# Auger issue



## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

So I initially thought I had a slightly seized auger but now I’m guessing I have another issue going on. When I take out the shear bolt on the left side auger(looking at from front of bucket) the auger housing is hard to turn for about 10 revolutions then frees up. Put the pin back in and remove same thing. Seems like theirs a good sized gap from the piece that shear bolt goes through and auger. When tightened it pulls them together. A piece of concrete was hit from previous owner and did shear pin. Augers spin fine normally and make no noise? I’m worried if I use the blower I’ll hit something and that shaft won’t move to break the pin. Any ideas?


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

if this is a Honda then take augers out. takes 5-10 minutes.

remove impeller pin
then remove 4 side bolts on both sides of housing. if you have a 928 you also have to remove 2 bolts on top of auger gearbox that hold the bracket.

then slide whole auger assembly out.

i bet the auger gearbox shafts and the where they fit into augers need to cleaned , reamed , etc. you can remove impeller and clean that out too and the apply antiseize grease to all shafts.

you can also inspect side bearings and replace or repack with grease while your at it. unless the auger itself is tweeked or bent ( which you can bend back with some large locking pliers ) they should run a lot smoother.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

FYI I removed side bolts and sprayed kroil and anti seize in while spinning augers. Once i got them spinning free today their was anti seize coming out where the shear pin goes. Seems like it’s something with putting shear pin in and something being off. Does my pic look normal orangputeh?


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

Just don’t get why every time I put the shear pin in and take it back out it spins hard till I spin it a bunch of times. Seems like something with the gap between the auger and where the bolt goes thru. I’m by no means an expert on this stuff so all your help is appreciated.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Perhaps you are cranking down too tight on the shear pin and crushing the augur? On most blowers the pins use locks nuts, and you only tighten to just snug, not gorilla tight . . .


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

It’s possible. I tighten both sides till they stop. Right side their is no gap and left side their is and the auger and bolt mount pulls tight. Maybe on the left I should just make snug. Bolt would basically be even to 1 thread tight, don’t know if that would come undone...


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

Shear bolts should only be done up finger tight. You should be able to turn them in the holes after you are done tightening them up. The idea is that the bolt carries the torque from the internal shaft to the auger rake at the point of contact between the bolt and the rake pipe. If you mash the auger pipe tight with the shear bolt, and basically squeeze the auger pipe onto the internal drive shaft, you are defeating the purpose of the shear bolt. You may also be deforming the auger pipe.

If you have some weird dragging going on now, you should probably disassemble the auger assembly and find out why. Maybe there are some burrs in the inside of some holes or some part of the auger pipe is flattened. You might just need to clean the iinternal drive shaft of old grease and crap, then relubricate it and reassemble everything. Guessing at what might be causing it will probably not get you as good an answer as actually taking it apart and seeing what is going on. 

Make sure you add grease to the auger drive shafts through the zerk fittings while the shear bolts are out, and then spin the rakes on the drive sharts to spread the grease around. This is simply to keep water from creating rust inside the auger pipes and seizing them to the internal drive shaft. Also, add grease to the shear bolts when reinstalling them.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

skutflut said:


> Shear bolts should only be done up finger tight. You should be able to turn them in the holes after you are done tightening them up. The idea is that the bolt carries the torque from the internal shaft to the auger rake at the point of contact between the bolt and the rake pipe. If you mash the auger pipe tight with the shear bolt, and basically squeeze the auger pipe onto the internal drive shaft, you are defeating the purpose of the shear bolt. You may also be deforming the auger pipe.
> 
> If you have some weird dragging going on now, you should probably disassemble the auger assembly and find out why. Maybe there are some burrs in the inside of some holes or some part of the auger pipe is flattened. You might just need to clean the iinternal drive shaft of old grease and crap, then relubricate it and reassemble everything. Guessing at what might be causing it will probably not get you as good an answer as actually taking it apart and seeing what is going on.
> 
> Make sure you add grease to the auger drive shafts through the zerk fittings while the shear bolts are out, and then spin the rakes on the drive sharts to spread the grease around. This is simply to keep water from creating rust inside the auger pipes and seizing them to the internal drive shaft. Also, add grease to the shear bolts when reinstalling them.


ya, that's what i said.

he wants an easy fix....


