Craftsman MTD Snowblower needs Choke to Run - Tecumseh engine Part 2

[@charlesroberts3910]

I always remove the carb by taking out the two screws that hold the intake tube on its much easier that way instead of struggling with the nuts and bolts that attach the carb to intake

[@BiggieTSkinny]

I was gifted a 1995 MTD blower with electric start, in nearly new condition but no start. Followed your lead and took the carb apart sure enough was gummed up. Carburetor very similar but where you have an idle "jet" screw, I have a pointed end with no hole through the screw. That area near the pointed tip was gunked up as was the rest of the carb. Unfortunately between carb cleaner and brake parts cleaner, a bunch of paint came off. But now it runs like a top easy pull start, don't even need electric it is so easy. Thinking of getting large/long polymer shoes for my paved driveway that is only a couple years old, don't want to tear up the driveway. Just can't believe that this 26 year old Tecumseh engine runs this well. I did have some problems adjusting the governor and throttle, and it runs best with partial choke which is strange, but runs like a top. May need to get an rpm gauge to see if full throttle rpm is correct. I set it based on sound alone, just guessing. Thanks for getting me in the right direction sir.

[@TractorHoarders]

I'm glad to hear that it helped out and you got it going again! These old Tecumsehs are pretty tough. I, too, am amazed at how well they run with a simple carb cleaning sometimes. Now that you've got yours going again, I'm sure it'll continue to last you many years. I do the same thing as you and set the RPMs by ear. If you end out getting an RPM gauge, there are some that you simply wrap a wire around the spark plug wire several turns and it detects the RPMs based on the frequency of the spark. I haven't ever used one, but would be interested in what you end out getting and if you like it. Thanks for sharing your success!

[@AWordFromMrJones]

Man, I love the bed setup you have on you Dodge Ram. I was looking to do the same for my Tundra but I was not fully sure if someone was able to get a bar to fit in with their tool box and looks like you found a way. BTW, great video.

[@TractorHoarders]

Thanks man! You can make it fit! My headache rack is from Magnum (magnumtruckracks.com). I made a rubber spacer (cut out of a rubber door mat). The bottom rail on the rack sits on the sides of the truck bed. On top of that, I put my rubber spacers on both sides. Then the toolbox sits on top of the rubber spacers.

[@charlesroberts3910]

Buy your self a set of micro drill bits they come in handy for cleaning those stubbornly clogged jets

[@Cmimss]

Thanks for making a Part 1, and Part 2. I live prob 30, 45 min away from you. Im in Aurora, By SouthLands Mall. My Yard machine 26" is doing the same exact thing. It will only start on Starter Fluid in the spark Plug hole. I really don't want to take off the Carb, but if it fix that. It may fix mines.!.! Thanks again!

[@TractorHoarders]

I fix a bunch of these and if you have a Tecumseh engine, there's a very good chance that this will fix it for you too! I use this method on most Tecumseh engines with 95% success. Good luck!

[@Cmimss]

@@TractorHoarders I did my Research and took the carb apart and noticed there is Has in the Float. I have the same Engine in this video too! Waiting to see if I should just buy a new Carb off Amazon for $15. Or just order a new Float idk

[@TractorHoarders]

If it were me, I’d just go ahead and buy the carb for $15. Good luck with it!

[@mumblinge5892]

Thanks for showing your work step by step. My snowblower has just started needing some choke to run smoothly so, being lazy, I'm wondering if maybe all I have to do is clean out the idle valve. At least I hope that's the case. :-) Thanks again.

[@TractorHoarders]

Hopefully that one fixes it for you! I’ve done this same fix on a few of these now with positive results. Good luck!!

[@STOPTHEHATE70]

Well I have a blizzard here in Long Island been using it with choke out. When blizzard is done and I clear driveway I will check what you showed. THANKS ILL LET YOU KNOW. Must appreciated.

[@TractorHoarders]

This should get you fixed up with that symptom. Good luck with it! Stay warm!

[@wolfmanj3]

HI Great Video!!! Thank you. Have you ever come across a Tecumseh engine that won't shut off? I have a MTD pro 26inch snow blower, I recently cleaned out the carb and got it running again, but it won't shut off, and i have to pull the spark plug cable off to shut it down. Any ideas?

[@TractorHoarders]

Yes! Behind the metal cover where the throttle is, there is likely a wire disconnected that connect the bottom point of the throttle to the electrical ground. Check and make sure that’s hooked up and connections good and clean.

[@wolfmanj3]

​@@TractorHoarders Awesome Thank you! I really appreciate it! This was my first carb cleaning experience, couldn't have done it with out your video!!!

[@tammysmith2050]

Looks like mine, the carborator was replaced and told it does not need to be primed to start. Just told have Choke on & it would start .. but nope . it still won't start.

[@TractorHoarders]

There are a lot of factors to consider. Part 1 of this video shows some basic steps to confirm the problem and troubleshoot whether it’s a fuel or spark issue (use starter fluid).

[@brianu33]

I have craftsman 22” snow blower. Runs strong but when I try to go into snow more than inch or two it bogs down and shuts off. Any ideas? I’ve read to check governor and clean carb

[@TractorHoarders]

Yes, from a probability standpoint, it’s most likely the carb needs cleaned. Most snow blowers don’t see enough use to have mechanical wear, like governor issues.

[@vchowdry1]

I know it is early in the season, but now that I had same problems what is the best way to winterize snowblower

[@TractorHoarders]

The main thing to be conscious of is not let it sit for months with gas in it. Either run the engine until the gas is all gone, OR start the engine every 30 days and let it run about 10 minutes.

[@zhengliding5536]

I live in CO as well… have a snowblower not working… can you take a look?

