# Toro Power Clear 821QZE chute/control feezing up



## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

I bought the unit last November. Used it maybe 6 times since.

While blowing a few inches of low-density snow during very cold weather, the blue chute-rotation slide-control freezes into one position and I can no longer slide it up and down, which means the chute is stuck in one position, which is very inconvenient, to say the least. 

The first time this happened, I had no idea why. I thought it might have been a mechanical failuire, but after studying the service manual and drawings, which took at least an hour, voila, the handle miraculously worked. 

The second time it happened I knew it had to be some kind of freeze-up in some component. In a way I was relieved that it was not a faulty part issue. But the problem continues and it's a real PIA.

The established pattern is that whatever it is that is freezing takes about 3 minutes to freeze. Unfortunately, it takes about 7 minutes to blow off the driveway. If I want to continue blowing snow, I have to bring the unit into our heated hallway, let it warm up until, finally, the blue handle can be moved and the chute rotated. Then, if I'm lucky, I can finish the driveway.

I called the Toro dealer that sold it to me and they told me to buy something called LPS1 Lubricant and spray it on the cables and see if that works to prevent freezing. It's quite a drive for me to get that spray and I don't even know if it's going to correct the problem. They said that if that if the spray did not correct the problem, to bring it in to them and they would "take a look at it". I replied that if I put the unit in the back of our SUV and bring it to them, by the time I arrived the handle would be working just fine and they'd look at me like I was crazy. She said that this would not be the case, but I'd rather solve this problem permanently myself. (First of all, my unit would be placed on a list of first-come-first serve, which means I'd have to leave it there; make another trip; maybe it will work, maybe it won't, etc. You get my drift, snow-pun definitely intended).

What makes this more interesting is that my neighbor across the street bought an identical unit from the same dealer on the same day that I bought mine. He used his unit today (-18C / -1F), shortly before I did, and had absolutely no problem with the chute, which of course makes me wonder how my unit is different that his. IMO, logic dictates that there HAS to be a difference.

I'm stumped, which is why I've started this thread. 

Have any other 821QZE owners had this problem and, if so, what did you do to fix the problem?

Thanks.


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

I have an older Toro 421QE, but it is very likely the same chute mechanism. I've had this snowblower for about 11 years and I never had any freezing problems. No problems with the snowblower beside oil leak caused by a loose dipstick on the back side. 

Anyways, you could try spraying a little bit of WD40 on the exposed cables and where the cable enter and exit the sleeve. Move the blue knob up and down a couple of times to distribute the WD into the sleeve.

You got nothing to lose. It's better than surrendering your snowblower to the shop and wait.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

My toro 6053 has the same issue, seems mine ices up where the chute rotates on the body.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

aa335 said:


> I have an older Toro 421QE, but it is very likely the same chute mechanism. I've had this snowblower for about 11 years and I never had any freezing problems. No problems with the snowblower beside oil leak caused by a loose dipstick on the back side.
> 
> Anyways, you could try spraying a little bit of WD40 on the exposed cables and where the cable enter and exit the sleeve. Move the blue knob up and down a couple of times to distribute the WD into the sleeve.
> 
> You got nothing to lose. It's better than surrendering your snowblower to the shop and wait.





nwcove said:


> My toro 6053 has the same issue, seems mine ices up where the chute rotates on the body.


Thanks for the advice, guys.

I'm near-certain that the chute is not freezing in place because of ice between the housing and the chute. I thumped the palm of my hand on the shroud and wiggled the chute, and it does not appear to be stuck. I rotated the chute a bit and the cable on top did seem to take up a bit of slack, though grudgingly.