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> skutflut said:
> 
> 
> > Shear bolts should only be done up finger tight. You should be able to turn them in the holes after you are done tightening them up. The idea is that the bolt carries the torque from the internal shaft to the auger rake at the point of contact between the bolt and the rake pipe. If you mash the auger pipe tight with the shear bolt, and basically squeeze the auger pipe onto the internal drive shaft, you are defeating the purpose of the shear bolt. You may also be deforming the auger pipe.
> ...


I said I didn’t know much about the auger assembly on these snowblowers. Yes I would prefer the easy fix. It’s unfair to assume everyone is as mechanically inclined as you and can take apart an auger assembly and trouble shoot every situation. I came to this site to gain some knowledge about this snowblower because I had some questions about it and wanted to care for and maintain the machine. When I have a day to tackle the job I will have to pull everything apart and go from there. I’ve never heard of shear bolts being finger tight on a Honda. YouTube videos about replacing Honda shear bolts say the opposite that you should tighten and the auger and shear bolt block or whatever it’s called will pull together. I put a pic up with my post asking if their is supposed to be a gap there. I still don’t know why there is but if the bolts should move that’s how I will tighten them. Sorry I’m only going by what I know.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Snowfanatic said:


> I said I didn’t know much about the auger assembly on these snowblowers. Yes I would prefer the easy fix. It’s unfair to assume everyone is as mechanically inclined as you and can take apart an auger assembly and trouble shoot every situation. I came to this site to gain some knowledge about this snowblower because I had some questions about it and wanted to care for and maintain the machine. When I have a day to tackle the job I will have to pull everything apart and go from there. I’ve never heard of shear bolts being finger tight on a Honda. YouTube videos about replacing Honda shear bolts say the opposite that you should tighten and the auger and shear bolt block or whatever it’s called will pull together. I put a pic up with my post asking if their is supposed to be a gap there. I still don’t know why there is but if the bolts should move that’s how I will tighten them. Sorry I’m only going by what I know.


I apologize if you took my remarks the wrong way. i have run into so many people that want an easy fix and then make things worse and then want me to fix their problem. Now if the augers were tweeked that may cause that gap. maybe it is something else. That gap is NOT supposed to be there. If it is not fixed you will just keep breaking shear pins. I do not just finger tight shear pins. I keep them tight.

What happens when they are loose is they break easily and they elongate the holes and make matters worse. I am not a Honda certified mechanic so if one is on this forum maybe they can put their two cents in.

Maybe post a picture of the entire auger assembly and maybe we can see something obvious. It has been my hard learned experience to take the auger assembly out and do things right so you will be good to go for several seasons and have no more problems.

Your description of the problem was rather good and that is why I suggested taking the auger assembly out instead of just using penetrating oil. The hangup you mentioned is a concern. You do not want to have a seized auger if the shear pin breaks. That force has to go somewhere and it is usually to the auger gearbox where the case can maybe crack and then you are looking at a really expensive repair.

It's really very easy if it's a Honda.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> Snowfanatic said:
> 
> 
> > I said I didn’t know much about the auger assembly on these snowblowers. Yes I would prefer the easy fix. It’s unfair to assume everyone is as mechanically inclined as you and can take apart an auger assembly and trouble shoot every situation. I came to this site to gain some knowledge about this snowblower because I had some questions about it and wanted to care for and maintain the machine. When I have a day to tackle the job I will have to pull everything apart and go from there. I’ve never heard of shear bolts being finger tight on a Honda. YouTube videos about replacing Honda shear bolts say the opposite that you should tighten and the auger and shear bolt block or whatever it’s called will pull together. I put a pic up with my post asking if their is supposed to be a gap there. I still don’t know why there is but if the bolts should move that’s how I will tighten them. Sorry I’m only going by what I know.
> ...


