# Yard-Man Snowbird 7040-0 challenge



## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

picked up this little gem locally for $30. it was headed for the scrapper. came in with no spark, but otherwise complete except for airbox. the belts are dry cracked but still work. got the belts adjusted so forward/reverse engage properly. today I want to pull the cover and check the points out.

the 7040-0 is a 5HP/22" model and uses a Tecumseh engine

this Snowbird is an unorthodox design compared to the other era Ariens, Gilsons, etc... It has a chain driven auger shaft and chute, solid studded tires, and articulating impeller housing. it's a tough design. the rear belt cover gives easy belt changes without having to split the machine apart like an Ariens. just remove 2 wing bolts and the cover comes off. The long spring on the left side for the belt clutch engagement, was disconnected on the bottom and also jammed behind a tightening bolt. 

these machines come in with very easy fixes about half the time. others like my Gilson and Cadet have more serious problems. but they all have been serviceable and repairable - so far.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

more


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

That old gem looks to be about the same vintage as me. 
I like your sig. My sentiments exactly unless it's at a restaurant.


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## Geno (Nov 29, 2011)

Same vintage snowbird here on CL last week.. $25. It was complete w/no spark. I was tempted, but to many projects unfinished now.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

any old Snowbird is worth saving and getting running. the guys that break them up for parts end up not making anything on the parts anyway. better off keeping them complete and selling to a collector in one piece.

I pulled the cover and gas tank, someone put in a complete new ignition system. new points, condenser, felt oiling pad, coil w/plug wire, ground wire to kill switch, spark plug are all brand spankin' new. yet no spark.

the points were not closing completely. I re-adjusted them and set gap at .020" put it all back together, still no spark.

so I put on an electronic ignition box, connected it directly to the kill switch wire, didn't even pull the cover again. pull the cord one time, it lit up like a taser gun. big time spark.

pulled the cover back off and removed the points/condenser, so they don't interfere with the electronic box spark. someone put new points/condenser etc. in this and it never ran again. that happens sometimes, there will be an internal short in the points, or the new condenser is bad. back in 1982 I put a new points/condenser in my 1970 Pontiac GTO (still have the car btw) and it would not start for 2 days. put the old condenser back in and it fired right up. 

never trust brand new parts 100%. you can get defective ones. I also have a Champion spark plug that was in the pack new that I bought in a set of 8, that has no threads on it to screw it into the engine. it was never die threaded on the o.d. at the factory.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

well she fired off quickly using the Nova II electronic module today, albeit running roughly at first. the carb was dirty and it would only idle with the choke partially closed. idle circuit was plugged, it was running on the main jet with idle turned up. the governor spring being stretched gave it a surging idle


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*after carb cleaning*

the carb drain button was leaking, and carb needed to be cleaned. the idle mixture screw had no effect and the carb idle screw had to be cranked way up to get it to stay running. after cleaning it ran better and got some adjustment ability with the carb idle mixture screw. I made a tiny gasket for the inside carb drain button from 3 layers of electrical tape cut to a small circle with a tiny hole in the middle, and it stopped leaking. it then ran like this. the governor spring was stretched from age and dangling loose, so cut a few coils from it to tighten it up a bit. adjusted governor rod linkage to carb on the idle screw so the engine would not surge and hunt like it was initially. then it ran like this. I was able to idle it way down, and also go WOT and it ran well on both ends of the rpm range


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*Amsoil*

the coupe de grace at the end is always an oil change with synthetic 10-30 
Amsoil, the engine always respond well with quicker rpm and smoother running. then it ran like this


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the Snowbird is not going down easy....was testing the forward/reverse drive and auger drive just now, and the pull cord broke. 

then while trying to shut off the gas with the petcock under the tank, that petcock knob stripped and started leaking gas

fixed the pull cord simply by shortening it and re-attaching the pull handle, but have to buy a fuel shutoff and fittings now to fix the gas leak.

adjusted the belts and there's a very specific procedure involved, first the neutral setting must be set, then the forward setting adjusted. these belts are heavily worn but for now, the machine moves foreward/reverse and the augers engage.

oiled and greased all the chains, pivot points, wheels, linkages, chute interfaces, etc. and everything works smoothly.

the reverse engagement idler has to be adjusted, when putting it into reverse there's a tendency for it to occasionally stall out the engine at lower rpm, because the forward pulley is not disengaged far enough yet.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

greatwhitebuffalo said:


> the Snowbird is not going down easy....was testing the forward/reverse drive and auger drive just now, and the pull cord broke.
> 
> then while trying to shut off the gas with the petcock under the tank, that petcock knob stripped and started leaking gas
> 
> ...