I'm leaning toward the cables freezing inside the flexible wire-housings, either top or bottom, maybe both. I'm going to bring the unit into the hallway and let it completely dry out, and I do mean completely, including any possible moisture inside the control cables. Then I'll try the WD 40 method, because it can be sprayed down the cable and hopefully run down the inside of the housing. If that does not work, I'm going to remove the cables; remove the cable from the housings and completely coat the cable and fill the housing as much as possilble with Mobil 1 automotive oil. That _should_ do the trick. If it does not, I'll once again remove the cables and literally fill them with a light grease. 

Those cables should be filled with grease when the the unit is sold. This is a real PIA to deal with in very cold weather.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

I believe that part of the problem is that I adjust the chute 180 degrees each and every time I go up and down our driveway, so as not to "waste" a trip up or down our driveway, which means that the control cables move into and out of their housings as much as is possible on each up-down cycle. My neighbor keeps his chute in one position while he first goes forward, then walks the blower back, then takes another cut. This could be the reason why my neighbor has no freeze ups while I do. Logical?


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

LPS 1 should be available at local hardware store, or you can order it online from Amazon.

I would go conservative on grease or oil on the cables. You just want enough for it to do the job. Anymore and it just attracts dirt and crud which makes even worse over time. And of course, you don't want all those excess lube to get on your gloves or jacket.


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

Herve said:


> I believe that part of the problem is that I adjust the chute 180 degrees each and every time I go up and down our driveway, so as not to "waste" a trip up or down our driveway, which means that the control cables move into and out of their housings as much as is possible on each up-down cycle. My neighbor keeps his chute in one position while he first goes forward, then walks the blower back, then takes another cut. This could be the reason why my neighbor has no freeze ups while I do. Logical?


I would say for a statistical sample size of two (you + neighbor), any logical conclusion may be correct, but not accurate.

Let's give the WD40 a try.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

aa335 said:


> I would say for a statistical sample size of two (you + neighbor), any logical conclusion may be correct, but not accurate.
> 
> Let's give a WD40 a try.


Following this thread.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

are you able to clip a motor cycle cable oiler around the shield and drive the moisture out with a lube?


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## arienskids (Jan 26, 2018)

we have those come in at work jamming up on toros and on ariens rusty deflector hinges what i do is spray down everything down with seafoam deep creep or pb blaster, let it soak for a few minutes wipe it clean then spray on a product called castle endura which is almost like a chain lube it goes on wet the dries like a light tacky grease, it thickens up as it drys. keep in mind that castle endura is not sold in stores and the only way i know about it is our company orders it by the case i believe from algonquin.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

arienskids said:


> we have those come in at work jamming up on toros and on ariens rusty deflector hinges what i do is spray down everything down with seafoam deep creep or pb blaster, let it soak for a few minutes wipe it clean then spray on a product called castle endura which is almost like a chain lube it goes on wet the dries like a light tacky grease, it thickens up as it drys. keep in mind that castle endura is not sold in stores and the only way i know about it is our company orders it by the case i believe from algonquin.


Learning something new everyday.
Amazing stuff for cables.







Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Castle Endura Heavy Duty Clear Lube, 10.75 oz


Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Castle Endura Heavy Duty Clear Lube, 10.75 oz at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.



www.amazon.com


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

captchas said:


> cable oiler


I've never used one. Is this the guy?








Motion Pro 08-0182 Cable Luber, Tool Sets - Amazon Canada


Motion Pro 08-0182 Cable Luber in Tool Sets.



www.amazon.ca







arienskids said:


> we have those come in at work jamming up on toros and on ariens rusty deflector hinges what i do is spray down everything down with seafoam deep creep or pb blaster, let it soak for a few minutes wipe it clean then spray on a product called castle endura which is almost like a chain lube it goes on wet the dries like a light tacky grease, it thickens up as it drys. keep in mind that castle endura is not sold in stores and the only way i know about it is our company orders it by the case i believe from algonquin.


Sounds like spray-on lithium grease that goes on as a liquid and then as the solvent evaporates, it thickens up nicely. 

