# Snowblower won't start - Carburetor Problem



## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

Hey all,

I have a Craftsman 247.883940 that I bought back in 2015. It has been used once, but was not stored properly over the summer. Now it won't start at all; any and all help/advice will be greatly appreciated!!

Primary troubleshooting steps taken so far:
1) Checked snowblower for spark - checked good since it does turn over if you put gas into the cylinder.

Based on the above, I am thinking it has to be the carburetor or possibly the primer button. I have searched for videos on tricks for carb problems and didn't find much of anything except that I need to rebuild the carb.
After digging online, it appears my engine is a 375-Qu and the carburetor itself is an Mtd 951-05118B.

After more searching online, I have not been able to find a rebuild kit for the Mtd 951-05118B. However, my searches and video watching gave me the impression that I should be able to disassemble, clean the carb and reassemble ... reusing the same parts. 

So, that's question 1 then, can you clean and rebuild a snowblower carb without using new parts?
I suspect the answer is No, because I tried that, but the thing still won't start!!! :sad2: I drained the old gas, removed the carb, disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled, and filled with fresh gas. Yeah, still "no joy" I did skip/miss one step ... I didn't remove the plastic metering plug ... ? Could that be the issue???

So, I want to redo the rebuild, but as I said, I have not been able to find a carb rebuild kit for the Mtd 951-05118B ... ? So, what next? Does anyone know of a reliable source to find the rebuild kit for the Mtd carb (951-05118B). I could replace the whole carb, but that makes me nervous since I can't understand why the clean/rebuild didn't work???

Please help ... any pointers/advice will be greatly appreciated!!!

V/r,
John


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## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

go back to cleaning the carb....every hole and orfice is important...... well thats what my wife keeps telling me.


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

Theres always a good, no great, chance that you didn't get all the passages cleaned out. This type of negret ponts directly to carb problems. Order the new one and enjoy the snow.


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

vinnycom said:


> go back to cleaning the carb....every hole and orfice is important...... well thats what my wife keeps telling me.


OMG ... too funny!! Thanks, I needed the laugh. Also ... Thanks so very much for the prompt reply!!!

So just to clarify, are you saying that reusing the old parts should be fine? So, gaskets can be reused, etc?

Thanks again - Best regards,
John


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

Sherm008 said:


> So just to clarify, are you saying that reusing the old parts should be fine? So, gaskets can be reused, etc?


Yes, as long as they're not torn or have gouges dug into them or something reusing the old gaskets is fine.


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

cdestuck said:


> Theres always a good, no great, chance that you didn't get all the passages cleaned out. This type of negret ponts directly to carb problems. Order the new one and enjoy the snow.


Thanks so much for the reply!! Yeah, I was leaning in that direction (just get a new one) ... was just thinking about taking 1 more crack at rebuild, since the carb seems generally pretty simple and the snowblower is virtually new (only used once). But ... maybe "simple" is a bad assumption.  And, maybe "*used once*" + "*4 years old*" + "*bad gas*" = "*bad carb*" 

Thanks much again - Best regards,
John :icon-cheers:


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

WVguy said:


> Yes, as long as they're not torn or have gouges dug into them or something reusing the old gaskets is fine.


Cool, that is good to know ...
Thanks so much again for the reply!!!

Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

Sorry guys, but 1 more question ...

Does anyone know the right torque value for carburetor nuts for this MTD engine? I.e. the torque value for the nuts that bolt to the 2 studs that secure the carb? Or, is there a general "rule-of-thumb" torque value that should work?

Thanks so much again in advance - Best regards,
John


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Sherm008 said:


> Does anyone know the right torque value for carburetor nuts for this MTD engine? I.e. the torque value for the nuts that bolt to the 2 studs that secure the carb? Or, is there a general "rule-of-thumb" torque value that should work?


MTD General Torque Specifications attached below...


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## toms (Nov 17, 2017)

Have you tried to give it a shot of ether in the spark plug hole then try to start it to see if it is even a fuel problem. It could be a spark issue


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

tabora said:


> MTD General Torque Specifications attached below...


