Snowblower's and other small engines

[luke]

I just picked up an older snowblower on Craigslist for $50.  It hasn't ran in a few years, but I was willing to take a stab at repairing it.  What I realized is that most times small engines don't run or don't run correctly, it's almost always an issue with the carb.  Carb rebuild kits are cheap and it's fairly easy to do, especially with the internet.  $15 later I have a running snow blower that only cost me $65.

Same can be said for lawnmowers and weed wackers.

[schimt]

I just picked up an older snowblower on Craigslist for $50.  It hasn't ran in a few years, but I was willing to take a stab at repairing it.  What I realized is that most times small engines don't run or don't run correctly, it's almost always an issue with the carb.  Carb rebuild kits are cheap and it's fairly easy to do, especially with the internet.  $15 later I have a running snow blower that only cost me $65.

Same can be said for lawnmowers and weed wackers.

Make sure that at the end of the season you empty the fuel out of the bowl of the carbs and add sta-bil this will extend the life of your carbs

[No Name Guy]

The best part is you can now sell said snowblower for a profit.  After all, one of the Mustacian Sacred Cows is that thou shall never use power lawn and yard tools, ever.  ;-) 

Snowblower?  Nope, use a shovel.
Lawn Mower?  Reel push type only.
Weed Whackers?  That's what a brush whip and bank blade are for.

[schimt]

The best part is you can now sell said snowblower for a profit.  After all, one of the Mustacian Sacred Cows is that thou shall never use power lawn and yard tools, ever.  ;-) 

Snowblower?  Nope, use a shovel.
Lawn Mower?  Reel push type only.
Weed Whackers?  That's what a brush whip and bank blade are for.

Unless he is using it to maximize profits through a snow removal service he is providing

[gimp]

Or if it saves him three hours this winter, which he then uses to get an extra three hours' pay, for an annual return rate of probably 100% or so.

[Jamesqf]

Or if it saves him three hours this winter, which he then uses to get an extra three hours' pay...

Which he then spends on a gym membership in order to get exercise :-)

[PantsOnFire]

Maybe his job is physical in nature.  Maybe he lifts freeweights.  Or maybe he does go to the gym, but only pays $10/month and he earns way more than the gym cost in the 3 work hours he was able to retain.   

[aglassman]

Congrats on the find! 

We just got our first sticky snow here in Milwaukee so now I must winterize the tractor, and fire up the blower.  Thanks for the tip on draining the gas out of the carb.

[luke]

I run marathons while knitting sweaters to sell on Ebay.

[aglassman]

Efficiency at it's finest.

[aglassman]

Just winterized my mower and weed whacker. 

For the whacker:  Started it up, and let run for a minute.  Stopped, and drained tank.  Ran dry.  Choked, and ran dry again.  Pulled until all gas was burned.  Primed, and repeated. Put some engine fogger into the cylinder. Stored in basement.

For the mower:
I put in some fuel stabilizer, and ran for about 5 minutes.  I also cleaned the air filter, and shot a burst or two of engine fogger into the open air intake while it was running.

The spark plug wrench I bought does not fit the mower (just barely) due to a weird engine design.  How important is it that I get some engine fogger into the cylinder?  I'm storing it in my non heated garage.

[exranger06]

The spark plug wrench I bought does not fit the mower (just barely) due to a weird engine design.  How important is it that I get some engine fogger into the cylinder?  I'm storing it in my non heated garage.

Not very important, IMO. I never use fogging oil on any of my machines and I've never had a problem in over 15 years.

[schimt]

If you pull the spark plug wire so it doesn't start, you can spray fogger into the carburator while someone else is pulling the starter cord, and this will draw the fogger into the cylinder.

[acroy]

I've had really good luck cleaning out small engines with Redline S1 cleaner
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=80&pcid=12

about a 25% mix in the gas. As long as you can get it started, this stuff negates the need for a carb rebuild. Seriously, a huge cloud of gunk burns out, birds drop out of the sky, neighbors call the fire dept - and the 20yr old weed wacker starts working 'bout like new again

I've used Seafoam with slightly less success as well.

As far as storage - empty the tank, run it dry, I squirt some wd40 through the spark plug hole and cycle the engine slowly a couple times for good luck.

Above has kept my 20yr old mower & 2-stroke equipment (bought new in high school to pay for college)  running well.

[aglassman]

I'll have to try out that Redline cleaner.

[schimt]

I've had really good luck cleaning out small engines with Redline S1 cleaner
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=80&pcid=12

about a 25% mix in the gas. As long as you can get it started, this stuff negates the need for a carb rebuild. Seriously, a huge cloud of gunk burns out, birds drop out of the sky, neighbors call the fire dept - and the 20yr old weed wacker starts working 'bout like new again

I've used Seafoam with slightly less success as well.

As far as storage - empty the tank, run it dry, I squirt some wd40 through the spark plug hole and cycle the engine slowly a couple times for good luck.

Above has kept my 20yr old mower & 2-stroke equipment (bought new in high school to pay for college)  running well.

20 year old 2 stroke engines with out a rebuild is pretty impressive