HOW TO DO AN OIL CHANGE ON A CRAFTSMAN SNOWBLOWER (Ever Changed Before?)

[@GarageGear]

Here is a LINK to the FORM-A-FUNNEL used in this video! Thank you for supporting the channel! 👍 👉 amzn.to/41FfQo8

[@user-xh7cg2np1e]

Thank u!!

[@GarageGear]

@@user-xh7cg2np1e you got it Ted!

[@paulmoffat9306]

I change my oil, at the end of the winter's use, and after placing in storage and running the carburetor dry, I pull the plug and add about a teaspoon of oil in the cylinder. Pull it through a few times to coat the insides, replace the plug and pull to the compression peak and leave it. That ensures that the cylinder and valves will be good for the next year. BTW, I use 91E0 gas in it. 8 years of use with no issues.

[@GarageGear]

@@paulmoffat9306 thanks for sharing paul

[@angelicaconiguliaro3179]

When the oil is that bad, I always "sacrifice" 4oz of fresh oil down the oil dipstick. You'd be surprised by how much black oil comes out. I call it a little flush. Makes me feel better knowing i got as much as that old oil out as possible. Hope you and your wife have a Happy New Year!

[@GarageGear]

I’ll have a short coming out on this soon! Thanks for watching and happy new year!

Thank you so much for sharing, that save me from the headaches!!!

[@GarageGear]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching

[@millieatr]

Great video ,,,,,, One thing i do is pull my snow blower out of the garage in July and let it set and run for ten minutes ..... Neighbors probably think I'm weird

[@GarageGear]

@@millieatr thanks for sharing millie

[@jaybooth4815]

Really great informative video JB! You would think that manufacturers would put a oil change tube that is properly placed so you don’t have to improvise to change the dang oil. You and the Garage gal have blessed New Years my friend! Cheers!

[@GarageGear]

We would think right lol?! Happy new year to you and your family Jay! Stay awesome my friend!

[@scottsmith31]

I’ve never once in all my years of being a mechanic or doing my own maintenance, ever even come close to needing anti seize on a drain plug… it literally gets coated with oil

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for watching!

[@too_late7183]

Great videos for working on snowblowers, thanks for the info. I am confused however, because the label next to the oil filler tube which is clearly visible at 2:35, seems to indicate that you screw the oil dipstick in to measure the level. Am I not interpreting the picture correctly?

[@GarageGear]

@@too_late7183 some models vary. Some slay screw it all the way in others say rest it on top. Thanks for watching

[@PainterD54]

I've now switched to 5W30 for all my small engines. That way I don't need to stock up on all different weights for specific motors. Snowblower especially need a better flowing oil for in colder temps like we get here in Minnesota.

[@GarageGear]

Good plan there painter!

[@electric8668]

I use empty 2 liter soda pop bottles as funnels both to add and drain oil. I cut the bottle down to about a 3rd to add and custom cut it to drain.

[@GarageGear]

Smart idea electric! 👍

[@mikegrappone9078]

Excellent video! Thanks for creating

[@GarageGear]

Appreciate you Mike! Thanks for watching my friend!

[@terrypredmore4867]

Seems nothing prolongs the life of motors like clean oil. I just realized that my Troy built snow blower is 17 years old and cost 658.26 out the door at Lowe's. I gotta attribute its long life to faithfully changing the oil. As you know I am having some carb issues, but those will be fixed shortly. Same story with my riding mower of the same age, 17 and still runs like new. Good vid...Change your oil folks!

[@GarageGear]

Good things happen when you change your oil. 👍

[@TheLawnLover]

Always drives me insane when they put the drain plug in the worst possible spot!

[@GarageGear]

💯agree my friend! Would it kill them to make these the least little bit convenient? Happy new year bud!

[@TheLawnLover]

@@GarageGear Happy New Year!

[@Parabola_PJ]

Happy New Year JB!! I Hope You Have A GREAT NEW YEAR!! 👍😊

[@GarageGear]

@@Parabola_PJ same to you Pete!👍👍

[@brsmithca81]

I agree. I would like to meet the engineer who decided it will be fun to pull a tire in winter when it is cold.

[@kanyeeastlolz]

Thanks JB! I hope that you find a nice Honda snow blower in the near future!

[@GarageGear]

I’m keeping an eye out for one!

[@TecumsehRulesbcserk]

I recently had a very strange issue with one of these snowblowers. You can see for yourself on the video I recently posted but I believe it might be related to the valves needing to be lapped.

[@GarageGear]

I did see that. Not exactly sure what the story is either lol! Let me know what you find out! Happy new year my friend!

[@rternowski]

I have a 3 stage Craftsman snowblower I bought new 2 years ago. For the life of me I can't figure out how to get the black cap off the front auger. I've removed the cotter pin but I can't get the blade off because of the black cap there's no screw visible. Would you be able to tell me how to do it? Thanks

[@GarageGear]

I’m not sure without seeing it myself. Perhaps you can email me some pictures and I can give you some tips. Thanks. Email is in description.

[@edwintaber6465]

Engine oil lubricates, cools, cleans and sometimes maintains necessary chemistry. Engines need to operate somewhere around 200 Deg. F which has proved to be optimum for minimum wear. Metal expands and contracts with temperature. This causes engines to change shape. If your engine fails to reach designed temperature it may not have reached its necessary shape. For example - Your cylinder may not be as round as it needs to be. A snowblower engine is an entirely different creature than a lawnmower engine. One struggles to reach temperature and the other struggles to lower temperature.