It’s ok I can understand if you’ve fixed a lot of people’s shortcuts that can be frustrating. I’m not looking for the easy way. If I don’t feel comfortable pulling it apart I’ll take it to a dealer to get looked at. The machine is a 928 wheel model with very low hours. Prob around 15. I will attach a pic. Everything looks fine except for the block not being tight on the left side. More then likely I will just take in to a tech since I don’t have the know how to troubleshoot if something is wrong


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Snowfanatic said:


> It’s ok I can understand if you’ve fixed a lot of people’s shortcuts that can be frustrating. I’m not looking for the easy way. If I don’t feel comfortable pulling it apart I’ll take it to a dealer to get looked at. The machine is a 928 wheel model with very low hours. Prob around 15. I will attach a pic. Everything looks fine except for the block not being tight on the left side. More then likely I will just take in to a tech since I don’t have the know how to troubleshoot if something is wrong


wow. just 15 hours? the right side looks perfect. can not see the left side so good. the augers don't look bent to me but can not tell from this angle. is this a HSS928 or HS928?


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> Snowfanatic said:
> 
> 
> > It’s ok I can understand if you’ve fixed a lot of people’s shortcuts that can be frustrating. I’m not looking for the easy way. If I don’t feel comfortable pulling it apart I’ll take it to a dealer to get looked at. The machine is a 928 wheel model with very low hours. Prob around 15. I will attach a pic. Everything looks fine except for the block not being tight on the left side. More then likely I will just take in to a tech since I don’t have the know how to troubleshoot if something is wrong
> ...


Yeah it’s in nice shape. It’s a hs. I cut my teeth growing up on a hs55 so I look at this machine as the pinnacle of the hs wheeled units. Not to mention it’s the last year of the Japan made units. I know what I have and that’s why I want to fix it the right way.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Snowfanatic said:


> Yeah it’s in nice shape. It’s a hs. I cut my teeth growing up on a hs55 so I look at this machine as the pinnacle of the hs wheeled units. Not to mention it’s the last year of the Japan made units. I know what I have and that’s why I want to fix it the right way.


The first time I took the augers and impeller out of my HS80 it only took about 20 minutes or so, and that included extra time dealing with a blown impeller bearing. As @orangputeh said, it's an easy job on Hondas and even easier on the HS928 than on your old HS55; everything comes out and goes back in very logically. If there's something hanging up the rotation, it should be pretty obvious once you have it apart. Don't be afraid to tackle this job.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

tabora said:


> The first time I took the augers and impeller out of my HS80 it only took about 20 minutes or so, and that included extra time dealing with a blown impeller bearing. As @orangputeh said, it's an easy job on Hondas and even easier on the HS928 than on your old HS55; everything comes out and goes back in very logically. If there's something hanging up the rotation, it should be pretty obvious once you have it apart. Don't be afraid to tackle this job.


 @tabora. what do you think is causing that gap on such a low hour machine.? If something was hit I am thinking the inside cross plate of auger maybe was bent out? How can that be bent back in if that is the case?

I was also thinking if the the end bolts were loosened ( which he already did ) and then retightened uniformly maybe that may close that gap? ( also loosen the bolts on top of auger gearbox connecting the support bracket? )

I have seen this gap on other machines. usually that cross plate on auger is bent out. the fact that the OP mentioned that the auger does not spin freely suggests that that left auger was tweaked somehow.I agree with you that maybe they should be removed for proper inspection.


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Tough to diagnose this issue without pulling the auger rakes from the auger shaft. Really need to pull the rakes from the shafts, inspect the auger tube opening and auger shaft for any distortion, clean the inside of the auger tubes with a plumbers steel bristle pipe cleaning brush, clean the auger shafts with 00 Grade Steel Wool, wipe the auger tube clean with brake cleaner on a paper towel attached to a wooden dowel or screwdriver, wipe the auger shaft clean with brake cleaner and paper towel. Blow everything clean with compressed air. Apply anti seize to auger tube and shaft, and reassemble the unit. I torque sheer pins the same way I torque oil drain plugs on automotive oil pan.... hand tight plus 1/4 turn.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

:iagree: I think all of us agree that it's tough to diagnose this fully without removing the auger assembly. In my experience on several brands of blowers, once the assembly is out it's easy to compare the parts and see what is out of kilter, and then repair the culprit. I think @orangputeh is correct and the cross plate may be bent. Easy to fix that (hopefully) with the auger on the bench.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

tabora said:


> :iagree: I think all of us agree that it's tough to diagnose this fully without removing the auger assembly. In my experience on several brands of blowers, once the assembly is out it's easy to compare the parts and see what is out of kilter, and then repair the culprit. I think @orangputeh is correct and the cross plate may be bent. Easy to fix that (hopefully) with the auger on the bench.


