# throttle shock



## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

i had to change the throttle control and noticed if i touched the metal of it while running i get a shock, everything runs great, i put the knob on and no more shock ,unless i touch the metal, is this normal? Ariens model 11528le


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Doesn't sound normal to me. I have touched mine, and never gotten a shock.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

Not ever normal to get shocked by anything. I would definitely look into this. Is the plug wire wearing through anywhere?


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## chrisexv6 (Feb 4, 2014)

Or the alternator output wire(s)


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## Colored Eggs (Dec 7, 2012)

What type engine does your model have. Its not normal to get shocked when moving the throttle. Most snow blowers have a small tab with wires attached on the throttle that grounds the spark when you push the throttle completely down. I would check that to see if anything is broken or wires are frayed.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Weird situations can arise. I have a friend whk got knocked out cold by his major brand name chain saw. All plastic case and still somehow got him.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

Where are the condenser and points setup? Under the flywheel I assume. You might have to pull the flywheel. Unfortunately all of my ignition system experience is with outboards so I'm not sure if you motor is the same.

With an outboard I would pull the flywheel and look at the coils for cracking. Next look at where the spark plug wires pass through the base plate. Also there are wires between points and condenser. There are not to many wires on a points motor. My guess is the motor is not grounded well and you are.


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

thanks for the replies, checking all visable wires and all looks good so far, i'll have to dig deeper to see, its an 11.5 tecumseh engine, this runs great ,would never have noticed the problem if the throttle lever hadn't broken, noticed it when trying to shut it off without the red plastic knob
thanks again


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## Colored Eggs (Dec 7, 2012)

JimmyJ said:


> thanks for the replies, checking all visable wires and all looks good so far, i'll have to dig deeper to see, its an 11.5 tecumseh engine, this runs great ,would never have noticed the problem if the throttle lever hadn't broken, noticed it when trying to shut it off without the red plastic knob
> thanks again


I have a quick question. Were you holding any other part of the snow blower when you got zapped. Also You said the throttle is broken. Is it just the plastic part or is if farther down. If you want send a picture of the throttle mechanism and if something is obvious a forum member can point it right out. If your snow blower has a key shutoff I would try using that than pushing the throttle past the idle position.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Your machine has a throttle that can also kill the engine. There is a wire from the engines ignition coil that runs to the throttle lever. Somewhere the wires insulation is likely cut and grounded to something it shouldn't, like the throttle control itself. It should be insulated but somewhere it isn't and it's grounding the ignition through you !! When you move the throttle all the way to slow or stop that lever should make contact and ground that wire to the body of the engine shorting out the coil. Yours has that voltage present in the throttle arm apparently and it's jumping to you.

There should be a wire running between #100 the coil and #200 the throttle bracket assembly. Usually it's a white wire but it's not shown in the diagram. Might be part of the wiring harness itself. Maybe it's just knocked off the spade it connects to at the bracket and grounding to the lever itself ??


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

i replaced the throttle control because the lever with red knob broke off,
it has a green wire coming from coil to throttle kill switch and another off that up to the key kill switch, must be the wire to the coil ,all the others look good, cleaned ground off on side of engine also, thanks again , gotta take more apart to trace wire to coil


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

If you touch any other part of the engine will go get a shock ??
Did this only start after the new one was installed ??


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

this was happening with the old broken throttle and the new one,touching other parts and not getting shock


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

The only thing that makes sense without seeing it is that the wire or wires are on backwards somehow. Think of a two wire extension cord. Only one wire is going to shock you. One wire is gong to be "hot" with voltage and the other offers a path back. One wire is safe to touch while the other will bite you.

For some reason the "hot" wire seems to be connected to the lever when it should be connected to something the lever touches at it's slowest or stop position. That way a small connector is "hot" and the lever offers it a ground and that ground is easier than the electricity going through you !! Somehow that voltage has the lever "hot" and when you touch it YOU are the ground.

The other thing to look for is if the wire is on a dedicated spade or some sort of from the factory connection and it looks like it's supposed to be there then maybe it's missing a ground wire. Somehow the assembly isn't grounded so it's looking for a way to get there and that's why it shocks you ???

Easiest thing to do would be to disconnect it from the throttle and wrap it with tape to insulate it and just use the key switch to kill it if you can't figure it out.


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

i'm gonna try taping it and using the key , thanks again


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## Mr Fixit (Nov 19, 2013)

If isolating your ground-out ignition wire isn't a fix, please give us more information.
Is the motor a BS engine, or Tech.
Does your S. blower have a lamp? Is it functioning?
Year of the motor?


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

*thanks*

cleaning off the ground wire on the side of the engine fixed the problem , thanks again for the replys


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I bet that feels soooooooo much better


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

JimmyJ said:


> cleaning off the ground wire on the side of the engine fixed the problem , thanks again for the replys



I got to remember that fix. 
I hate getting shocked, I don't know why but everyone in my household can walk by me and point their fingers at me and shoot small lightning bolts at me. 
A lot of times I spray myself with static guard, that helps for a while. 

Was the ground really dirty? Did you mention how old your blower is?


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

Big Ed said:


> I got to remember that fix.
> I hate getting shocked, I don't know why but everyone in my household can walk by me and point their fingers at me and shoot small lightning bolts at me.
> A lot of times I spray myself with static guard, that helps for a while.
> 
> Was the ground really dirty? Did you mention how old your blower is?


I have a pair of leather shoes with a rubber sole. They must be well insulated because I am terrified to touch anything metal when I am wearing them. When I wear them with my Columbia jacket (not a single naturally occurring material) it's bad!! I literally punch doors and lockers before I open then because the shock doesn't really hurt through the meat of my palm. When it arcs through a fingertip it really smarts.


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

blower is about 5 yrs old , st11528le 11.5 horse tecumseh, ground connection was a bit rusty, all is good now , thanks again


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

JimmyJ said:


> blower is about 5 yrs old , st11528le 11.5 horse tecumseh, ground connection was a bit rusty, all is good now , thanks again


Thank you for bringing it up for discussion.
Mine is older than that. An easy fix.
I will have to check mine, I hate getting shocked.


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## JimmyJ (Feb 21, 2014)

i had to either fix it or quit touching it,(the throttle)


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