# Old John Deere snowblower, help finding parts



## Jbpiv

I just picked up a John Deere snowblower from
Someone for free. The engine does not work (owner said he thinks a cylinder dropped on it) and I am looking to rebuild it. 

What I know it's from 1978-1980. And the serial number is: P826J 126650 M

I have attached pictures. What exact engine is in it? Where can I find a rebuild kit? I have attached pictures of the unit as well.


----------



## db130

Jbpiv said:


> I just picked up a John Deere snowblower from
> Someone for free. The engine does not work (owner said he thinks a cylinder dropped on it) and I am looking to rebuild it.
> 
> What I know it's from 1978-1980. And the serial number is: P826J 126650 M
> 
> I have attached pictures. What exact engine is in it? Where can I find a rebuild kit? I have attached pictures of the unit as well.


If you remove the 2 bolts for the electric starter connector on top of the flywheel cover, you should see the engine type stamped on it.

looks like an HM80 variant. 

I don't know where you are located but you can usually find a running HM80 for $100 to $150 on craigslist. 

You'd be looking at ~$100 for the rebuild parts alone.


----------



## nwcove

are you wanting to rebuild for the enjoyment, or because you need a working machine ? there should be a tag on the engine itself for the "enjoyment" work, and a repower would be a better option for the " working machine". ( if its a dual shaft engine, things kinda change)


----------



## jtclays

Quick and easy way to check your cylinder is pull the plug and flash a light in there as someone pulls the rope. You should see the piston move up and down. If it's a thrown rod, you can usually feel it just by pulling the rope (if it moves, it may not) there won't be compression at all. Rebuilding depends on the internal damage. You can remove the electric starter and see if there's a hole in the block behind it. I refurbed an 826 a little newer than yours. They are very easy to work on and built very well.


----------



## Jbpiv

Going to try to take it apart tonight to get a feel for what's going on. Tried pulling the rope, does not even budge. 

If I were to go rebuild route, how do I determine what exact engine I have to get parts for it?

What options do I have if I swap it out?

Here's the owners book I got but this hasn't helped me much on my google searches


----------



## jtclays

Look along this line for a stamped alpha numeric series. (HM80xxxxxx)
That will ID your engine for which Tecumseh parts you may need. Easy enough to pull the bolts on the electric starter motor under the gas tank and look behind it. If you can see into the engine, you don't need to look for parts:wavetowel2: If no hole and the recoil is stuck, it may just be seized. See if there's any oil in it. If it's only seized and no hole behind the starter you MIGHT be able to salvage it. At that age the head bolts tend to stay with the block and repowering may be easier and cheaper. Break off one head bolt and one exhaust bolt and you've got a bad start to rebuilding.


----------



## jtclays

The code written in your owners manual 9264D is the tail end of the engine ID. It tells you it was made in decade ending in "9" likely 1979 by appearance and model of blower on the 264th day on line "D" of the factory. Friday, September 21, 1979. You need all the letters and numbers before that part of the serial number to look up correct parts.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

Welcome to the forum Jbpiv :white^_^arial^_^0^_

On some engines that stamped engine number is under the electric start button assembly and you need to remove the two screws to tilt it out of the way. :facepalm_zpsdj194qh

This site is great for finding part numbers and seeing drawings then use the part number on google, amazon and Ebay to get the best deal.

John Deere - Parts Catalog


----------



## Jbpiv

So I think I got the serial... The plate was pretty rusted right where the serial was engraved. But from the best I can tell I have HM805156013F. SER 9264D

I am only unsure on the following #5 &6-> HM80[5]15[6]013F
Picture below for how bad it looks. 

