# Ariens Deluxe 30 with AX 291 - engine starter removal!



## mebacher (Feb 6, 2015)

Help!!!

I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the starter from my 2013 Deluxe 30 with the AX 291 engine. I started taking shrouds and covers off, but quickly stopped myself: surely, there has got to be an easier way than removing all the engine tin metal....

Both my Tecumseh and my Briggs and Stratton engines are just a matter of removing two easily accessible bolts and slide the starter off....

Any ideas? anyone actually done it? or has a repair manual that shows the procedure? To my surprise, YouTube was no help this time either.

The parts book shows two cast "ears" on the starter motor that are used to bolt it on the engine case, but I can't seem to find them on the actual engine.

Mike


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Normex should be along shortly. He will be able to answer your question.


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## mebacher (Feb 6, 2015)

Thank you, I really hope so!

It's -30 up here in Ontario Canada these days, and pull-starting the blower is really getting old!

I think that the gear is seized on the shaft, and I have to take the motor off to lubricate and free it up so it can engage with the crank again. it worked flawlessly before this latest cold snap!


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

I have the same blower, granted it does not get as cold as you have now, but I did start my blower in -20 "once". 

Three primes, full choke, and one pull it was off and running. I have yet to use my electric start. 

Good luck!


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

mebacher said:


> I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the starter from my 2013 Deluxe 30 with the AX 291 engine. I started taking shrouds and covers off, but quickly stopped myself: surely, there has got to be an easier way than removing all the engine tin metal....
> 
> The parts book shows two cast "ears" on the starter motor that are used to bolt it on the engine case, but I can't seem to find them on the actual engine.


 I would have to ask first why isn't it a warranty item?

There's not much history on your model because it is so new.
I have not worked on this model but here's a link and sorry for not being much help.

This will be handy in the future, it is a light service manual and it shows all the bolts torque values including your starter.
http://lctusa.com/resources/PGH45163_Online_Service_Man_revD_101413.pdf


Good Luck


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Was it in a regular cold then very cold as it could have a frozen solenoid, try a heat gun on it or hair dryer. You could try to spray some silicone near a crack close to the solenoid. 

When you press the button what is it doing?


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## mebacher (Feb 6, 2015)

Thank you for your replies!

It probably would be a warranty item if it was defective, but it probably only needs a good spray of penetrating lubricant to loosen the gear. Besides, this time of year, the turn-around for blower work is in weeks! and it snows, and snows, and snows.... Whoever wrote the movie "White Christmas" most likely lived in the south, because I never care if I see another snow flake ever again.

I tried a heat gun, to no avail. When I press the start button, the motor spins but does not engage, just like an old style car starter with broken Bendix pins... BUT sometimes, it catches and the blower fires immediately. Of course, it's not good to keep spinning the gear - sure way to damage the teeth! So I will pull start until I resolve my problem.

Thank you for your help again, the manual will come in handy, if only for the engine tech drawings.

I will take it to work on Monday and start taking the blower apart at the fire hall instead of outside in the snow. I will let you know how I make out.

Mike


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## UncleOp (Dec 24, 2017)

I have this blower, and this weekend both the electric starter and the recoil starter wouldn't work. (the recoil died a while ago, and I started using the electric exclusively - a mistake.)

It looks like this is one of the few posts talking about the issue of removing the starter, and I can't find explicit instructions elsewhere after a moderate search. It seems like all those shrouds do need to come off. Tedious. There are two bolts accessible only if you take off the flywheel cover/shroud, and those should be what releases the starter. I'll be trying again in the morning.

The recoil starter appears to have full out broken: the pulley on which the cord winds is just plastic! Gee, what could go wrong? Oh, yeah, the plastic can crack. Most of the fix-your-recoil videos show a metal pulley; I guess Ariens saved $5 on the plastic version. I have a separate poke to their customer service; this is used exclusively residentially at just my house, and it's been just two seasons (this is the start of #3). Maybe they'll send me a replacement, but I'm not holding my breath.

Always happens when there's a storm; like fixing a hole in the roof, you only remember when it's a problem. (and that's the end of my holiday rant and thread revivification...)


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

sadly the lct engines do have a non repairable pull starter, they list the pull, as a assembly for replacement parts, as to the 120 volt starter one does seem to have to remove the cooling shrouds to get at the two bolts that hold it to the engine, photo's of the parts show the bolts going into from under.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

87 powershift said:


> sadly the lct engines do have a non repairable pull starter, they list the pull, as a assembly for replacement parts, as to the 120 volt starter one does seem to have to remove the cooling shrouds to get at the two bolts that hold it to the engine, photo's of the parts show the bolts going into from under.


Wait a minute, 87 Powershift, At this moment I don't own a Chinese engine, or LCT, are you saying if the pull cord breaks with a LCT engine I can't replace the pull cord, l have to buy a whole assembly? Is there a way around this like drilling a hole to feed the rope through?


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## UncleOp (Dec 24, 2017)

It looks like you could replace the pull cord itself, but in my case the mechanism is busted.


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Wait a minute, 87 Powershift, At this moment I don't own a Chinese engine, or LCT, are you saying if the pull cord breaks with a LCT engine I can't replace the pull cord, l have to buy a whole assembly? Is there a way around this like drilling a hole to feed the rope through?


yes i am. i had to buy a full assembly for a customers machine as when the cord broke it also snapped the spring. the dealers parts book only showed the whole thing as a assembly , LCT Service Parts Catalog, don't know if we could drill or use a hole,rewind the spring insert a new cord yet, since i mostly see old tech's, B&S or kohlers,


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