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Hi. I bought a new snowblower from Lowe's and it arrived on Saturday already assembled with some gas and the correct (according to the dipstick) level of oil.
It started up fine, but when I tried to use it on ~1-2" of snow, it immediately died and wouldn't start again.
I suspect old/ stale gasoline (and I'm not even sure if there is enough gas). I will put in premium gasoline tonight and try again, but had a few questions (this is the 1st time I have owned/ used a snow blower):
1. How long do I let the engine run and warm up before actually using? I only did this for 30 seconds, but should I wait 5-10 minutes?
2. I'll probably use a fuel stabilizer later on in the season, but should I use any additional additives (like STP or gum out of something similar)?
3. Will premium fuel help? It says 86 octane or better and up to 10% ethanol (I don't really have a choice here) fuel is fine, but it's not much more money for premium.
Thanks and if you all have any other tips for a 1st time user/ buyer, please let me know.
Try a little dry gas if you are having issues starting. Are you letting it warm up a bit before just gunning the tines?
Also, not to nit pick on this but 1-2" of snow is not a lot for a thrower of that size. I have a 29" Craftsman with a 9hp Tecumseh and usually only use it for anything greater than 4", otherwise I'm just pushing it away more than clearing it.
FYI if dry gas doesn't work, just drain it, unhook the fuel line to get the rest out of the motor and then fill with fresh gas. Also pull the spark plug and make sure it's clean. New engines on equipment like this take a little while to initially get warmed up, so letting it run at high idle for awhile would be a good idea.
Try a little dry gas if you are having issues starting. Are you letting it warm up a bit before just gunning the tines?
Also, not to nit pick on this but 1-2" of snow is not a lot for a thrower of that size. I have a 29" Craftsman with a 9hp Tecumseh and usually only use it for anything greater than 4", otherwise I'm just pushing it away more than clearing it.
FYI if dry gas doesn't work, just drain it, unhook the fuel line to get the rest out of the motor and then fill with fresh gas. Also pull the spark plug and make sure it's clean. New engines on equipment like this take a little while to initially get warmed up, so letting it run at high idle for awhile would be a good idea.
Thanks. No. I didn't let it warm up at all, and since it was cold outside that may be it. I know that it's overkill for very little snow, but it's new and I was excited to try it out! I'll try the dry gas if it continues to have problems after filling it up tonight.
first thing I do befor I start blower, fill gas , check oil , spray a little lps oil inside chute. and remember to never pull snow/ice out of chute with fingers............ever
What you describe sounds like what would happen if you started the engine with the choke all the way on, then didn't turn it down/off when it started running. The choke makes the fuel mixture in the carb. very rich which will also kill the engine.
The right way to start it would be to turn on the choke, try to start the engine until is almost starts or starts and sputters then turn the choke down incrementally until the engine can run with the choke off. Its a balancing act.
Does it have a manual choke ?? Did you "open" it after getting the engine started, but before using it ?
Yes. Manual choke. The manual said to start it with the choke fully open, but didn't mention when to reduce it, so I turned it down so that it was almost off.
Tonight, I'll start it full choke and then gradually reduce it to a low choke over maybe 7-8 minutes. Does that sound correct?
Yes. Manual choke. The manual said to start it with the choke fully open, but didn't mention when to reduce it, so I turned it down so that it was almost off.
Tonight, I'll start it full choke and then gradually reduce it to a low choke over maybe 7-8 minutes. Does that sound correct?
Most engines will start sputtering big time after 10-15 seconds if the choke is left on, if they don't stall out completely.
Does no one else find it strange that a new snowthrower from a major big box store would come assembled with gas already in it? I bought mine from Home Depot and I had to assemble it, put the oil in, and put in my own gas. Could this machine have been returned from a previous owner and resold "as new"? Or could it have been a demo model on the store floor?
That being said, if the OP continues to have trouble with it staying started, I would just return it and exchange it for another one.
Yes. Manual choke. The manual said to start it with the choke fully open, but didn't mention when to reduce it, so I turned it down so that it was almost off.
Tonight, I'll start it full choke and then gradually reduce it to a low choke over maybe 7-8 minutes. Does that sound correct?
I have a manual choke too. When I used my snowthrower last night, I started fully open for about 10 seconds, then pulled it back half-way for about 1 minute. Then back to off. It was zero degrees out and it ran fine. I don't see any reason to run it for 8 minutes before using it...you're just wasting gas.
I bet you just ran out of gas. Fill the tank and retry, it should run fine (its brand new, so there shouldn't be dirt or build up in the carb and the plug should be fine).
I use 91-93 octane gas simply because I don't know how much of the container of gas I'll use over the course of 1 month. I can dump whatevers left over in my car, which requires premium fuel. Regular gas (87 octane) is perfectly fine for most snowthrowers.
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