[@TractorHoarders]

Sorry, I limit my repairs to those in my neighborhood.

[@DominicFlorio]

Great video. Thanks!

[@TractorHoarders]

Glad you liked it. I hope it helped!

[@mrbubetube]

is there some kind of store bought fuel you can buy that won't gunk up a snowblower carburetor?

[@TractorHoarders]

Yes, I believe you can buy non-ethanol gas in gallon containers from stores like Home Depot. Some gas stations sell it, but it just depends on your area. I personally think the easier solution is to just start the engine and run it for about 10 minutes every 30 days. The key is not letting gas sit in the carburetor for long periods of time. Running it cycles the old stuff out and burns it.

[@mrbubetube]

@@TractorHoarders I don't understand why they still use carburetors anymore. Fuel injection was perfected more than 30 years ago.

[@TractorHoarders]

@@mrbubetube Fuel injection is awesome. My guess is cost. They can probably keep costs low by going to carburetor route. I think that's why you don't start seeing EFI on garden tractors and zero turn mowers until you start getting into the higher cost models.

[@tomoprime217]

I have an old electric start craftsman snowblower that I bought for my parents many years ago that hasn’t been started in 10 years. It looks mostly new. The choke dial is totally frozen and won’t turn. My model closely resembles the snowblower in the video. Do you think I can get away running it without the choke if the engine gets running hot enough? Is there a easy way to free up the choke?

[@TractorHoarders]

Typically the choke is a very simple mechanism. I bet with some WD40, PB Blaster, or Kroil, you can free it up. I would take the covers off like in this video so that you have access to the carburetor and spray those things on the choke and wiggle it around. It should free up without too much effort. Without being able to move the choke, it probably won’t be too easy to get it running so that it’s hot enough to run without the choke.

[@tomoprime217]

@@TractorHoarders thanks I may attempt to take the cover off, but boy it’s pretty cold out. The oil looks pretty dark. I was thinking of replacing it. Is there access to a drain plug? The dip stick is a long screw in red cap that looks pretty narrow for adding new oil. Not sure what type of oil to put in there.

[@tomoprime217]

@@TractorHoarders I used PB Blaster. Thanks it worked! At 1st it was so hard to rotate the choke it bent the arm. It’s very loose now. Btw the screw on oil cap is yellow. Maybe I will just go with the current oil for now. I noticed my wheels are locked in gear. My blower has 2 speed reverse and 5 speed forward but no neutral. There is a squeeze grip for enabling the traction control but it looks ok to me. Not sure why it seems stuck in gear maybe when I start it up it will disengage?

[@tomoprime217]

The wheels turn ok now after a hard push. Trying to start up atm. No luck. At least the choke is usable.

[@beachtoyourfeet]

Thanks for the frozen choke discussion an item on deck!

[@12yadid62]

I have a 5 24 craftsman & the augers wont turn in either stage 1 or 2 ? Your thoughts ? Thanks

[@TractorHoarders]

My guess is broken belt

[@beachtoyourfeet]

Checking auger cable on mine recall nuts coming loose in the past.

[@bettykent426]

Great job 👍

[@TractorHoarders]

Thanks Betty! I hope it was helpful for you too!

[@charlesfiore7835]

Great video! I hope you fixed the mangled auger though.

[@TractorHoarders]

Thank you much! Good observation. I saw that too. My customer didn’t want that repaired, so I didn’t touch it. 😊

[@DaveAwesome]

10:55 pure joy :)

[@TractorHoarders]

yes sir!

[@cbx1168]

Nice work; do you think an in-line fuel filter would be beneficial?

[@TractorHoarders]

Yes! They are cheap and a great addition!

[@cbx1168]

@@TractorHoarders Do you recommend a particular brand or size?

[@87GP400]

Good job !

[@TractorHoarders]

Thank you! Hope it helps others!

[@dannygom75]

nice video.. but every time i ll fix something always get extra screws.. 🤣🤣🤣

[@TractorHoarders]

Hahaha! Happens to the best of us!

[@scottwilliams8234]

Same here😂😂😂

[@gordbaker896]

Be sure to put your Carb Cleaner in a suitable glass or plastic container. Your world stops when a couple gallons leaks from a rust hole in the can as a friends did.

[@sharpthingsinspace9721]

But time is money. I spent and hour removing and cleaning the carburetor parts and it was a fail. New carburetor was just 16 bucks and it took me less than half an hour to replace it. Something to think about before spending hours on a project.

[@TractorHoarders]

This is absolutely true. I take this into consideration when doing these and the price of a cheap China carb is definitely lower than your time in many cases. In my experience, sometimes I get brand new ones that surge due to passages not being the right size. That’s always disappointing too. For the amount of those I’ve bought, I’ve had that issue on maybe 1 out of 5. I do agree with you that it’s a good consideration to take into account.

[@sharpthingsinspace9721]

@@TractorHoarders yup, and for me a storm is coming to Minnesota and so I didn’t have much of a choice. Quick fix and I hope it holds.

[@TractorHoarders]

@@sharpthingsinspace9721 I’m sure it’ll be all good! Good luck with the storm!! We’re having a mild winter in Colorado so far. I usually am doing lots of snow removal by now.

[@bruce2sail]

Did you really screw in the low idle jet all the way without backing it off 5-1/4 turns?

[@TractorHoarders]

@@bruce2sail I generally use 1-1/4 screws outward as a starting point. I have no idea though because it’s been a while and I work on so many of these things.

[@davebl9645]

Torx headed screws.

[@TractorHoarders]

Yes!

[@rameshpersaud7131]

TK U again

[@TractorHoarders]

Thank you!