It's funny you mentioned this. I am servicing my son in laws 928 that has the same exact problem with both sides. looking straight down on auger you can see how that cross plate is slightly bent out from him hitting something. The auger blade was also bent almost flat over. Pulled that back over with the assembly still in the bucket and was able to get cross plate almost straightened also using a pry bar.

The augers and impeller spun freely with the shears removed so did not feel it necessary to remove them. Not sure what the problem is with the original poster because of course we can not see in person.

The trouble with this gap is you can probably get a shear pin in there and force the plate over but they will break more frequently .


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

orangputeh said:


> It's funny you mentioned this. I am servicing my son in laws 928 that has the same exact problem with both sides. looking straight down on auger you can see how that cross plate is slightly bent out from him hitting something. The auger blade was also bent almost flat over. Pulled that back over with the assembly still in the bucket and was able to get cross plate almost straightened also using a pry bar.
> 
> The augers and impeller spun freely with the shears removed so did not feel it necessary to remove them. Not sure what the problem is with the original poster because of course we can not see in person.
> 
> The trouble with this gap is you can probably get a shear pin in there and force the plate over but they will break more frequently .


First time I pulled the auger rakes on my HS928, I wasn't expecting the auger shafts to be so short (wasn't a member on this site yet :wink2. I just assumed the auger shafts ran the entire length of the auger tubes. Shorter auger shafts mean less "contact area" for the augers to seize to the shafts, however I wonder if full length auger shafts would provide more strength and rigidity to the auger tube and crossplate in the event the auger encounters a solid object?? Gotta think the hollow auger tube and crossplate would be more prone to "deflecting" or distorting when striking a solid object?? Still think that's the most plausible theory relative to the original posters question.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Freezn said:


> First time I pulled the auger rakes on my HS928, I wasn't expecting the auger shafts to be so short (wasn't a member on this site yet :wink2. I just assumed the auger shafts ran the entire length of the auger tubes. Shorter auger shafts mean less "contact area" for the augers to seize to the shafts, however I wonder if full length auger shafts would provide more strength and rigidity to the auger tube and crossplate in the event the auger encounters a solid object?? Gotta think the hollow auger tube and crossplate would be more prone to "deflecting" or distorting when striking a solid object?? Still think that's the most plausible theory relative to the original posters question.


the old Honda's HS50-55-70=80 have the full shafts and then they changed to the stubbies for some reason. The older ones are built like tanks. Everything is thicker. You see less bent augers on them even though it happens. With the impeller kit I put on my old 80 I prefer it to my 828 or 928. Just more solid.

I have yet to see seized augers on the older ones but am sure they exist . They also use impeller shear pins as shear pins for the augers and they do not break as much.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Snowfanatic said:


> It’s ok I can understand if you’ve fixed a lot of people’s shortcuts that can be frustrating. I’m not looking for the easy way. If I don’t feel comfortable pulling it apart I’ll take it to a dealer to get looked at. The machine is a 928 wheel model with very low hours. Prob around 15. I will attach a pic. Everything looks fine except for the block not being tight on the left side. More then likely I will just take in to a tech since I don’t have the know how to troubleshoot if something is wrong


If the shear bolt breaks, there will be a gap between the auger and the block that it bolts to, that is normal because the auger will "Spring Back" when the bolt is loosened or breaks.
When the shear bolt is tightened, it will pull the auger towards the block, that is how they are supposed to be, the auger is "Springy" like a coil spring.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Snowfanatic said:


> So I initially thought I had a slightly seized auger but now I’m guessing I have another issue going on. When I take out the shear bolt on the left side auger(looking at from front of bucket) the auger housing is hard to turn for about 10 revolutions then frees up. Put the pin back in and remove same thing. Seems like theirs a good sized gap from the piece that shear bolt goes through and auger. When tightened it pulls them together. A piece of concrete was hit from previous owner and did shear pin. Augers spin fine normally and make no noise? I’m worried if I use the blower I’ll hit something and that shaft won’t move to break the pin. Any ideas?


