home Fix label Garden Tools label_important Lawn Mowers

How do I get my Snow blower running again?

Last week, my 4 year old Sear Craftsmen blower (5.5 hp) was running rough and stalling so I changed the oil (5w30), spark plug, drained the gas and replaced it with fresh gas, and sprayed the carburetor w/cleaner. It was running fine last night for about 45 minutes than stalled and does not restart. Using the electric start, the engine turns over but does not start. Any ideas?

Fred, December 2007

home Fix label Garden Tools label_important Lawn Mowersdone

Even though you replaced the plug, check that you have a good spark before you do anything with the carburetor. Then check you have fuel at the carb before you take off the carb or fiddle with it. It would be a shame to start messing with such a sensitive part as the carb, if the trouble was just a bad HT lead or a blocked filter or fuel line from the tank. Is the air filter clean? Does it now start from cold? It seems to have started ok after you changed plug and cleaned it up, then it stopped. Could be the air cleaner is blocked and making an over rich mixture for a hot engine. That wouldn't show if it was cold, because you want a rich mixture then, hence the choke lever.

Tony, December 2007

Time for the carburettor to come off for a thorough clean I think - especially if you can keep the engine going by juggling with the choke lever. I think your slow run (pilot) jet is blocked and compressed air together with carburettor cleaning solvent should fix it.

John, December 2007