That Castle Endura is as rare as hen's teeth. I can't find an Edmonton retailer (Canada). The cables are only a couple of months old, so absolutely no corrosion or crud. The blower is sitting in our warm foyer tonight where it will dry completely. Tomorrow I'll try the WD 40 and take it from there. Frankly, I doubt if it will work, but it's the easiest thing to try first. 

Thanks for all your advice, guys.


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## arienskids (Jan 26, 2018)

wd40 will probably work for a bit and wash away eventually


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

Herve said:


> IThanks for all your advice, guys.


Good luck. Hope it work out for you. 

Since the cable is steel but probably not coated, you can visually check if there any rust spots along the cable. Clean off as much rust as possible with a rag and apply WD40.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Well, I disassembled everything. Below are some photos to help. First a drawing of the slider assembly and control cable arrangement. The two cables terminate at the slider handle and inside the gear-assembly that drives the main gear that turns the chute. 









Then a drawing of the chute-turning components.








and then up close.The cables terminate at part number 10 AFTER winding around in grooves in the pulley. As the blue handle moves up and down, the gear wheel turns and tightens one cable while loosening the other. Pretty neat, actually.









The gear where the cables terminate:

























The above small gear, with the cables wound into the grooves, is covered by a protective cap No. 12.

























The gear with cap sit inside a bracket/housing No. 11.








Continued in next posting.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Last photo of gear housing/bracket








The housing is bolted in place between parts 16 and 18. Also between those two parts FLOATS/ROTATES the large gear wheel that the chute is screwed to. What we see here is the DOWN part of the gear that rubs on the plate below it. This is where water could freeze and stop the gear from turning. Therefore, this is where I greased liberally, As well as the teeth on both gears.









Here you can see the UPPER part of the gear where we can see the three holes that accept the three screws that secure the chute to it. Again the bottom surface of this gear rubs/rotates against the metal plate below it. This is where I greased liberally.








Now a better view of the teeth of the large gear. Again this gear is loosely held in position by metal plates above and below it. The teeth from the drive gear rotate and turn the chute one way or the other.









After doing this rather long procedure, I now believe that the cables were not freezing in their housings. I believe that the large ring gear was frozen into position. Regardless, I squirted Royal Purple automotive oil into the housings using a fine hypodermic needle until the both cables were loaded with oil, as well as greasing the top and bottom of the small drive gear inside and outside the protective cap. (In hindsight, I wish I had literally filled the cap with grease, but I'll see how it goes during the next snowfall.)

I'll report back if all of the above measures actually work. I've got my fingers crossed.

Hope this helps somebody.


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

Thanks for the write up and pictures. Good luck.

Did you tagged and labeled all the parts? That's some thoroughness, I thought I was reading CSI forensic report.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

aa335 said:


> Thanks for the write up and pictures. Good luck.
> 
> Did you tagged and labeled all the parts? That's some thoroughness, I thought I was reading CSI forensic report.


No, I could have taken a bunch of photos while I did the job, but it took long enough as it was and my hands were oily and greasy to the point where I would not have touched our camera or phone for fear of the consequences. I used photos I found on line. The result is the same, however.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

BTW, I find it impossible to believe that other owners of this unit have not had this freezing problem and that Toro does not know about it. After all, how useful is a fancy chute-control system that often freezes into one position, and then you have to warm it up, etc. ?


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## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

I haven't heard of residential users having this problem. However, there are complaints of the cables freezing from commercial users. Toro does offer models without the Quick Chute for commercial use. If you want, you can order the parts and retrofit them if the freezing problem is happening all the time for you.

The system works great for me and I don't have any complaints. I never had once freeze on me. They have this same design for the last 12 years. I bought the first year model that has the Quick Chute. By now, you think they have worked out the problems.

The only thing that comes to mind why you would have this problem is the different cowl cover. On the older Toro's, the cowl completely cover the engine. So any snow isn't going to melt and run down under the chute. On the newer models like yours, you can see the engine gas tank right behind the chute. The heat of the engine might potentially be melting the snow and allow the water to run down and refreezes in the gears that you mentioned. You might want to check to see on your model how the drainage of water is handled.

