# Deluxe 28 - 921 Series-Guarantee



## luimeme (Jan 11, 2018)

I have an Ariens 2014 Series 921 Sno-Thro Deluxe 28, Model 921037 with a motor Storm Force of 414cc.
I started the blower yesterday after of few days of very cold weather, and it ran like crazy and before I had 
time to stop it, it did a strange sound and stopped. After I tried to start it again but I could not pull the cord and
it seems jammed.
The seller told me that I probably blew up the motor, and this is not under the guarantee. How can it be, this machine 
has been used for only 26 months!!!
Is there a way to have Ariens admit that this type of reaction of their motor or blower is under the guarantee (3 years) ?
And surprisingly the dealer told me that he had 4 others persons that had the same problem!!! He told me that this type
of problems is not covered by the garantee and that I should have read my contrat... As this type of incident happens so 
fast, it is almost impossible to react fast enough to cut the power. Thanks to support me in this matter.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! Yikes, I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like some sort of issue with the governor function, which allowed the engine to over-speed, and probably broke the connecting rod. 

It is possible that the governor linkage iced up after use, and froze into position, preventing it from working properly. This admittedly hypothetical situation wouldn't necessarily be caused by a flaw in the engine itself. 

Looking at Ariens' warranty info, I found: 
"Engines are covered by engine manufacturer’s warranty. Refer to engine manufacturer’s warranty statement" 
https://www.ariens.com/downloads/warranty/snow-chore_warranty.pdf

The StormForce 414cc is apparently made by LCT: 
StormForce? 414 - Liquid Combustion Technology, LLC

You might try contacting LCT to see if they're willing to help. 
About - Liquid Combustion Technology, LLC

Sorry I can't help more, good luck!


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

I too am sorry to hear of your misfortune but it's not the first time I have heard of this happening. If your dealer is not willing or able to give you any help due to his contractional agreements with Ariens I would contact Ariens and LCT and see what they say. Do to the conditions we use these machines in it is not always possible for the factories to test every risk factor. If approached carefully the companies sometimes go over and above what the guarantee states.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Ariens is going to say we don't manufacture engines and get out of the claim if they can. I have never heard of this. If the machine and engine are covered by a 3 year warranty, why is this catastrophic failure exempt from the warranty? As another member stated likely because the linkage froze and that is not comsiderad a manufacturer defect. That is easily a $600. engine installed at a dealer in this area. I also find this somewhat disturbing and I would also recommend contacting Ariens, writing a letter to Dan Ariens if you get nowhere with phone support. A heavy discount on a replacement engine would be a nice gesture from Ariens. Best of luck with this and keep us posted. By no means is this intended to pour salt in anyones wounds, but this is an advantage of an EFI engine.


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## luimeme (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks for the good words. I already contacted Ariens by email but they are trying to refer me to the dealer. I will wait to see the cost of the repairs, and phone them to try to resolve my problem. 
How often do you hear about a motor blown up in a year? Strange that my dealer has 4 in a short period?


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## Ferret (Oct 4, 2016)

luimeme said:


> Thanks for the good words. I already contacted Ariens by email but they are trying to refer me to the dealer. I will wait to see the cost of the repairs, and phone them to try to resolve my problem.
> How often do you hear about a motor blown up in a year? Strange that my dealer has 4 in a short period?



You are not the only one to have a problem with an over revving engine. I have a Deluxe 28, about the same age, with the smaller engine. My problem started while the machine was in use for an hour. When going thru so heavy snow the engine tried to recover RPM and started to rev with no control. I hit the kill switch. Restarted a few minutes later and it seemed to work fine. Next morning started the machine and it started to rev out of control, again. Hit the kill switch. Before restarting, turned the Idle control down and restarted, let run for a few minutes and then increase the idle. Ran fine for that session. Now when starting it, I first turn down the Idle.


I've had this machine for about 3 seasons and have had more problems that I ever had with my old Troy-bilt 24 Storm. I had run that machine for 12 yrs.
Sure makes you wonder about Ariens design and quality.


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## PixMan (Feb 14, 2015)

I have a Platinum 30 with that motor and my son has the same Deluxe 28+ with that same motor. Both have been used regularly and pushed hard. I had the pull starter on mine fail, but the motor itself has been flawless. My son reports no trouble either.

If it is a motor failure I think it's really rare for the LCT 414cc motor. As far as I'm concerned the dealer should take care of your warranty claim, and it is a 3-year one on that machine. If they don't or won't, find a better dealer or get Ariens to contact the dealer and straighten them out.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I agree that hopefully either Ariens or LCT and provide some warranty support for the engine. 

This is most DEFINITELY a band-aid approach. But if you were concerned about this problem, you could leave the throttle fully-down when shutting the machine down. That should help ensure that, if the governor linkage froze into position as the engine cooled, the throttle plate should be in the idle position. Rather than freezing in the full-throttle position, which would risk over-speeding the engine (and breaking the connecting rod), if the governor couldn't immediately close the throttle after the engine started.


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## luimeme (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks for your advice. I will follow it on the next start, and I will stay very close to the blower in case of.


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## luimeme (Jan 11, 2018)

luimeme said:


> Thanks for your advice. I will follow it on the next start, and I will stay very close to the blower in case of.


 when I joined this forum, it was to find about peoples who experienced the same problem as me: Blown up motor and the warranty and this being 
covered by the warranty. That is why I am so surprised that with so many members, no one encountered this specific problem.
I have appreciated the comments made so far but I am looking for a direct support from members who experienced some similar problems. Thanks.


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## luimeme (Jan 11, 2018)

Very good news. My dealer finally did the repairs at no cost, respecting the warranty. I wonder if he received a call from Ariens after the e-mail that I posted to the head office?


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## WinterOfDiscontent (Jan 24, 2018)

luimeme said:


> Very good news. My dealer finally did the repairs at no cost, respecting the warranty. I wonder if he received a call from Ariens after the e-mail that I posted to the head office?


It's great to hear that Ariens forced your dealer to live up to its commitments. 

Unfortunately, you seem to have a dishonest dealer. It's likely he would have charged you more for the repair than the amount Ariens reimburses for that repair under warranty. Or maybe he was simply hoping to sell you a brand new blower. 

By the way, the claim that he'd seen four other blowers with the same issue may also be a fabrication.


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