# warm restart choke or no choke?



## wantboost (Aug 5, 2014)

I ran out of fuel and when I went to restart it gave me a bit of a hard time. When in restart how many pumps on primer bulb and should I use choke?


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

most snowblowers don't need to be primed or choked if the engine is warm


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## AL- (Oct 27, 2014)

wantboost said:


> I ran out of fuel and when I went to restart it gave me a bit of a hard time. When in restart how many pumps on primer bulb and should I use choke?


If you had shut it off and tried to restart it, it would normally start without being primed. 
So, if you factor in running out of gas then that seems to make a difference. Now that you have it gassed up and running you could shut it off and then try to start it and see if it behaves differently. If your problem is running out off gas makes it quite difficult to start then keep an eye on the gas tank level to avoid the problem. If your carburetor has not been cleaned in awhile that might be part of the problem. Most people now days due to the 10% ethanol added to gas add a stabilizer/cleaner additive to their gas. You could check your spark plug gap and also see if it's clean


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Hmm... I can never restart mine without at least choking them. Not like a rototiller or lawn mower.
But, to answer your question..., whatever works. There is no set method. Machines vary'also.


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## driz (Dec 19, 2013)

AL- said:


> If you had shut it off and tried to restart it, it would normally start without being primed.
> So, if you factor in running out of gas then that seems to make a difference. Now that you have it gassed up and running you could shut it off and then try to start it and see if it behaves differently. If your problem is running out off gas makes it quite difficult to start then keep an eye on the gas tank level to avoid the problem. If your carburetor has not been cleaned in awhile that might be part of the problem. Most people now days due to the 10% ethanol added to gas add a stabilizer/cleaner additive to their gas. You could check your spark plug gap and also see if it's clean



I agree on the ethanol gas and I simply use Indian Hi Test for all my small engines so I don't need to be tearing carbs apart constantly . The other trick with ethanol gas in small engines i have hear recommended is to run the carb dry every time you use it and it will be sitting for a while. Definitely when it's being laid up for the season. Of course for daily use it would probably drive you nuts unless you have electric start. 
A guy I know is a boat wrench and his marina swears by that new Stabil Ethanol treatment. It seemed to solve most problems with small outboards and stop the constant carb cleaning. It's cheap insurance for how much gas a blower goes through as is high test.


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## wantboost (Aug 5, 2014)

Even with a fuel shutoff u can't really run dry since fuel stays in the float?? Or not


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

if you have to restart it and theres gas in the tank you shouldnt have to choke it or pprime it. if you have to add gas it might be a different story but with my honda gx390 on my Landa power washer when it runs out of gas you just fill it wait a minute for the carb to fill up and pull the cord and she will go first pull with no choke


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

wantboost said:


> Even with a fuel shutoff u can't really run dry since fuel stays in the float?? Or not


There will be some fuel in the float bowl as the engine doesn't suck it all out but "running it dry" uses up a lot of fuel that would otherwise sit in that bowl over the months and break down. If you're putting it away for a season it would be good to run it dry and then drain or pull the float bowl and wipe it out.

I don't go that far, just run it dry and hope that by using non-alcohol, stabilizer and a fuel cleaner I'll be good to go in a few months. It's worked so far. :icon_whistling:


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## knu2xs (Jan 6, 2015)

micah68kj said:


> But, to answer your question..., whatever works. There is no set method. Machines vary'also.


The above pretty much sums up my experience over the years.

Last fall was no exception when I bought a new, 2014, Ariens 
Platinum 24 SHO, that "cold starts" on the first or second pull
(choke, full throttle & a few primer pumps.)

After trying many combinations for "warm starts" I found that, 
no choke, half throttle, 2 hits on the primer, worked like a charm.


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