Good to see it running. I tried to revive an old Gilson Made Montgomery Ward original Briggs 8HP/26 that I bought on Craigslist last year for $15.00 and I like you I changed the oil to Amsoil XL 10W30 1 quart oil capacity in the old Briggs and the darn carb had an leak in it and it was stumbling a bit. I then replaced the float needle and seat and tried it again and although it ran better It would ocaisonaly puff a bit of smoke especially when I started it up. Also the engine had a slow oil leak and it was leaking all over the new paint Job I gave it. I finally diagnosis it as worn valve guides since it was intermitant and oil is pushed up into the valve guides from below and then when enough accumulates it get thrown into the exhaust and you see a puff. I did not feel like rebuilding the old engine since it had the cool bore aluminum cylinder (No cast iron sleeve) and it leaked oil too. All new gaskets would be needed. I would have needed to take it to a machine shop to have new valve guides pressed in and all new valves and then I would need to adjust the valve lash plus the original camshaft could also be worn out too. I decided to cut my losses on the old engine. So I repowered it and it runs great now since the body of the machine is built with thick steel. Pretty heavy machine I say about 225lbs to 230lbs or so for the Unitrol 3 speed and they were considered relatively light weights compared to the higer end Gear drive models that Gilson made. Since their is a metal outrigger that goes towards the bucket area to the wheels you most likely can not upgrade to pnuematic tires. Post a video of the machine tossing snow this winter.

Mark


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

greatwhitebuffalo said:


> picked up this little gem locally for $30. it was headed for the scrapper.


It's in good hands now.
When I saw the video of you engage the auger I got all excited thinking I would get to watch the chute roll. One of my favorite things about an old Snowbird.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

will roll chute and take a video and put it up. when I drained the oil, I put the drain oil in an oiler can, and used it to lube all the pivot and wear points on the machine. the chute turns really easy now. the augers were squeaking when engaged and stopped making the noise when oiled.

when I get set up better in the future, the first thing I'm going to do with a rusty dry old machine like this, is take 10 weight oil, thin it with pb blaster, and spray the entire machine inside/out and upside/down with the oil mix. it does 2 things, lubricates it and is the best rust preventer.

back in the old days local garages here would oil spray the entire undercarriage and inner body panels of cars on a yearly basis, they actually offered it as a service for customers. the car would get sprayed, then sit one day to drip outside, customers would bring them in on a yearly basis. now it's illegal to do as a payed service for customers, due to environmental reasons, they don't want the oil dripping on the ground

ever notice that the front cowl and below engine on a car rarely rusts ? the part of the car that gets covered with oil from the engine/trans sweating over the years, the oil prevents it from rusting.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

GustoGuy said:


> I finally diagnosis it as worn valve guides since it was intermitant and oil is pushed up into the valve guides from below and then when enough accumulates it get thrown into the exhaust and you see a puff.
> Mark


whenever you get a smoking or puff problem with a Briggs, be sure to check that blowby emissions tube that is sometimes piped into the intake area of the carburetor. I have a 16HP Briggs on my tractor that would suddenly get a big gulp of oil and foul the plug, and make it run terrible and stall, then be hard to start. I'd have to pull the plug, clean it, and it would fire right back up and run fine. pulled the engine, and put rings in thinking it was worn out, the old rings I replaced were like new. fired it back up and it still had the problem, it was that blowby tube pushing oil into the carb.

so I blocked the carb hole, and ran the tube straight down like a dump tube, and no more oil problem. 

this old Tecumseh has the dump tube from the factory.

post some pics and videos of your repowered Unitrol. I think the Unitrol may actually be heavier than the gear drive Gilson.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the serial number on this engine starts with an "8" and 270th day, this machine was made late in 1968 for the 1968-69 model year season. early in the Yard-Man takeover series, and retaining most of the original Snowbird features except for the large box sheetmetal covers the early George machines had.

when we talk "gear drive" most think of the Gilsons, 1960 Ariens, Craftsman Drift Breakers, etc. but what most including myself don't realize, the Snowbirds were also a gear drive with locking cogs on each wheel, just like the early 2 speed Gilsons and 1960 Ariens had. actually a really bulletproof setup way overbuilt. take a look at the drive axle in it. if you watch videos of the SB machines on youtube, notice they seem to do an awful lot with less HP than other makes had. one reason why, the drive system in them was bulletproof, it could probably take 30 HP without breaking.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

dbert said:


> It's in good hands now.
> When I saw the video of you engage the auger I got all excited thinking I would get to watch the chute roll. One of my favorite things about an old Snowbird.


 
ok here ya go, it's really smooth after being oiled and greased


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

greatwhitebuffalo said:


> whenever you get a smoking or puff problem with a Briggs, be sure to check that blowby emissions tube that is sometimes piped into the intake area of the carburetor. I have a 16HP Briggs on my tractor that would suddenly get a big gulp of oil and foul the plug, and make it run terrible and stall, then be hard to start. I'd have to pull the plug, clean it, and it would fire right back up and run fine. pulled the engine, and put rings in thinking it was worn out, the old rings I replaced were like new. fired it back up and it still had the problem, it was that blowby tube pushing oil into the carb.
> 
> so I blocked the carb hole, and ran the tube straight down like a dump tube, and no more oil problem.
> 
> ...