I'm only speculating so take that with a grain of salt.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

aa335 said:


> .......... Toro does offer models without the Quick Chute for commercial use. If you want, you can order the parts and retrofit them if the freezing problem is happening all the time for you.
> ....................
> The only thing that comes to mind why you would have this problem is the different cowl cover. On the older Toro's, the cowl completely cover the engine. So any snow isn't going to melt and run down under the chute. On the newer models like yours, you can see the engine gas tank right behind the chute. The heat of the engine might potentially be melting the snow and allow the water to run down and refreezes in the gears that you mentioned. You might want to check to see on your model how the drainage of water is handled.
> .............


I thought about the possibility of replacing the chute-rotation parts with the manually operated chute handle arrangement. However, the problem might end up being the same.. If the design of the shroud allows engine heat to melt snow and the melt-water to collect around the bottom of whatever is rotating on whatever to rotate the chute (something's got to be rotating on something, right?), maybe the chute will freeze into position even with the handle-on-the-chute arrangement and no slider system with cables whatsoever.

I look forward to the next snow storm with mixed feelings. If the well-lubricated chute system allows me to rotate the chute 180 degrees a total of 10 or 15 times (which isn't asking too much, is it?), I'll be happy. If it once again freezes into some inconvenient direction, I'll be on the phone with Toro head office customer support to see what they have to say. I'm going to be a very unhappy camper if they say to "just let the engine run for a few minutes with the machine stationary to melt the ice". "A FEW MINUTES" FOR EVERY THREE MINUTES OF OPERATION?! At that point I might make some "modifications" to the shroud near the chute (big holes, anyone?) and see how the chute operates with plenty of nice cold air on the chute-rotation parts to prevent snow from melting, running down into, and re-freezing in, shall we say, inconvenient, more hidden, much colder areas.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

I had the original 421 Power Clear with the quick chute for almost ten years and NEVER had it freeze. I got a good deal on a 721-R model and transferred the 421 QC assembly over to it and still no freeze ups.
Are you sure it's not the push button on the blue slide control freezing and not releasing ?


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Grunt said:


> I had the original 421 Power Clear with the quick chute for almost ten years and NEVER had it freeze. I got a good deal on a 721-R model and transferred the 421 QC assembly over to it and still no freeze ups.
> Are you sure it's not the push button on the blue slide control freezing and not releasing ?


Absolutely positive. The slide control never even got wet. The button pressed in normally. There is a lever on the invisible end of the button inside the blue housing that fits into a slot in the metal lock plate. When you squeeze in the button, the lever pushes down the metal lock plate, allowing the blue handle to slide up and down its track. When you release the button, a spring lifts the plate back into one of the groves on the slide, preventing the slide from moving.

Believe me, when the chute froze, I was squeezing that black "button" as hard as I could and pushing and pulling that blue slide, to no avail. 

Now that I know the arrangement of the various parts, the next time this freeze-up happens, if it happens, I'm going to tilt the chute in various directions with a bit of pressure and see if that frees up the various parts to which it is affixed -- especially that large ring gear. Maybe doing that will break the hopefully-thin ice that's preventing it from turning.


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

On my old style Toro I had an issue with the gears getting stiff at one point, I wound up removing the chute and upper cowling and cleaned up the gears and lubed them with marine water resistant grease, and have not had to touch it in years. 
I'm wondering if spraying it with lock de-icer like what we used before all cars had remote unlocking might help.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

I have been following the thread. Is it possible to do an isolation test in below freezing weather and in a no snowy condition? Use a water spray bottle (shroud off ) and spray around the suspect area to create the ice build up and wait till everything freezes.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Patrick0525 said:


> I have been following the thread. Is it possible to do an isolation test in below freezing weather and in a no snowy condition? Use a water spray bottle (shroud off ) and spray around the suspect area to create the ice build up and wait till everything freezes.


