# Engine dies when I engage the augers/impeller



## ZebraDan

My 12-year-old MTD 26-in. 2-stage snowblower just got home from the small engine repair shop, she just got a new/rebuilt carburetor (Tecumseh engine). Ran just great for nearly two hours, then it choked on a rock and abruptly stalled. I tipped it back and pried out the rock in question which was lodged firmly between the end of an auger and the sidewall. I made sure nothing else was obstructing, cleared out all snow and ice. Started up again just fine, as soon as I pull the lever to engage the snowthrower mechanism it screeches and kills the engine. Repeated my inspection, repeated starting -- drive it around a bit to ensure the drive wheels work fine, good power. Same result when I grab the lever to try to turn the auger. Dies abruptly.

With the engine off, I'm able to manually turn the auger blades and impeller, but they seem very stiff. The blades won't turn a full 360, they come to a stop. Appreciate your helping me figure this one out -- don't want to drop more cash at the repair shop. Santa's bag might get lighter.


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## bwdbrn1

Hi ZebraDan, and welcome to SBF. Being out there in central Iowa you must have gotten hit hard by winter storm Draco!

From the sounds of things, you bent something in the auger. With the engine turned off, check to see if you can turn the auger by hand watching for signs of the blades or shaft being bent. There could also be damage in the auger transmission, the case in the middle between the two sides of the augers that connects also to the impeller. You might also check under the shield that covers the belts to see if something didn't slip our of place in there. 

But, do all of this with the engine turned off!


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## ZebraDan

Yep, we got dumped on with nearly a foot of wet, heavy snow. I'm lucky we didn't lose power, but several homes and businesses are still effected. Lots of tree branches have crunched cars and roofs.

Belts are all in place, nothing appears to be bent in terms of the augers or shaft. How can I tell if it's the transmission or gear box that leads back to the impeller?

Thanks for the quick reply and pointers.


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## hawkeye13

What happened when you ingested the rock? Did it shear a bolt? My guess is that if it did not shear a bolt that you have damaged the auger gearbox. Perhaps you could pull the shear bolts and see if the auger turns freely?


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## Shryp

I am thinking possibly you damaged the gears in the gear box. Something is stopping the front from turning. Your comment about being able to manually turn something part way seems like your problem. Now you just have to figure out what is hitting on what and getting stuck. If your augers got rusted to the shaft then your shear bolts wouldn't break when you hit the rock and you almost certainly broke your auger gears.

Here is a link to a 6 part youtube video series on fixing just that problem.
The Small Engine Doctor - YouTube

If you look on craigslist, maybe you can find a similar blower with a blown engine and a good gear box and just switch out the parts. MTD made a lot of the Craftsman and Troy-Bilt blowers too.


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## HCBPH

*Auger issues*

Dan

First off, welcome to the forum.

Having just dealt with a rock jammed in a customers auger yesterday, in retrospect this is what I should have done to diagnose it early on.
First off, pull the plug wire on the engine.
Remove both sheer bolts. Now try turning the impeller and see if it will turn a full rotation or not. Next try turning each auger rake and see if either catches or not. I suspect one is bent and catching on something in the auger housing. Second would be one of the impeller tips.

Try that and see if it helps diagnost your problems. Let us know what happens.

Paul


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## GustoGuy

Shryp said:


> I am thinking possibly you damaged the gears in the gear box. Something is stopping the front from turning. Your comment about being able to manually turn something part way seems like your problem. Now you just have to figure out what is hitting on what and getting stuck. If your augers got rusted to the shaft then your shear bolts wouldn't break when you hit the rock and you almost certainly broke your auger gears.
> 
> Here is a link to a 6 part youtube video series on fixing just that problem.
> The Small Engine Doctor - YouTube
> 
> If you look on craigslist, maybe you can find a similar blower with a blown engine and a good gear box and just switch out the parts. MTD made a lot of the Craftsman and Troy-Bilt blowers too.


I agree with Shryp. It is most likely a problem with the gear housing. Here is a nice thread on the auger gearbox that was posted a few weeks back by Bain. http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/mtd/1203-rebuilding-mtd-snowblower-auger-differential.html http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=6c4bb3b8c72a0e622055a964efc64f94&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.snowblowerforum.com%2Fforum%2Fmtd%2F1203-rebuilding-mtd-snowblower-auger-differential.html&v=1&libid=1356508418644&out=http%3A%2F%2Fforums2.gardenweb.com%2Fforums%2Fload%2Ftools%2Fmsg021703417584.html&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.snowblowerforum.com%2Fforum%2Fsnowblower-repairs-maintenance-forum%2F1264-engine-dies-when-i-engage-augers-impeller.html&title=Rebuilding%20an%20MTD%20snowblower%20auger%20differential%20-%20Snowblower%20Forum%20%3A%20Snow%20Blower%20Forums&txt=Rebuilding%20an%20MTD%20snowblower%20auger%20differential%20-%20Tool%20Shed%20Forum%20-%20GardenWeb&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13565084786396 It shows how to rebuild a gear box on a MTD. I would check this out. Pull the sheer pins and see if the augers spin on the shafts freely. I then would rotate the impeller and see if it rotates freely and the front shafts should start to turn too. If it doesn't rotate freely and the impeller is not making contact with the housing then the problem is in the gearbox. Since it is an MTD you should still be able to get a gear for it.


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