# Snowblower Work



## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

I have a Ariens 8hp snowblower and I am going to rebuild the carburetor among other things. It's 20 years old and I will be taking my time this summer getting it back in shape for next winter. The engine is a Tecumseh HMSK80 with a Tecumseh carb #155526S. What I need is a step by step format to follow to rebuild the carb such as what is in a factory manual. Can someone direct me what I am looking for? It would be very helpful. Thanks in advance for any help.


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## usmcgrunt (Sep 16, 2007)

Hello Bill. Here are the links for the carb rebuild, the required carb kit and the Tecumseh engine service manual. These should be all you need to get started.

Checking the valve clearance should be on your list of things to do. These engines have a history of the exhaust valve seat wearing and the valve not closing all the way. 

Someone will be happy to answer any other questions you have along the way.

Carb rebuild (PN-632334A)-
http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/tecumseh_carb_632334a.asp

Carb rebuild kit (PN-632347)- 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carburetor-...aultDomain_0&hash=item1c2f788e19#ht_47wt_1124

Tecumseh Flat Head Service Manual-
http://www.barrettsmallengine.com/manual/tecumsehlheadmanual.pdf

Ariens information page (Thank you Scot)-
http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/Ariens/


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## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

*Using My Snowblower*

Well I have been using my snowblower that I worked on last summer. During the summer months I did the following: New spark plug, changed eng oil, new fuel hose & primer hose, replaced both belts, new friction wheel & cleaned off the drive plate, changed oil in auger gear case, painted the machine as needed, replaced broken wheel lock bolt, greased fittings in lower part of unit, checked impeller brake & is OK, drive adjustment was done, replaced three bearings in the lower unit, rebuilt the carb. The machine runs fine. Starts right up & everything is OK except it lacks power when I get into deep snow. The snow is not wet. It is wind packed powder snow up to 24" deep. When I get into deep snow the machine lacks enough power to throw the snow out the chute. It will pile up in the chute and then if I stop forward motion it will blow it out. It will blow the snow 20 ft in the air but when I go forward it will bog again. This is all in the slowest forward speed. I checked the working of the governor and it is working fine. I double checked where I replaced the governor linkage when replacing the carb after I rebuilt it & it is correct. Also checked the RPM setting at full throttle & it is just a tad over 3600 which surprised me for a 20 year old machine. From information I found I believe that is the correct RPM???? Now I was warned about the valves on this particular engine and I do have a few questions. Could leaking valves or wrong rocker arm adjustment cause my problem? The machine does "sput" as it runs. I re adjusted the carb again just for good measure & I think I did gain a small amount of power although not much. I think it was running just a little lean. Is it worth it to check compression?? What should compression be on this engine? What should I check first, second, third, etc???? Anyone have any suggestions on what to start checking?? Thanks guys!


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

I have an MTD with the 8hp engine.. and I think its the same as yours..

if snow is building up in front of the auger.. slow down the drive speed... 1 or 2....

I purchased mine in 1994... New...

mine has never bogged down at speed... unless I was going to fast for how deep the snow was. 6 inches or more.

and thank you for bringing this thread backup..
I downloaded the engine manual.. and carb rebuild.. incase I need it ..someday.
mine had never needed repairs... just a fuel line last year. and a auger cable last week.


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## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

Mine is a Ariens and I bought it in 1994 also. I have been running it at the slowest speed but still have the problem.


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## walther (Nov 30, 2011)

*Snow not thrower*

Hello Bill,
I came on tonight since my Craftsman 5.0 hp, 24" is not throwing. Like yours it labors on small volumes of snow at the lowest traction speed. 
My thoughts were the friction wheel rubber and/or the belts. The engine appears to run smoothly.
It took near two tanks of gas for a job I could do with one.
Do you, or anyone know how difficult changing these parts will be? Or is there a different issue altogether?
Thanks


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## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

Walther,
I know from having changed the friction wheel and belts on my machine that it's not that hard to do. If that's the problem with yours it would be hard for me to tell. A lot of things could cause the problem you are having. Why don't you download the manual at the beginning of this thread and go through the trouble shooting section to look for a solution.


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## walther (Nov 30, 2011)

*Thanks Bill*

I guess I will explore the friction wheel, belts & general grease and lube. The engine starts on the first or second pull and powers up and stays steady. I just have to figure out why it bogs down and won't throw the snow.
The Tecumseh manual is great to have but does not address the auger issue.
I'll check the Arien manual for other troubleshooting ideas and how I may apply to my Craftsman .
Supposedly more snow coming Sunday night here in Westchester County, NY?
Thanks


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## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

Well an interesting thing happened today. We had about six inches of powder snow over night so I decided to go and blow it out. Started the snowblower and got about eight feet out the garage door and it stopped blowing snow. Engine was running fine and had forward and backward motion but the impeller was not turning. Thought I broke a belt but when I took it apart I found that the belt had jumped the pulley. Now I thought I had replaced both belts last summer when I over hauled the machine but when I saw the new impeller belt hanging on the garage wall I remembered that I didn't want to throw the old impeller belt away because it was a Kevlar belt so I used it. The belt was not a OEM belt and it was about a half inch longer than a OEM. So it fits a little loose. I put the belt back on and adjusted the spring tension for the engagement lever for the impeller to put more tension on the belt when engaged. The idler pulley was at full travel in it's slot so that's why I used the lever spring to get more tension on the belt. I took it out and started blowing snow. I was cutting through snow that was two feet or more deep and I was using the full width of the blower. It threw snow twenty plus feet in the air and never slowed down or loaded up. Guess I was lucky that the belt came off because I would have been looking at everything under the sun to find out what the original problem was that I was having before.


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

well it sounds like its good to go..


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## walther (Nov 30, 2011)

*Good news for you Bill!*

Let's hope I get as lucky when I check under the hood this afternoon. A loose belt would make my day especially with snow coming Sunday night. 
There are 2 belts and together they are about $40. Don't want to spend it if I don't have to. The rubber friction wheel is $13.


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## walther (Nov 30, 2011)

*Update*

I may have got lucky.

The auger belt appeared loose but the slack in the cable was more than ample.
All I have done is adjusted the slack in the cable at the hand lever. When engaged it looks like there is sufficient tension in the belt. 

The friction wheel and belt both looked ok. No cracks or unusual/excessive wear.

Also did some grease and lube in needy areas.

We'll see.


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## bill18163 (Jun 16, 2011)

Yes, don't forget those grease fittings down below. I forgot all about them and when I over hauled the machine last summer I had to replace three bearings.


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## walther (Nov 30, 2011)

*Lithium grease*

I did as much oiling and greasing as I could . It more than likely I missed the most important areas. Could you be more specific ?
Thanks


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