Good idea, but I don't want to start spraying water anywhere before I once again use the newly-lubed unit to blow snow. Maybe this summer. 



LouC said:


> On my old style Toro I had an issue with the gears getting stiff at one point, I wound up removing the chute and upper cowling and cleaned up the gears and lubed them with marine water resistant grease, and have not had to touch it in years.
> I'm wondering if spraying it with lock de-icer like what we used before all cars had remote unlocking might help.


I used an incredibly expensive marine grease (meant for use under water) on the parts I greased. The stuff sticks like you would not believe. I've also considered spraying with automotive antifreeze, but that is not good for paint so I'm waiting to get more desperate for that option.

I've had some new ideas on how to narrow down just exactly what is going on. Below is a drawing of model 38752 in the chute area. This is the handle-operated chute type. Below the diagram is a photo of the same area on a real machine. Below that is a photo of the "pawl" (no. 14) whose spring-loaded tip "rides" on the same large gear that is in my machine (only ours has the quick chute mechanism between the very same plates that are on the manual-chute model) and I assume provides a sort of resistive detent action when the chute is manually turned, so that the chute doesn't just flop in the breeze. There is a hole in the upper plate that accepts one end of the pawl axle. There is a hole in the bottom plate that accepts the other end of the pawl axle. Therefore, in the manual-chute model the holes are "filled" with the pawl axle. In our machine, there are the same two holes, but they are completely open. When I removed the shroud and disassembled those plates, etc., I wondered why the heck those holes were there. Now I know. If I had it do over again, I would now tape over at least the upper hole with gorilla-grip tape on each side of the upper plate. I believe that it is possible for some snow to make its way through the top hole down onto the lower plate and maybe melt, re-freeze between the bottom sliding surface of the large gear, seizing things up. 

























The first thing I'm going to do is buy the handle that comes on the manual-chute model. With this installed using the same three holes that secure our unit's chute, if a freeze-up occurs, I can tape-down the black button on the blue slider (thereby removing the lock plate from the grooves that lock the blue slider in position) and use the manual handle to try to turn the chute and maybe rock the chute+large-gear back and forth to break any possible ice. So for at least awhile I'll have a unit that has the quick chute AND a manual chute handle. Hopefully, best of both worlds.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

Herve said:


> Good idea, but I don't want to start spraying water anywhere before I once again use the newly-lubed unit to blow snow. Maybe this summer.
> 
> 
> I used an incredibly expensive marine grease (meant for use under water) on the parts I greased. The stuff sticks like you would not believe. I've also considered spraying with automotive antifreeze, but that is not good for paint so I'm waiting to get more desperate for that option.
> ...



A hybrid solution. I like it. Do u think the cable and pulley mechanism (original mode) has enough force to unlock the spring used in the manual chute mode?


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Patrick0525 said:


> A hybrid solution. I like it.
> Do u need longer screws to install the handle?


I don't believe so, but I'll determine that with absolute certainty when I buy the handle. Although it appears to be very thick in the screwed area, the handle fits over (is contoured to) the chute very closely and the extra length required by the present screws would be only the actual thickness of the plastic handle, which IMO could not be more than, say, 3/16", certainly not 1/4", and the present screws have plenty of extra length to handle that and its threads still be plenty deep into the lower gear.

While I'm typing, one possible downside to using the manual handle while the black button is taped down is the typical problem of using a large gear to turn a small gear -- one has to turn the large gear relatively slowly, so the small gear is able to "keep up". If there were no small gear present (the quick chute gearbox completely removed), the chute could be whipped from side to side very quickly, I would imagine. However, I think turning slowly with the small gearbox in place is still a good, very simple interim option. Below is a photo of the manual-chute arrangement. The arrow points out the space between the upper and lower plates where our unit's quick chute gearbox is installed.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

LouC said:


> On my old style Toro I had an issue with the gears getting stiff at one point, I wound up removing the chute and upper cowling and cleaned up the gears and lubed them with marine water resistant grease, and have not had to touch it in years.
> I'm wondering if spraying it with lock de-icer like what we used before all cars had remote unlocking might help.