That is perfectly normal for that gap when the shear bolt is out, it is supposed to do that.
The auger is "Springy" like a coil spring. It will pull together when the shear bolt is tightened.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

ST1100A said:


> Snowfanatic said:
> 
> 
> > So I initially thought I had a slightly seized auger but now I’m guessing I have another issue going on. When I take out the shear bolt on the left side auger(looking at from front of bucket) the auger housing is hard to turn for about 10 revolutions then frees up. Put the pin back in and remove same thing. Seems like theirs a good sized gap from the piece that shear bolt goes through and auger. When tightened it pulls them together. A piece of concrete was hit from previous owner and did shear pin. Augers spin fine normally and make no noise? I’m worried if I use the blower I’ll hit something and that shaft won’t move to break the pin. Any ideas?
> ...


I’m still going to pull it apart and look at it but my concern is that it seems tight for a few turns after I take shear bolt out on the left side where the right is tight and I take the bolt out and it always spins freely. More then likely something is tweaked I just don’t know what it is yet. I’m just worried if I use it with the bolt in tight it won’t break. It’s not worth breaking stuff on such a low hour machine if I can figure out what’s going on this summer.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> tabora said:
> 
> 
> > I think all of us agree that it's tough to diagnose this fully without removing the auger assembly. In my experience on several brands of blowers, once the assembly is out it's easy to compare the parts and see what is out of kilter, and then repair the culprit. I think @orangputeh is correct and the cross plate may be bent. Easy to fix that (hopefully) with the auger on the bench.
> ...


I hate to say it since I love Honda stuff but it seems like the augers on the newer stuff is a real weak point for the price you pay. I’ve never seen anything eat shear pins like a Honda snowblower. My simplicity hasn’t sheared a pin in 3 years and has gone through it all. While it is a nice machine it is not as refined as a Honda so no I’m not saying it’s better. The hydro on the Honda is worth every $.


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## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

Snowfanatic said:


> . My simplicity hasn’t sheared a pin in 3 years and has gone through it all. While it is a nice machine it is not as refined as a Honda so no I’m not saying it’s better. .


My Allis Sno-Pro(Simplicity 828) hasn't sheared a pin in the 20 years I've owned it,partly because the right-hand auger has been seized all that time.


That poor old blower has swallowed rocks almost as big as my fist and just keeps plugging along.The auger gearbox is 1/2 the size and nowhere near as heavily built as the one on my little Toro 521-I can't believe it hasn't broken.


"Refined" is definitely not a word I'd use for the Sno-Pro.In fact,it's easily the most unconfortable,heavy pig of a machine I've ever used.Weighing almost 300 pounds, with tire chains and no differential,it couldn't turn and steer any harder unless you took the wheels off.But..it outperforms every other large blower I have here which includes two Ariens ST824's.The little Toro will throw wet or dry snow much further than the Allis,but man it's slow and only a 21 inch blower.


I think a Honda tracked blower would be ideal for my situation,but used ones don't exist in my area for anywhere near a reasonable price.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

I used to go through shear pins on my '91 HS828 like a kid eating PEZ candy...until I installed side skids. After that, its no longer a shear bolt eating machine. 




Snowfanatic said:


> I hate to say it since I love Honda stuff but it seems like the augers on the newer stuff is a real weak point for the price you pay. I’ve never seen anything eat shear pins like a Honda snowblower. My simplicity hasn’t sheared a pin in 3 years and has gone through it all. While it is a nice machine it is not as refined as a Honda so no I’m not saying it’s better. The hydro on the Honda is worth every $.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

jrom said:


> I used to go through shear pins on my '91 HS828 like a kid eating PEZ candy...until I installed side skids. After that, its no longer a shear bolt eating machine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I installed fall line polys in the rear and on the bucket sides. Seen too many worn out Honda bucket pics on here.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

ST1100A said:


> That is perfectly normal for that gap when the shear bolt is out, it is supposed to do that.
> The auger is "Springy" like a coil spring. It will pull together when the shear bolt is tightened.