Wow, that's huge!! I can't Thank You enough!!! :icon-bow:

Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

toms said:


> Have you tried to give it a shot of ether in the spark plug hole then try to start it to see if it is even a fuel problem. It could be a spark issue


Yes sir, I tried that before removing the carb. Thanks much for trying to help 

Think I should have taken more time when I cleaned the carb. I was rushing since snow had just switched to rain and I was foolishly convinced that the internals couldn't be that bad, since this unit has only been run once last year. Well, hopefully "lesson learned" ... new carb is on order, though I still may try rebuild once more. I just wish there was a darn rebuild kit for these carbs!!

Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

One last thing to ask or bring up in this thread ... how does one go about shooting ether or starter fluid into these machines??? I don't think consumers are meant to use starter fluid in snowblowers, at least in the Craftsman product. While I get it that the intake is being kept safe from snow, I find this frustrating, since manufactures could fairly easily include an access door of some sort. So, I was thinking it might be a good idea to drill through the body in front of the carb ... to sort of make your own access port. This could then be capped with a bolt or you could make your own little access door. Of course then, next time the darn thing won't start, you could shoot starter fluid right down into the carb. What do you think of that idea? Is there something that I'm missing that would make this a bad idea?

Thanks again for everything!! :icon-cheers:
Best,
John


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

You just don't want snow/ice to be able to get in there. Or they can freeze up the governor linkage, which can cause a range of problems. 

Someone has mentioned drilling a small hole in the shroud of their engine, just big enough to stick the red spray straw through. If they need to use starting fluid, they stick the tube through the little hole, and give it a spritz. 

Good luck with the new carb, and re-cleaning the current one!


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

If it has a tiny rubber float needle seat, everything I have read is they don't play well with carb cleaners. I believe I read somewhere they can deteriorate and/or expand making things worse if you don't remove them first. This is why I bought the fancy little Tecumseh seat removing tool to easily remove and replace them without tearing.

I usually give EVERY passage a good 3-5 seconds of Gumout spray through them, making especially sure I hit up the welsh plug opening in the bowl as well as the high speed nut passages - I hit those two hard. If the nut has two openings, one will probably be really tiny. I make absolutely sure that one has Gumout flying out of it too. I then blow everything out with lots of compressed air.

I have rebuilt carbs without replacement parts, but I generally get less satisfactory results than using at the very least a needle and seat kit. Best results I get with a full rebuild kit.


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

RedOctobyr said:


> ... Someone has mentioned drilling a small hole in the shroud of their engine, just big enough to stick the red spray straw through. If they need to use starting fluid, they stick the tube through the little hole, and give it a spritz.
> 
> Good luck with the new carb, and re-cleaning the current one!


Yeah, that's basically just what I was talking about, though I was thinking of a larger hole. While the starter fluid can I had didn't come with a red straw (and doesn't even have an opening for one), maybe that just means I bought the wrong stuff ... So this is a Great point, assuming I can find a better brand of starter fluid, I really only need a hole small enough for the red straw. And that should be easier to drill anyway 

Thanks so much for the info!!!

Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

tlshawks said:


> If it has a tiny rubber float needle seat, everything I have read is they don't play well with carb cleaners. I believe I read somewhere they can deteriorate and/or expand making things worse if you don't remove them first. This is why I bought the fancy little Tecumseh seat removing tool to easily remove and replace them without tearing.
> 
> I usually give EVERY passage a good 3-5 seconds of Gumout spray through them, making especially sure I hit up the welsh plug opening in the bowl as well as the high speed nut passages - I hit those two hard. If the nut has two openings, one will probably be really tiny. I make absolutely sure that one has Gumout flying out of it too. I then blow everything out with lots of compressed air.
> 
> I have rebuilt carbs without replacement parts, but I generally get less satisfactory results than using at the very least a needle and seat kit. Best results I get with a full rebuild kit.


Wow, Great Post - THANK YOU so much!! Full of information ... I don't even know what some of this stuff is (welsh plug opening in the bowl and the high speed nut passages), but this highlights that I did a poor cleaning job, which was maybe evident already  For one thing, I did not blow everything out with compressed air :facepalm_zpsdj194qh ... I was rushing, so that was just stupid. Well, as mentioned earlier, I was convinced this thing couldn't be that bad since it's barely seen any use ... WRONG!!!