How about an alternative grease? I use it on my auto window gasket tracks. It does not wash off. No frozen windows. ( NE USA we always bounce at the 32F/0C border) I also use it on my brake caliper pin and the rubber boots don’t swell. Pins remain rust free.
U could use it for electrical connectors too.


Our dielectric grease is a thick, long lasting waterproof synthetic silicone lubricant (lube) that prevents oxidation, inhibits corrosion & seals out contaminants such as salt & dirt; non-melting, stable consistency from -55-570 F


Dielectric Grease/Silicone Paste/Waterproof Marine Grease (8 Oz.) Made in USA- Excellent Silicone Grease https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016E5E59...abc_JAWWZMD7ZEYFBG3795JJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Patrick0525 said:


> How about an alternative grease? I use it on my auto window gasket tracks. It does not wash off. No frozen windows. ( NE USA we always bounce at the 32F/0C border) I also use it on my brake caliper pin and the rubber boots don’t swell. Pins remain rust free.
> U could use it for electrical connectors too.
> 
> 
> Dielectric Grease/Silicone Paste/Waterproof Marine Grease (8 Oz.) Made in USA- Excellent Silicone Grease Amazon.com: Dielectric Grease/Silicone Paste/Waterproof Marine Grease (8 Oz.) Made in USA- Excellent Silicone Grease: Automotive


Looks like great stuff -- especially for rubber. Thanks for the suggestion. If for some reason the present grease is inadequate, I'll give this a try.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

Herve said:


> Looks like great stuff -- especially for rubber. Thanks for the suggestion. If for some reason the present grease is inadequate, I'll give this a try.


3M also makes one too. Prior to silicon grease it was Sil-Glyde, a castor oil based alternative for rubber caliper boots and window tracks.

Also there is a more expensive brake pad product that does not wash off and prevents future squeaking. It is is called pastelub or ceramlub. Tenacious film strength.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Patrick0525 said:


> A hybrid solution. I like it. Do u think the cable and pulley mechanism (original mode) has enough force to unlock the spring used in the manual chute mode?


Honestly, I do not know because I do not know how much force it takes to turn the handle on the manual model. The handle is quite long, so there's some leverage advantage to overcome the required force to skip the pawl over the large gear's teeth. However, the quick chute gear is small, so it's going to have a mechanical advantage, too, that may overcome the chute's turning resistance quite easily --- but not nearly as easily as when there is no pawl rubbing the gear teeth. In the end, I cannot see any advantage to installing the pawl and spring with the guick chute system also installed.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

Herve said:


> Honestly, I do not know because I do not know how much force it takes to turn the handle on the manual model. The handle is quite long, so there's some leverage advantage to overcome the required force to skip the pawl over the large gear's teeth. However, the quick chute gear is small, so it's going to have a mechanical advantage, too, that may overcome the chute's turning resistance quite easily --- but not nearly as easily as when there is no pawl rubbing the gear teeth. In the end, I cannot see any advantage to installing the pawl and spring with the guick chute system also installed.


Question: If don’t use (install) the pawl and then rotate the chute manually, how does chute remain lock in the new position? Wouldn’t u go back to the unlocked blue button and re-lock it again?


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

I had the same freeze up on the 621QZE (?) that I had a couple years back. It was something that I thought would be an advantage to have on a blower but ended up being one of the reasons I sold it. A bit too poorly designed for me.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Patrick0525 said:


> Question: If don’t use (install) the pawl and then rotate the chute manually, how does chute remain lock in the new position? Wouldn’t u go back to the unlocked blue button and re-lock it again?