I forgot to add, the springing effect also acts like a lock-washer for the shear bolt to nut, giving it the spring-washer/lock-washer effect because there is no room to install a lock-washer on the shear-bolt nut, the way the groove is cut out to hold the nut from spinning during assembly.
The older models used a plain style crimped nut as a lock-nut, they did not use a ny-lock type nut that many people use today. They more relied on the spring tension of the auger as a "locking" type device to keep the bolt from spinning.
A little trick I used to do to get the auger to closer to the nut holder hub was to use a vise-grip pliers and squeeze them together to get the nut started, then I would tighten them to specified torque.
Don't over tighten them or you can snap the shear-bolt rather easily.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

ST1100A said:


> I forgot to add, the springing effect also acts like a lock-washer for the shear bolt to nut, giving it the spring-washer/lock-washer effect because there is no room to install a lock-washer on the shear-bolt nut, the way the groove is cut out to hold the nut from spinning during assembly.
> The older models used a plain style crimped nut as a lock-nut, they did not use a ny-lock type nut that many people use today. They more relied on the spring tension of the auger as a "locking" type device to keep the bolt from spinning.
> A little trick I used to do to get the auger to closer to the nut holder hub was to use a vise-grip pliers and squeeze them together to get the nut started, then I would tighten them to specified torque.
> Don't over tighten them or you can snap the shear-bolt rather easily.


I've worked on well over a hundred Honda's in the last couple years and very few augers have a gap between auger and cam lock. And I keep the shear pins tight as stated in the Honda shop manual. With them loose they will elongate hole in auger and will break more frequently.

just my experience.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

orangputeh said:


> I've worked on well over a hundred Honda's in the last couple years and very few augers have a gap between auger and cam lock. And I keep the shear pins tight as stated in the Honda shop manual. With them loose they will elongate hole in auger and will break more frequently.
> 
> just my experience.


I've worked on thousands of them back in the 90's and two thousands, mainly for broken shear bolts, and every one of them had a gap in them, that was how they are made. 
We would get new augers that we were replacing due to damage and the way they were packed in the box, they were compressed to fit in a smaller box. We had to stretch them out a bit to get the bolts in.
The Genuine Honda Shear Bolts were made of soft steel, like a S.A.E. Grade 0 or 1. They were made like that to break off easy and not to cause damage like elongating the auger hole that they went through. They were softer metal than the auger so they would be "Cut Off" easily, or another term, "Sheared" off.
One of the biggest problems was when people would put a regular or high strength bolt in as a shear bolt, and they would do damage to either the auger gear box,gears, or break the auger drive shaft, usually right where the pin went through it that held the "Cam Lock".
Honda had a "Product Improvement Kit" out for the earlier 624 and 828's that replaced the auger shaft and cam locks/shear nut holders with one with smaller diameter holes and smaller diameter pins because they were known to break the shaft at the pin hole, so they wanted to make the shaft stronger right there.
Yes, some of those bolts were Too Soft, they would cut them or break, too easily when you were in the middle of a job and they were a pain in the butt to have to stop and replace them all the time, but if you used the wrong bolts that were too strong or hard, you would do some expensive damage to the machine.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

ST1100A said:


> I've worked on thousands of them back in the 90's and two thousands, mainly for broken shear bolts, and every one of them had a gap in them, that was how they are made.
> We would get new augers that we were replacing due to damage and the way they were packed in the box, they were compressed to fit in a smaller box. We had to stretch them out a bit to get the bolts in.
> The Genuine Honda Shear Bolts were made of soft steel, like a S.A.E. Grade 0 or 1. They were made like that to break off easy and not to cause damage like elongating the auger hole that they went through. They were softer metal than the auger so they would be "Cut Off" easily, or another term, "Sheared" off.
> One of the biggest problems was when people would put a regular or high strength bolt in as a shear bolt, and they would do damage to either the auger gear box,gears, or break the auger drive shaft, usually right where the pin went through it that held the "Cam Lock".
> ...


I respect your experience but I wonder why our experiences are so different. I rarely see a gap and nothing like the OP shows in his picture unless the auger hit something bad. I have seen many augers with elongated holes that I had to weld up . And of course the owners would complain about breaking shears all the time until this was repaired. My personal machines are over 20 and 25 years old and the holes are still good as new as I keep the pins tight.

