12, 2014)

Looks to me like the choke is on full. If so, turn the choke off after it get running.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

mwisebaker said:


> I put oil in and checked it with the dip-stick according to the manual.
> 
> Here is a video of what is happening.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEVCr-XVfeA&feature=youtu.be


turn the choke off let it run full throttle for a couple of minutes. then every thing should be fine. any more questions let me know.


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## mwisebaker (Nov 16, 2014)

pwm said:


> Looks to me like the choke is on full. If so, turn the choke off after it get running.






POWERSHIFT93 said:


> turn the choke off let it run full throttle for a couple of minutes. then every thing should be fine. any more questions let me know.


AHA! YES! That made it *much * better!

And after consulting the manual I see that it was mentioned there, I just overlooked it. 

Glad it was a simple fix and I came here before the first time I tried to use the thing!

Thanks for the quick responses!


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

that is what we are here for.


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## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

The only stupid questions are those not asked. !!


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## WhtViper (Nov 24, 2014)

RoyP said:


> The only stupid questions are those not asked. !!


And the whole idea of a "choke" is completely lost on the younger generation.


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