# 179cc 22" Freebie



## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

Hello all,

I picked this up on saturday evening sitting on the curb next to a full bagster dumpster. It was late at night but from a quick look it seemed in pretty good shape. When I checked it out on sunday it seems like it was hardly used. I was able to get it to start and run, and the auger spun and the drive moved. The only thing I did not check was the electric start, but I noticed it has a plug for a light kit or heated grips, so that will be something to look into.

From my research, I see these machines are not well liked because of the transmission setup. This machine is going to a friend of mine who has zero experience with snowblowers, and I think it would be a fair machine for him to learn on. If it ever bites the dust, no big loss.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Free is always a win ...


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## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

If it was not in such good shape, I probably would not have grabbed it. I have to cool it on the projects for quite awhile. This just happened to be perfectly timed.

My plan is to clean the fuel tank, replace the fuel line, and clean out the carb. Then change the oil, put in a new spark plug, some new belts, make sure the augers spin free with the shear bolts removed, check the tire pressure, and drop it off to him.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Nice gesture carguy20, your buddy will appreciate it and it sure beats shoveling.

You are correct, the machine looks hardly used, wonder why they tossed it to the curb?

These light duty, disposable machines will usually sell for more money than an older, well built, well maintained, good condition blower from the 70's and 80's. 
The average newbie is mainly interested in how old it is and the shiny paint.


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## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

I had actually given him a single stage last fall, because that was what I had. With his larger driveway the 2 stage will work better for him. It may not tackle the EOD as easy as a larger machine, but will get it done. (I hate to say it, but I did not want to give him the Noma 10hp 29" I fixed up, that stayed with me.)

Who knows why it was tossed. Maybe they are moving soon to an area where they will no longer need it, and didn't want to go through the trouble of selling it. It's not uncommon in some areas of my area that are pretty affluent for people to dispose of perfectly good equipment.


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## Auger1 (Dec 4, 2020)

I have one of that same little snow blower, mine is a Yard Machines and is black. I replaced the auger belt , added the auger paddles to it and the little machine blows snow like a big dawg. Nice score.


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Are those the recalled wheels?


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## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

Tony- I do not believe that they are the recalled wheels, as the machine is from 2009 and I don't believe part of the recall. 

Anyway... As usual, I have several projects going at one time, so progress will be a little slow.

I happened to notice a metal washer on the idler for the auger belt, then I realized that it is part of a cover for the idler bearing, which is a 6204rs. Here is an example of what should be on there. 






Idler Pulley w/o Flange - 1.90 Dia. - 684-04358 | MTD Parts


Buy the Idler Pulley w/o Flange - 1.90 Dia. online and get your OEM parts quick! Orders over $45 qualify for Free Shipping.




www.mtdparts.com





Essentially the metal cover over the bearing broke apart and the rounded part on the tensioner arm side stayed on. This actually ate into the black plastic of the bearing, so I have to replace it.

So now the question, can I just use a 6204rs bearing, or should I replace it with the actual MTD part with the metal cover. Budget is a concern, I would prefer to put as little money into the machine as possible. My other concern is the same thing happening again, the cover breaking off and eating into the bearing.


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## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

Update- I finally had some time and got the engine running. I cleaned the carb thoroughly (I thought) and got it started. It runs great at about half choke, but if I open the choke to run, it surges like crazy. At first I thought it was just the governor acting up, but after doing some research, it seems like these 179cc engines are known to run very lean.

So it seems like my next step would be to remove the carb and try to enlarge the jets a little bit and then clean it again just to make sure. I have to dive deep into the toolbox but I think I still have some of my grandfathers hand drills for carb jets. I would welcome input from anyone with any experience working on these.


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