# Platinum 24 921028 cracked line



## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

So I went to start my blower today that I purchased last November. I went to prime it and was obvious that fuel was not being pushed into the carb. Looking around I discovered that primer bulb line was completely split in two. I went to band aid it up until I could get some more line and it was literally splitting all over the place, very brittle. Upon looking around further I noticed that the rubber outer sleeve around the spark plug wire was also cracked in numerous places.

Has anyone else seen this? While the primer line isn't a real big deal, other than the hassle and really shouldn't need to be doing this to a 1 year old machine, I'm wondering if I should be more concerned about the plug wire. If it's cracking so badly now I'm guessing it will be falling off in no time and I'm guessing it's meant to protect the wire from rubbing and causing shorts. Since it runs right under the carb I'm thinking this may be a safety issue.

I'm really starting to regret my purchase, I've already worked on this more than the cheap Yard Machine blower it replaced of 15 years. Don't get me started on the dealership.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

The primer line isn't that big a deal but it is depressing they used that poor a quality of line that in a year it could be going bad. I'd worry more about the plug wire as it's usually part of the coil/magneto.
Still under warranty ??


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

It sounds like the machine may have been left in the sun at least for a whole season before getting sold, to get brittle and cracked I can only think exposure to the sun. Just my opinion


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

That might be for the spark plug wire but the primer line is full covered by the recoil housing and carb cover.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Could it be the primer line was allergic to ethanol, just a wild guess as the machine could easily be 2 yrs old or more ? since manufactured.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Yes it's under warranty, 4 yrs. left for the machine and 1 year left on the engine which I'm sure this would fall under. It's been garaged since I purchased it and the Dealer had to order it when I bought it, the mfg. date code was late 2013. I don't remember the exact month but I remember noting it when the dealer tried to pull a fast one and delivered the prior year model at first. Both the plug wire covering where cracked and the primer line are under the cover so there would be no sun exposure even if it had sat outside.

To be clear, it's not the plug wire itself it's an outer rubber hose covering which I'm assuming is to protect the wire from abrasion. If it's this heavily cracked now I would guess it will be falling off next year at this rate which is what I'm concerned about. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, just discouraging to say the least.

I've emailed Ariens, I'll wait to see what they have to say...probably contact my dealer which will be a treat. I have to believe that I'm not the only one that is going to experience this, after all I'm sure they manufactured a number of these using the same lot of hose.

Does the primer line actually see fuel or does it just create a vacuum to suck fuel into the carb? I know some engines like my trimmer and push mower see the fuel but you can actually see/"feel" the fuel when priming. This I can only hear the fuel moving.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

djc11369 said:


> Does the primer line actually see fuel or does it just create a vacuum to suck fuel into the carb? I know some engines like my trimmer and push mower see the fuel but you can actually see/"feel" the fuel when priming. This I can only hear the fuel moving.


I don't believe it sees fuel. It just sucks it into the carb from the bowl if I'm seeing the circuit correctly.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

djc11369 if you bought your Ariens snow blower last year you may have 5year on blower and engine when bought. Liftoff a member here said so in another thread of the last year warranty deal. This year it is 5 and 3.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

The newer machines use the primer to pressurize the float bowl which push's fuel up the main jet and into the carb throat. Some older machines like the Jacobsen Sno Burst had wet system primers like you find on modern two cycle trimmers.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Normex, you might be right but for some reason I seemed to have thought the engine wasn't part of the extended. I might know for sure if they had actually sent me the letter as I would have filed it but instead I had to email them and have them confirm I was covered. Nothing in writing anymore to tell me what the details were at the time. My Ariens experience hasn't been stellar, lol.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

What Grunt said +1


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Here's Ariens clueless response, I should have bought the cheap snowblower from Wally world:

_Thank you for contacting the Ariens Company.
I am sorry you are having issues. Did you store fuel in your unit from last November or did you drain it out? If you drained out the fuel; depending on what type of warm or hot storing conditions, may cause a part to be become weak and possible crack. However, without actually looking at your machine to confirm this, I recommend you take your unit to your nearest Ariens dealer via this link: Find a Local Ariens Dealer to diagnose and repair the issues you are having.
I just want to note, Home Depot is not a authorized Ariens service dealer.