The engine simply had the 2 piece flow jet carburetor on it. There was no oil blow by tube that went into the carburetor. It was a 1973 and it had no emmision features what so ever. I believe that is why the prevoius owner retired the machine. He told me that the gas tank was rusted out on it and that it still run when he last used it several years earlier. I was hoping to have a good running original engine but the engine was 40+ years old and was definitly in need of a rebuild. Good to see that the old Snowbird engine is in good shape.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

sounds like you had one of the few Briggs 8HP that are actually worn out.

my Gilson 16HP tractor with Briggs engine is a 1972 and it had the blowby tube connected from crankcase valve/lifter area to the carb intake tube. Just thought maybe that could have been the issue. FWIW you can rebuild those fairly cheaply. I had a Senator tiller with 5HP Briggs and the engine was shot. It was seized and the rings were cracked and the cylinder scored. I honed it with a Sears 3 stone hone on a drill, and found used rings from another 3.5HP Briggs engine that are the same. Put them on and away it went. It runs to this day just smokes occasionally but the more we ran it, the better it ran until almost all smoke disappeared. It would only smoke if left idling a long time sitting for about 5 minutes. I believe eventually the oil would build up and start passing through the guides as you said- or it would cool off and the rings not seal as well and let a little oil by the rings.

It's somewhat rare that an old Briggs of that era needs a rebuild, let me explain. Out of the 6 blowers I have now, only one of them could use rings and smokes a little, the Cadet 268. But it barely smokes. Just a puff when changing throttle and rpm suddenly with the throttle cable, then it stabilizes and no smoke. These engines are low compression to allow them to be started with a pull rope and burn regular gas so they don't build as much cylinder pressure and don't stress the rings as much. If you find one that is really worn out, it's usually because they owner never changed the oil, or ran it low on oil. Having said that we have found a few of them seized from lack of oil, took them apart, soaked the piston in the bore, got them loose, put rings on them and honed the bore, and they ran well again.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*Nova II*

the Nova II ignition module makes it all too easy, only 2 wires. ground the coil to the condenser mounting hole using the points screw. remove the points and reinstall the points cover. run the wire to the junction, then out to the Nova II- and splice it to the kill switch so the machine can be shut off.

hotter spark, easier starting. I went out this morning and it had rained hard last night on the machine. it started with one pull and stayed running.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*wobbly pulley*

ran into another problem when adjusting the belts and test driving it. the lower pulley that handles the forward drive and auger was wobbling, and only is held on by one roll pin. from age and being put on/off in the past, it had worn a little

a spacer was needed between the pulleys to get the outer pulley straight.

I tried a stainless washer between the 2 pulleys (the back pulley against the machine frame handles reverse drive) but the washer was too thick, the roll pin hole didn't line up. instead I made 2 rubber spacer washers from an old wheelbarrow tire inner tube saved for just such odd fixes. it acted as a bushing and spacer and straightened out the pulley fit enough so it doesn't wobble as much and will work. replaced the outer pulley over the inner pulley/rubber spacers and it worked. eventually I'll find a washer or make one from brass or aluminum that is the proper thickness.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

It's really easy to get at and change the belts and adjustments on a Yard-Man Snowbird. Only a few bolts hold everything on. 

the belt had to be adjusted by trial/error, most likely because the reverse belt is stretched and in bad shape. the starting points in the diagram on the machine panel only get it close. 

what was happening was in reverse, the forward belt would occasionally grab and stall the engine, as both forward and reverse were engaged at the same time. the fix was get reverse to work first, then sneak up on the forward drive adjustment a little at a time until it engaged. 

there are 3 adjustment points- an idler for each belt, and the linkage lockout adjustment on the side slides up/down on left side frame. the lower pulleys had to be cleaned while running with sandpaper so they would engage smoothly and not grab when disengaged, there was dried mud and rust on them. this gave the effect of the forward belt being shorter than it really is. the belts and pulleys were also sprayed with silicone so when forward was engaged, reverse would not grab and just slip, and vice versa. 

the belts were so dry and crusty they were trying to engage on the crud built up on the pulleys and on the belts. I actually had to sand the crud off the belts with 80 grit. 

forward drive and augers worked from day one when I got the machine, the tricky part was getting reverse to work and not jam the machine- after quite a few tries finally got it


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the petcock leak on the gas tank mysteriously stopped leaking. got the new fittings and elbow today to replace it, but still have to get the fuel shutoff at auto parts store, so that can wait. pulled the small cover on the impeller housing/chute area and greased/oiled the impeller chute cable, and also where the impeller housing rotates and rides on the machine. it got VERY easy to roll back and forth then with the hand control. the excess grease will be wiped off with a rag. for now it's ready for use except for a few minor tweaks. the impeller is held on by one ONE roll pin, it's tight in the shaft but loose where it contacts the impeller on the ends, so I may change it. and the petcock needs to be replaced on the fuel tank.


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