Ok, I failed to properly maintain my snowblower

[btanchors]

It's an Ariens 8524 with an 8.5HP Techumseh Snow King engine. Last year, I failed to treat the remaining gas with gas preservative and then drain the old gas. So, it was stored over the summer with gas with no stabilizer treatment in it.

It now starts and runs OK, but a little rough. I suspect there may be some gum in the carb from the oil gas.

Is there a gas additive I can use that will dissolve the deposits left by the old gas? Since it is basically running, I would like to avoid disassembling the carb and try a chemical cleaning route. Any suggestions for what additive to use?

 

[AandPDan]

It might be a good time to try some seafoam in the gas.

Clean out the old gas first.

 

[thunderfog]

Had a lawn mower with a similar issue. STP treatment/AKA kerosene probably/ did the trick.

 

[Vikas]

Do you already have any fuel system cleaners such as Techron, Gumout or Seafoam etc? Put the appropriate dosage depending upon the tank size and don't go overboard! I have done that mistake and had to remove the carburetor bowl and cleaned the jet by hand.

 

[R80RS]

I use Amsoil Quickshot in my OPE with good results, including my 10 hp Tecumseh powered Simplicity snow blower.

 

[eljefino]

I put red sta-bil in my blower last spring and the gas turned a yellow-green and didn't fire at all. Consider yourself lucky.

I'd run it dry to fix it, just to get rid of the old gas, which you wouldn't want to put anywhere else.

 

[Boomer]

+1 on the Sea Foam. My Tecumsef snowblower engine is coming close to the end of its 28th year of service and probably has 1200 hours on it. I use Sea foam in the first tank each season. Still has the original carb!!

 

[Bror Jace]

Try a dose of 4-5 ounces of isopropyl alcohol in the old gas to finish it off. Follow that with 2-3 ounces of Red Line Oil SI-1 in half a gallon of fresh gas to finish cleaning things up.

 

[Trav]

Berrymans Chemtool from any parts store or Walmart. Just a coupkle of ounces in the blowers tank with the fuel and run it. It should clear with one tank.
Guaranteed.

 

[SumpChump]

Use Fluid Film spray on the chute are problem. My Orielly Auto Parts has it as well as our local Ace Hardware as well as amazon.

 

[Woody71]

I've been treating all my OPE gas with the recommended doses of SeaFoam for the past 4 years. Never had a problem with startup at the beginning of the season and I've not drained any gas at the end of the season. My engines run smooth and I'll continue to use the product as a fuel stabilizer.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I think a fuel cleaner with PEA in it will work well. If it had ethanol in the fuel it probably seperated something fierce and Gumout all in one will provide the PEA AND it counters ethanol effects too. After running it a bit I would say change the oil too in near future also.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Those little carbs aren't very complicated. Just take it off, clean it right, and put it back on. Maybe an hours worth of work.

 

[PhilsSmallEngine]

Start simple. The bowl nut contains the pilot jet. That is almost always the problem.

-Drain the tank, pull the pilot jet (aka the bowl nut) and try to not to break the seal of the bowl. Most Tecumsehs are 7/16" on the nut.
-Take a twist tie and strip the paper. Use that with some carb cleaner or brake kleen to remove all the gunk plugging up the holes paying special attention to the center hole.
-Put it back in and don't crank it tight. It's only brass. If you do, the lucky scenario is you break the jet or bowl and the unlucky is crack the carburetor.
-Check oil for contamination of fuel or water
-Test it
-If it works, have a beer because you saved yourself having to tear the carb down.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Those little carbs aren't very complicated. Just take it off, clean it right, and put it back on. Maybe an hours worth of work.


+1

 

[2cool]

I have used, and continue to use Berryman B-12. It has virtually every industrial solvent known to western science. I mix a few ounces in a 5-gal gas can that is used for my OPE. I also put one can in the vehicle every April and October to do any cleanup that's needed. Good AND cheap.

 

[bubbatime]

Aftermarket carbs are as cheap as $15 on amazon and ebay. Fiddle with it for a bit, but dont waste hours and hours fiddling with it, especially with as simple it is to just replace.

 

[lars11]

Loosening the bowl and clean that and maybe blow some air/carbcleaner/wd40 with the straw at all holes you can find may fix that in like 10 minutes. You don't have to take the carb off for that, I mean it is still running so it can't be all gummed up.

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Aftermarket carbs are as cheap as $15 on amazon and ebay. Fiddle with it for a bit, but dont waste hours and hours fiddling with it, especially with as simple it is to just replace.

After 2 years of fiddling with a finicky gummed up Tecumseh carb and finally buying an aftermarket replacement on Amazon and having it 100% cure all of my issues, I second this advice.

I replaced fuel lines as well, since my snowblower is 20+ years old.

 

[LX289]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Those little carbs aren't very complicated. Just take it off, clean it right, and put it back on. Maybe an hours worth of work.


What he said. Carb cleaner is cheap clean it out. I would put some sort of cleaner in the fuel like Chevron Techron to clean it out and to clean your engine of carbon and things of that nature....