yes, I break a pin occasionally but our berms do have big ice chunks in them from the plows so think this is normal.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Hi OP,
That picture was nothing out of the ordinary from all the ones I saw and worked with.
One thing that can also cause that is the sides of the Auger Housing deflecting outwards, warping with temperature changes, which is normal around here,They are designed for that, damage from being struck or jamming into a pile of icy snow and bulldozing it through it while going into it at an angle. There are many different things that can cause that. Our temperatures around here change wildly from day to day and that causes all kinds of distortion on everything, metal, machinery, buildings, roadways, you name it. We are used to it. We don't get gradual temp changes around here that stay steady, it fluctuates wildly here.
That is another reason the augers are designed to be able to "Deflect" and are "Springy". They have to be able to "Flex" a lot.
If the side of the housing is warped out, it will pull the auger away from the mounting boss, or flange, they give it so many different names. It will get pulled away as long as the bearing in the side of the housing is still bolted fast. If you unbolt the side auger shaft bearing from the side of the housing, you will be able to move it inwards to fasten it to the mounting boss easier, then you will have to squeeze the side of the housing inwards to fasten the bearing mounting bolts, and the augers will "Spring Back Out".
We had made up a custom "C Clamp to squeeze the housings together in some cases because they had warped out like that, and also on brand new machines that were like that. 
I've seen elongated holes caused by non shear bolts,"Hardened" bolts being used.
They can usually handle ice chunks pretty well around here. Most of the problems were caused by either a scraper and skids set too high so that the auger would hit the ground too easily, and rip the teeth off of it, and we also have the "Best Roadways" in the country here, as the whole world knows of Pennsyltuckys horrendously terrible road quality with heaving lumps, potholes, curbs jumping up out of the ground, sewer inspection caps that heave up out of the ground and are struck, causing damage. "Out of Staters" moving into the area that never saw snow in their life before, and never used a snowblower, it was a real "Treat" watching the damage they do with snowblowers. That keeps us busy, repairing the carnage they do to machinery and automobiles.Most of their "Carnage" was broken shear bolts and destroyed Augers.
It sounds like you have personal machinery like I do age wise, the "Older the Better", and they were built to last much better than the new stuff. A lot of my new equipment is around 25 years old.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

Bump to this old thread. Going to pull the augers today and take a peak and regrease. What do the side and impeller bolt need to be retorqued to?


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

So I got everything apart. Right side slid right off looks perfect. Looks like left side sustained damage to auger shaft tube and stub shaft.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Snowfanatic said:


> So I got everything apart. Right side slid right off looks perfect. Looks like left side sustained damage to auger shaft tube and stub shaft.


Thats what they look like after a shear bolt breaks and the shaft spins around for a while without the auger spinning.
If there isn't too much play in it, you can have some play, then just pack it with good marine grade grease before you put it back together. Otherwise you could be looking at an expensive parts bill for a new auger and gearbox shaft plus seal replacement.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

ST1100A said:


> Snowfanatic said:
> 
> 
> > So I got everything apart. Right side slid right off looks perfect. Looks like left side sustained damage to auger shaft tube and stub shaft.
> ...


It seems like the auger is possibly tweaked as it just won’t slide back on.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Snowfanatic said:


> It seems like the auger is possibly tweaked as it just won’t slide back on.


Maybe the tube is bent. It looks almost like if you could run a "Reamer" down through it, it may work.
A ream job might have to be done at a machine shop.
Depending on what an auger costs and if one is available, sometimes that is the only option.
Honda parts are not cheap unfortunately.
I would take it to a machine shop and see if it can be reamed out first. If you do that, take the auger and gearbox shaft with you so they can match everything up.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

The stub ends would be the same diameter on each end correct? I tried to put the right side auger on the left stub and it doesn’t fit. Don’t know if it’s designed like that or just the issue on the other side.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Yes they should be the same size.
Check the shaft end for any burrs or mushrooming just in case that may be causing the issues.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

Looking at both ends they look the same with no burrs


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## SilentHatch (Aug 23, 2019)

Snowfanatic said:


> Looking at both ends they look the same with no burrs


 @Snowfanatic
I believe the new auger shaft is about $70 on boats.net (not everyone has that kind of money to throw at a blower)
That might be a quicker fix, but then you could look at this thread for some insight to the gearbox setup.

How deep do you want to get into this? I have my latest gearbox parts arriving today; and I should be putting my blower back together today. Snow is coming soon for us, which is why I ask how deep you want to get into it.

Seems like the quickest and best bet would be to see if your left vs right side of auger shaft are different diameters/shapes (should be circles) and decide from there if you want it reamed out or just let it ride this winter and order a 50-pack of shear bolts and tackle the project in the spring.

Your thoughts?