Your unit has a 3 year parts and labor warranty and the engine manufacturer warranty is 3 years as well. These parts should be covered under the engine manufacturer's warranty. Things that are not covered by the engine manufacturer's warranty would be defective fuel related issue or maintenance issues or abuse.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

Please reply to this message with any further questions or concerns. We are happy to help._


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

If you ask me this is a very good response where the company will pay for any repair needed to make your snow blower serviceable again. This is why one should strive to purchase their machine from a dealer rather than big box stores but I don't want to start a word war please?
Please bear in mind they don't have any control once the unit leaves the assembly plant and it seems this kind of problem was raised here only once so far?
Should you not check your serial # with Ariens when it left their plant?
There is no doubt it is a bummer to have this happen but I would respectfully ask that all snow blowers owners check the operability and perform the greasing and oil change and so on whether the machine is brand new or old at least 1 month before the eve of snow falling.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Normex, I did perform the grease/oil/operability check about a month ago and all was well. I did not look under the carb shroud to check the primer hose/plug wire covering as I for one would never expect something like this from a 1 year old piece of equipment. I primed it and started it then so it apparently had not completely broken at that time. In all honesty, is this something you check when you service your blower particularly at the year old stage? Luckily I discovered this before actually needing it, I was moving things around in my garage when I decided to start it for the heck of it.

I've never heard of or experienced hose deteriorating like this so quickly, my comment of clueless stemmed from his "unseen diagnosis" pointing to draining the fuel. How this would affect the spark plug wire covering at all has me puzzled. Not even sure how this affects the primer hose since it doesn't see fuel either. I would expect more from someone with a title of Tech Service Specialist.

Anyway I'm done with my ranting, I'll get it fixed although my experience from my dealer wasn't stellar to begin with. Reading some posts in this forum that isn't necessarily uncommon.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Ok and I definitively agree with your point with this happening to a year old unit. I wish you all the luck and let us know how it pans out.


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## Ryan (Dec 13, 2013)

I've had to replace a few of those primer lines on various brands (including Ariens) after a year or two. The ethanol defenitly interacts with certain types of rubber as compared to others. But it's a cheap fix so I'm not too concerned. it allows me a chance to open up and ensure things are clean and in place and working right. This year out of 17 machines, I think I had to fix 6 primer lines.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Ryan, ethanol doesn't explain the outer rubber jacket of the spark plug wire. If that is seeing fuel then there is a much bigger issue. I know ethanol is the newer evil but I think it takes the blame for things it is not the cause of. This is obviously poor quality hose used by the manufacturer, somebody cut corners too drastically to reduce cost.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

I KNOW nothing about Ariens so take my opinion lightly. Is this outer covering something they put on for shipping purposes by chance and not meant to be a lifetime component? Spark plug wire is exposed to all the elements nature can throw at it and normally survives pretty well without additional coverings. I am curious why this was added.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Definitely not for shipping purposes, I can imagine it's there for abrasion resistance. I followed it back as far to the rewind housing before I would have to disassemble to see further. There's alot of vibration from a snowblower so without this I can imagine the wire would be exposed in no time. Definitely don't want arcing being so close to the carb.


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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

djc11369 said:


> So I went to start my blower today that I purchased last November. I went to prime it and was obvious that fuel was not being pushed into the carb. Looking around I discovered that primer bulb line was completely split in two. I went to band aid it up until I could get some more line and it was literally splitting all over the place, very brittle. Upon looking around further I noticed that the rubber outer sleeve around the spark plug wire was also cracked in numerous places.
> 
> Has anyone else seen this?


I have the same model, bought it late in the season last year. Read your post, got nervous and went out and checked mine. 
All the rubber parts are soft and pliable. There was no outer covering on the spark plug wire that I could see. Started right up & ran good. 

I would agree with the others, call the dealer and have it fixed fast under warranty, snow's coming!


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

enigma-2 said:


> I have the same model, bought it late in the season last year. Read your post, got nervous and went out and checked mine.
> Started right up & ran good.


Good idea


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Dropping if off tomorrow, hopefully they will correct it quick like they said they will. If it was just the primer line I would just go down to the auto store and pick some up to replace it myself, actually was going to do just that, but the plug wire I would need to do too much disassembly at this stage of the game. After the 5 year warranty is up then out come the wrenches.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

How about a photo of the ignition wire before it's fixed ??