Also, took off the starter and I got a nice crack... Picture below as well


----------



## db130

Like I said, start looking for a replacement hm80


----------



## 43128

can you take a picture of your blower with the belt cover off? your blower looks like a great candidate for a predator repower


----------



## jtclays

Thinking your model number is HM80-155013D.
Tecumseh HM80-155013D - Tecumseh 4-Cycle Horizontal Engine Engine Parts List #1 Diagram and Parts List | PartsTree.com
It's a single shaft engine so you can pretty much get any engine you want for a swap. JD's have quite a sturdy tractor body so drilling different mounting holes is not a big deal. Few years back when I first started into playing with snowblowers member Shryp linked me to this series of videos about a JD repower.


----------



## Jbpiv

db130 said:


> Like I said, start looking for a replacement hm80


Any suggestions on where to find one? I found this on eBay. Just trying to determine if its a good match for what I want to do? 

New 10HP Tecumseh Engine Short Block LH358XA No Crank HM100 HM80 Snowblower | eBay


----------



## ELaw

If you were going to go that route I'd suggest getting one of the other shortblocks the same seller has listed on ebay. Just search ebay for "tecumseh block lh358xa" and you'll see he has several listed with crankshafts in different sizes. Then you'd be getting all new internal parts... although I can't say 100% for sure your flywheel and cover would switch over. My concern with the one you linked is it requires reusing your crankshaft, and the rod bearing on your crankshaft may be damaged.

But I'd also suggest checking Craigslist. I don't know where you're located, but at least in my area there are usually a number of people selling used Tecumseh snowblower engines. Or cheap snowblowers with some sort of problem but a good engine you could swap over.


----------



## Jbpiv

ELaw said:


> If you were going to go that route I'd suggest getting one of the other shortblocks the same seller has listed on ebay. Just search ebay for "tecumseh block lh358xa" and you'll see he has several listed with crankshafts in different sizes. Then you'd be getting all new internal parts... although I can't say 100% for sure your flywheel and cover would switch over. My concern with the one you linked is it requires reusing your crankshaft, and the rod bearing on your crankshaft may be damaged.
> 
> But I'd also suggest checking Craigslist. I don't know where you're located, but at least in my area there are usually a number of people selling used Tecumseh snowblower engines. Or cheap snowblowers with some sort of problem but a good engine you could swap over.



Awesome. I'll take a look around. I guess it's just a matter of determining the crankshaft size. I'm located in Allentown, Pa I'll have to sift through the craigslist and eBay posts then


----------



## Eyeboltman

Good luck with your John Deere blower! I would love to have GREEN Deere ! Like the guys said look for one that's the same size . In good shape . Good luck .


----------



## jtclays

Crankshaft on my 826 was 3/4". Couple things to check before spending money. Make sure the augers are free on the shaft. Remove the shear pins and see if they freely turn. That is a 1" auger shaft running completely across the bucket, no little stubs like newer blowers. If rusted on they can be a project killer as it's a lot of surface area to overcome. Check the differential inside the belly pan, they can be rusted into a solid block if maintained poorly. If you loosen the big wingnut on the left wheel and push the blower around is should turn fairly easy. If you tighten in that wingnut and then push the blower around, you should notice both wheels are now locked and turning is more difficult and wider arcing if the differential is operating correctly. Make sure the friction platter is in good shape and has not been abused (scored) with a bad friction wheel. That part is NLA. Check to see if there is oil in the front auger gear box. If it's dry, that setup is very hard to find. Look at your impeller blades and make sure they are not bent backwards. Very common to see that on these models as they were fairly long tipped where they bend to form the "cup" at the end.








Here's what a bad one can look like:


----------



## db130

It looks like slim pickings on Allenstown CL. How about ebay item # 321913860571?

Runs on partial choke, probably needs the carb cleaned. $130 shipped.

You can transfer the flywheel cover/carb cover/gas tank/electric starter from your original engine if you want to keep it looking somewhat original.

If you are not married to the idea of HAVING to have a Tecumseh engine on it, the 212cc Predator is a great choice as others have said.


----------



## sidegrinder

The engines are long gone, but I have many other parts from that vintage of JD 726 & 826. If you need any other odds and ends, drop me a line.


----------