Anyway, Thanks Again so much ... GREAT INFO!!!
Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Yeah, somewhat ironically, carbs are more likely to suffer from non-use, rather than from use. You can't really wear out a carb, from using the engine a lot. But you can definitely clog one up from allowing gas to sit in it, and degrade.


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

Search on Youtube for user DonyBoy, and then under his myriad of videos search for carburetor cleaning. There's 3 part series on Tecumseh 4-5HP carb cleanings that is my go-to series that he filmed. That's how I learned. 

I tend to be more liberal with carb spray cleaning than he is cause cans of Gumout are $6 at O'Reilly's - but otherwise he hammers all the must-do's pretty well.


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

BTW. I tried searching for a carb rebuild kit - that is RIDICULOUS there is no specific rebuild kit for that carb. The engine is 4 YEARS OLD.

Sorry for the rant...but that is just astounding to me. One more example of why I am glad I own what I own. Can find a kit for a 50 year old engine, but not a 4 year old engine.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

tlshawks said:


> BTW. I tried searching for a carb rebuild kit - that is RIDICULOUS there is no specific rebuild kit for that carb. The engine is 4 YEARS OLD.
> 
> Sorry for the rant...but that is just astounding to me. One more example of why I am glad I own what I own. Can find a kit for a 50 year old engine, but not a 4 year old engine.


I think the plan is that anything 50 years old was expected to last 75 years and they made spare parts for things way back then. 

New stuff like snowblowers, mowers, washers, dryers, fridges and stoves are designed to last maybe 10 years tops. You might be able to get complete assemblies for some items, like a full carb (lots around on ebay etc) but parts, not so much. Think they would rather YOU buy a new one than try and fix an 'OLD' one.


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

RedOctobyr said:


> Yeah, somewhat ironically, carbs are more likely to suffer from non-use, rather than from use. You can't really wear out a carb, from using the engine a lot. But you can definitely clog one up from allowing gas to sit in it, and degrade.


Yeah, I get it now, but I'm a little late. Actually, I had heard about draining the gas each season etc, but I haven't done that with other gas powered stuff like weed wackers and tractor, and those were fine ... ?

Well either way, lesson learned now; it's high time I start taking better care of my stuff 

Thanks again - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Sherm008 (Feb 21, 2019)

tlshawks said:


> Search on Youtube for user DonyBoy, and then under his myriad of videos search for carburetor cleaning. There's 3 part series on Tecumseh 4-5HP carb cleanings that is my go-to series that he filmed. That's how I learned.
> 
> I tend to be more liberal with carb spray cleaning than he is cause cans of Gumout are $6 at O'Reilly's - but otherwise he hammers all the must-do's pretty well.


Wow, awesome - I absolutely will go look those up!!!



tlshawks said:


> BTW. I tried searching for a carb rebuild kit - that is RIDICULOUS there is no specific rebuild kit for that carb. The engine is 4 YEARS OLD.
> 
> Sorry for the rant...but that is just astounding to me. One more example of why I am glad I own what I own. Can find a kit for a 50 year old engine, but not a 4 year old engine.


Apologies on the rant are absolutely not necessary!!! I couldn't agree more; I was furious yesterday when I found that to be the case ... still can't believe it. And, once again, I cannot THANK YOU enough!! I very, very much appreciate that one of you guys would even try to help me find one!!! You are the best!!! I mean it, many Thanks :bowing:

Best regards - :icon-cheers:
John


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## Rob Chang (Nov 18, 2018)

This looks really similar to the 247.889270 that I fixed for my neighbor. She had the same exact situation - bought it new a couple years ago, used it a couple times, been in storage for 16 months. She just moved in so tried it for the first time in our first big storm, and it wouldn't turn over. 

Definitely clean all the orifices! I could not believe how much varnish there was and how many holes there are - especially the jets in the brass tube. I used a pin to get it all out since cleaner and a toothbrush didn't. 

I documented what I did here, including the issue it's currently having:
https://www.snowblowerforum.com/for...-247-889720-throttle-control-not-working.html


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