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

That was interesting trying to hold a flashlight in one hand and a phone up at an angle with the other...almost dropped the phone.  Couldn't see what I was taking a picture of but these are pretty good to get the idea.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Yea, I wouldn't be too happy to find those cracks on a brand new machine either.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

As you can imagine, the first words out of my mouth when I spotted it were WTF?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

djc11369 said:


> As you can imagine, the first words out of my mouth when I spotted it were WTF?


Me too.
Hopefully you get to talk to the tech who fixes it and you can ask him if it's a protective cover or part of the coil wire and what he thinks happened to it. 

Thanks for taking the trouble to take the photos. Wouldn't have been worth breaking the phone !!


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

I always have an uneasy feeling dropping something off to be fixed, even if it is under warranty. Didn't get to talk to a Tech yet, just someone at the front desk who seemed kind of like why are you bothering me (happens to be the wife of the owner or part owner however you want to look at it) and the person who helped me unload it that didn't seem to know anything...probably just the person hired to do the menial tasks.


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## wdb (Dec 15, 2013)

I see references to two separate warranties. (Aside: that makes me nervous all by itself.) So I'm curious as to whether those parts are part of the machine or part of the engine. Obviously the plug wire is engine but I'm not as sure about the primer tube. If they are both engine parts you might have gotten a brand new machine with an engine that had been sitting around for a couple of years in a warehouse or wherever. The date of manufacture may be nothing more or less than the date the machine was assembled into a whole.

If both parts are engine related I'd take a long hard look at every other engine related plastic or rubber item. Any sign of similar aging would be enough for me to start pushing for a full replacement.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

wdb said:


> I see references to two separate warranties. (Aside: that makes me nervous all by itself.)


That's not really anything new. Most small engines have a separate warranty and even when you buy a machine new it comes with the owners manual for the blower, mower ... and a separate manual for the engine from the engines manufacturer.


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## wdb (Dec 15, 2013)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> That's not really anything new. Most small engines have a separate warranty and even when you buy a machine new it comes with the owners manual for the blower, mower ... and a separate manual for the engine from the engines manufacturer.


Understood, and I'm familiar with it as well. I just never had to try to work through a warranty issue with a piece of equipment like that. 

My dad had a motorhome that was a nightmare in that regard. Separate chassis, drivetrain, and body manufacturers, all pointing fingers at one another whenever anything broke.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

That's nothing compared to having an auto accident while driving for work. Your personal insurance company doesn't want to pay, workers comp doesn't want to pay, your employers company doesn't want to pay and that's not even counting if there is another driver or drivers and their situation and coverage !!
Like the motorhome, everyone is trying to push it off onto someone else.


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## Brucebotti (Feb 10, 2013)

I have a 2013 Deluxe 28, and the warranty is 5-yr for the blower and 3-yr for the motor.

I haven't had a problem with my Ariens, but I did have a similar issue with a Husqvarna weed whacker. It had a three year warrantee, and after two years the line from the primer bulb disintegrated. I went to the dealer to buy a new line which cost $1.65. I asked if it was under warrantee and was told that it was a fuel related issue and wouldn't be under warrantee. I was kind of surprised, but it didn't matter since I was fixing it myself anyways.

Bruce


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Well they'll have a fight on their hands if they say it was fuel related as that would never affect the spark plug wire covering. I called today to find out how it was coming and I was told today or tomorrow as they had to order parts. Didn't happen today so I'll call back tomorrow. Somehow I doubt that they didn't already have line for the primer and I'd also be surprised if they needed to order a new plug wire to replace the outer covering. I'll try to give the benefit of the doubt but really I feel like I'm being fed BS and they hadn't even looked at it yet.


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Got my blower back fixed, of course the tech blamed fuel for the primer line but had little to offer in way of the spark plug wire covering other than it wasn't really a big issue except it shouldn't be that way from a new machine. He claimed it was for heat protection which I'm not totally convinced.


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

So did they replace the covering on the wire for ya?


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## djc11369 (Feb 17, 2014)

Yes it's fixed


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