Quick cute would be the first option. IF there is a freeze-up, the black button is depressed and taped, and the handle then used to free things up. The moment the logjam is broken, the button is un-taped and quick-chute back in service.


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## Patrick0525 (Dec 24, 2020)

Herve said:


> Quick cute would be the first option. IF there is a freeze-up, the black button is depressed and taped, and the handle then used to free things up. The moment the logjam is broken, the button is un-taped and quick-chute back in service.


Gotcha that’s what I thought.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

gibbs296 said:


> I had the same freeze up on the 621QZE (?) that I had a couple years back. It was something that I thought would be an advantage to have on a blower but ended up being one of the reasons I sold it. A bit too poorly designed for me.


I now completely understand why you did that. I might end up doing the very same thing, but not before I try "whatever it takes" to remedy the situation. 

I can't believe that this problem cannot be permanently solved. The "problem" is that I really like our machine .......... when it's operating properly! It starts first pull, every time. I can zip up and down our driveway, flip that chute at the end of each pass, and be done the driveway and the sidewalk in around 7 minutes. If I want to clear our back yard concrete deck, I can back the light unit up two steps, down one and be done with the deck in under one minute. Very slick................. again, when its operating properly!


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Just stumbled onto the below great video that shows the removal of the DETENT ring gear on a manual chute Power Clear. As soon as I saw it, I realized that the ring gear teeth on the quick chute are different that the detent gear teeth on the manual chute unit. The latter are much coarser and of a different shape than the former. (Which means that if I wanted to go over to a completely manual chute system, I'd have to buy a new gear, the pawl and the spring.)

I also noticed that the chute-securing screws for the manual unit with handle are longer than those on the quick chute unit with no handle. I did a search for the different part number screws and the screws for the manual unit have 18 or 19 threads, while the quick chute's chute screws have only 14 threads. So if I want to install the manual handle, I have to buy three new screws, which ain't cheap. BTW, the actual chutes for the two different models are the same part number.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

A couple of hours ago I used the liberally-lubricated unit to blow about 2" of snow off our driveway and sidewalk while the outside temperature was -10C. In short, the chute operated quickly and easily without any sluggishness or resistance due to the lubricants. I was finally! able to whip the quick chute from side to side 180 degrees at the end of each pass up and down our driveway. I was finished with the driveway and sidewalk in just over 6 minutes. This is the very first time the unit has operated this well at this outside temperature.

So far, so good. Thursday we're supposed to have snow with a high of -14C and Friday snow at -21C, so I'm going to find out how the chute performs at those temperatures very soon.


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

we got close to 18" (45 cm for metric) today and my old '98 CCR 3000 performed just fine. The old style Toro crank chute control worked fine and that little 5 hp got rid of the snow pretty well. Glad you got yours working better. We are supposed to have another storm here on Superbowl Sunday so I mixed up another gallon of 2 cycle mix. 50:1 TCW-III is what Toro specified, I used Pennzoil Marine TCW-III full synthetic for a clean burning 2 stroke.


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

Today I used the 821 to clear about 2" of snow off our driveway at -21C (-6F). Not even a hint of freeze-up. Quick chute operated perfectly. 

BTW, Sunday morning we are supposed to have -33C (-26F) with a "high" on that day of -26C (-13F). It's supposed to be clear, but I actually hope it snows so I can give our unit the ultimate test.🤞


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

There was no new snowfall today, but to test our machine at -31C, I blew snow off parts of our street, adjacent to the street-side of the windrow, onto other parts of the street, back and forth along the street, rotating the chute 180+ degrees at each change of direction. I did this for at least twice as long as it takes me to do our driveway and sidewalk. In short, the quick chute worked perfectly, which leads me to conclude that all the lubrication I applied to the parts I mentioned previously has fixed whatever was causing the chute to freeze up. NOW I'm very pleased in every way with our 821! Unless I have further freezing problems, this will be my final post on particular thread. (However, if some other unrelated problem crops up with our unit, I'll definitely start another thread about that.)