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

So I putzed a little after work today. I got aggressive with some 150 sand paper on the left stub. Got the left side auger on and it spins free. Amazing for not showing anything their must have been something there. I have some burrs on the auger tube that I need to file off yet. Unfortunately like mentioned earlier in this post the auger tube got slightly indented prob from the block trying to pull over to the auger. There really isn’t much play but it is ever so slightly noticeable compared to right side which has none. I don’t want to buy a auger if I don’t need to but I’m not sure how much play is ok without doing any damage to stub over time.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

It should be ok with a tiny amount of play, the augers dont spin that fast to worry about being out of balance or anything. Just pack it with grease and you should be ok with it.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Snowfanatic said:


> So I got everything apart. Right side slid right off looks perfect. Looks like left side sustained damage to auger shaft tube and stub shaft.


the holes for you shear pins look perfect. usually i see out of round holes due to loose pins banging against them. Then I have to weld up the holes and drill new hole.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

Luckily It looks like it survived the hit and will go back together nicely. I debated pulling the impeller while I have everything apart. I probably wouldn’t have to as the gear box shaft didn’t have any rust on it. How big of a job is it? Also is it better to use grease or anti seize on the shafts? I was just going to anti seize the gear stubs and shaft that goes into impeller and call her good. Does it pay to locktite the bolts? Looks like 17 ft lb for the bolt with washer on the bucket what about the others?


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## SkunkyLawnmowers (Oct 18, 2018)

Removing the impeller is not hard, especially if everything appears to moving nicely. Great opportunity to lubricate everything. I use anti seize AKA Copper Slip in old money. I took my impeller out when I installed my home made impeller kit to improve clogging issues. If I recall there may be a split pin / cotter pin to remove but it's all otherwise quite intuitive.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

The Copper is better than the silver/Aluminum Anti Seize


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Snowfanatic said:


> Luckily It looks like it survived the hit and will go back together nicely. I debated pulling the impeller while I have everything apart. I probably wouldn’t have to as the gear box shaft didn’t have any rust on it. How big of a job is it? Also is it better to use grease or anti seize on the shafts? I was just going to anti seize the gear stubs and shaft that goes into impeller and call her good. Does it pay to locktite the bolts? Looks like 17 ft lb for the bolt with washer on the bucket what about the others?


6 of one, a half a dozen of the other when it comes to grease or anti seize, Good idea to Blue Lock-tite the bolts.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

Got everything back together but snapped one of the three little bolts that holds auger and bearing on. Is it easier to drill out and replace screw or just say screw it and replace bearing bracket or whatever you call it? Also what are torque specs for those little bolts? I think middle one is 17 ftlb


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Snowfanatic said:


> Got everything back together but snapped one of the three little bolts that holds auger and bearing on. Is it easier to drill out and replace screw or just say screw it and replace bearing bracket or whatever you call it? Also what are torque specs for those little bolts? I think middle one is 17 ftlb



I just tighten pretty snug. you can use a left handed drill bit and easy out to remove that broken bolt. watch a you tube video . 3 is better than 2 holding that bearing holder to auger housing.


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## Snowfanatic (Apr 7, 2019)

How tight to go on impeller and gear box bracket bolts? I tightened pretty tight but still room to move. Don’t want to snap one of those


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Snug them up, but not so tight you snap them …. every bolt is different … the older they are they may snap easier? Its kind of a learn as you go thing … I have been around a long time doing this stuff, and once in awhile, I even snap one still. Even snapped using a torque wrench, as there is no guarantee.... as they say, **** happens.

I would definitely put that 3rd bolt back on that bearing housing, even if it meant dismantling it.


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## Wazoo (Nov 21, 2019)

Snowfanatic said:


> Got everything back together but snapped one of the three little bolts that holds auger and bearing on. Is it easier to drill out and replace screw or just say screw it and replace bearing bracket or whatever you call it? Also what are torque specs for those little bolts? I think middle one is 17 ftlb


When I doubt, use "standard bolt torques". See attached chart.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/bolts/US-Recommended-Torque.aspx


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks Wazoo,

I actually printed it to keep in my toolbox, as ya never know …. 

By the way, … I'm your neighbor, …. I'm in Newington.


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## Wazoo (Nov 21, 2019)

Your welcome, neighbor!


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