Thanks for all of your valuable advice, guys. I really appreciate it. 

BTW,
How'd you like to fly into the Edmonton International Airport today (maybe a 20 minute drive from our driveway)?









And in degrees F (notice wind chill and dew point):


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Couldn't ask for better conditions to test it for freeze up🥶


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

Good to hear, that’s probably the most powerful single stage in the market today...


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## Herve (Nov 4, 2020)

LouC said:


> Good to hear, that’s probably the most powerful single stage in the market today...


I'm going to break my vow to not post again in order to add that our 821 has started on the very first pull, every single time I have started it, and that includes today. No need to cross fingers or say a prayer. Just Amazing! And it is indeed a very powerful, light, maneuverable little machine. I actually look forward to blowing snow again, and for lazy old me, that's really saying something.



Ziggy65 said:


> Couldn't ask for better conditions to test it for freeze up🥶


Yes, today is about as cold as it gets within the residential area of the city. It's almost always colder out in the wide-open country at the airport, but I believe our unit would have operated just fine there, too.


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## Rich C Boston (12 mo ago)

Herve said:


> I bought the unit last November. Used it maybe 6 times since.
> 
> While blowing a few inches of low-density snow during very cold weather, the blue chute-rotation slide-control freezes into one position and I can no longer slide it up and down, which means the chute is stuck in one position, which is very inconvenient, to say the least.
> 
> ...


I had this problem Saturday morning, looking at 20" of snow and still stowing, with 40 mph winds, the worst blizzard here is Boston, MA since 2014. It was so bad I gave up and went back Sunday when it was sunny, no wind, but still 15º. The chute would not move, so I did a 50' driveway and 100' with the chute at a 20º angle, so there were occasions where I was forced to blow snow into areas I had cleaned once. This morning I put the machine in the Sun, and since the chute is black it warmed up and in 15 minutes it thawed and all is well. Lesson learned; always keep the cover on when not using it. Other than that my unit has performed well. This model is not designed for 20 inches, but I effectively tunneled into the snow and the top then collapsed. It took twice as long but it did the job. I should say I naver owned any snowblower before so maybe all the other big brands work as well, but I am happy so far. The manual, which I printed out is pretty useless. That is unacceptable in 2022. I think Toro spends much more effort on their grass equipment. Grass rows everywhere for a long time!


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## fjb730 (Feb 20, 2021)

Rich C Boston said:


> I had this problem Saturday morning, looking at 20" of snow and still stowing, with 40 mph winds, the worst blizzard here is Boston, MA since 2014. It was so bad I gave up and went back Sunday when it was sunny, no wind, but still 15º. The chute would not move, so I did a 50' driveway and 100' with the chute at a 20º angle, so there were occasions where I was forced to blow snow into areas I had cleaned once. This morning I put the machine in the Sun, and since the chute is black it warmed up and in 15 minutes it thawed and all is well. Lesson learned; always keep the cover on when not using it. Other than that my unit has performed well. This model is not designed for 20 inches, but I effectively tunneled into the snow and the top then collapsed. It took twice as long but it did the job. I should say I naver owned any snowblower before so maybe all the other big brands work as well, but I am happy so far. The manual, which I printed out is pretty useless. That is unacceptable in 2022. I think Toro spends much more effort on their grass equipment. Grass rows everywhere for a long time!


I have the 821 QZE as well and I have not run into this issue. I ran it on Saturday for ~1 hr in ~25° and never any issues. I used it again on Sunday for ~1.5hrs in similar temps and no issues. The machine ran like a champ and even dealt with some icy-ish covered snow well. Other then the wheels getting a little snow-packed/clogged, I can't complain - mostly praise it. Now that I've corrected the handle knob from vibrating off!


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