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for sharing

[@beanolatte2682]

Those form a funnels are awsome! I have a mighty vac fluid vac which makes changing oil even easier!!

[@GarageGear]

They are great to have around! 👍

[@unclebiggin185]

In my manual it says to drain the fuel by running the engine until it dies prior to changing the oil. I bought this from my neighbor who is moving so I could keep the snowblower on the block (he always took care of us). Anyhow, is draining the fuel necessary? I’ve never done anything like this before so I’m just new to all of this. It is a craftsman 26” model no 247.886941. He’s had the snow thrower for 8 years but did tell me he’s never changed the oil. I’m not too worried about it but I’m wondering if I should have the blower looked at by a professional the first time out.

[@GarageGear]

Hey uncle biggin I would run the machine for a few minutes. No need to drain the tank. Might be a good idea to change it again after another five hours of use! 👍

[@BigDaddysGarage]

happy new year!!!

[@GarageGear]

Happy new year flint! Stay awesome my friend!

[@edwintaber6465]

In order for your oil to get to the places it needs to go it must reach a designed temperature. Operating temperature on snowblowers requires shrouding. An engine installed without shrouding or if shrouding has been removed has "challenged" lubrication. Oil is temperature sensitive so you must use the oil that agrees with the temperature your crankcase reaches. That is affected by engine design and ambient air temperatures.

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for sharing

[@glenherbert7606]

I bought that funnel. Find it is great for draining the oil and gas.

[@GarageGear]

I use that thing a lot! Worth every penny!

[@smallblock412]

The most important of all maintenance. And as demonstrated, easy to do. Some people have that mindset, "If my car can go 3000 mi. between oil changes I guess my small engine can go a decade." That's not how it works 😁

[@GarageGear]

💯agree Smallblock! I know some people that never change them at all and wonder why their machine seized in a storm 🤦‍♂️

[@johnbautch6947]

Thanks for the link to the funnel JB. Another great video, hope you have a good new year, thanks again 😊

[@GarageGear]

ROCK ON John! Happy new year bud!

[@WhitieInVermont]

100,000 subscribers by the end of the year in 2024. Keep up the great work. You're so successful with your KZbin channel. Keep on keeping on JB. Have a happy new year.

[@GarageGear]

WHITIE! Hopefully! My goal right now is to get to 75k. Was hoping to be there by January 1st but since much of the country isn’t getting any snow the views on the channel are a little slow. We’ll be there soon enough! Appreciate cool fans like you bud! Stay awesome my friend! Happy new year!

[@Two_Buck]

Just did this to my Arians the other day. Getting her ready for the season. Good job JB.

[@GarageGear]

You’re all set Chuck! Happy new year bud!

[@cszetela1]

Question - Can the oil level be on the full mark on the dipstick and be okay?

[@GarageGear]

@@cszetela1 yep that will be fine! 👍

[@ChevyCitation]

Most people don't know how cheap oil is until the engine starts making noise or when they have to replace the engine do to lack of Maintenance 👍

[@GarageGear]

💯agree Chevy!

[@dclawnmaintenanceandsnowre4099]

Happy new year to you and family

[@GarageGear]

Happy new year DC! 👍

[@liljoeii6091]

THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO

[@GarageGear]

You got it my friend! Have a great weekend!

[@Kingnome]

Excellent video!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for following along. Appreciate you, my friend.

[@kencurtis228]

TY for Sharing

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for watching Ken! Happy new year!

[@The_Mace]

Sure would be nice to be able to use a snow blower around here... Been raining for over a week! Happy New Year, JB!

[@GarageGear]

Same here my friend! Got three snowblowers just taking up space in the garage right now! Remind me where ya live again bud! Happy new year Mace!

[@OlivierCaron]

Last year for the new year I think I had 4 feet of snow, now I have a half inch of wet grass!

[@edwintaber6465]

General comment - Most snowblowers come with a throttle. Use the throttle setting appropriate to the amount of snow you encounter. Save the stress on your connecting rods to the time when you actually need to. Manufacturers often put the throttle in real dumb locations - but that is no excuse for not using them. Perhaps a video on throttle usage might be appropriate.

[@edwintaber6465]

If you find you must run at full throttle all the time - I would recommend an upgrade to an engine or machine more suitable.

[@smallblock412]

This is actually poor advice. Snowblower small engines are air cooled and splash lubricated. When blowing snow the engine is under a load. That generates heat and friction. The 2 killers of any engine. With the engine running at full throttle proper lubrication happens do to the speed of the crank hitting the oil reservoir. Also, there are fan blades on the flywheel that generate airflow around the engine for cooling. Low fan speed equals poor cooling under load. The best advice is to make sure the oil is properly maintained, at the correct level, and the engine runs at the correct speed at full throttle, 3600rpm.

[@edwintaber6465]

Disagree. Lubrication and air flow are proportional to BTU ( energy) input. @@smallblock412

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for sharing Edwin!

[@tomconnors6310]

Happy New Year JB.

[@GarageGear]

Happy new year Tom! Thanks for being a cool fan!

[@ThomasBrown-l1x]

There is a sticker on the snow blower that indicates that the dip stick should be screwed in, but the manual says not to. Which should I do?

[@praymond6056]

What is the yellow oil fill plug on the left side of the engine for???

[@GarageGear]

@@praymond6056 some of these engines have two oil plugs for multiple applications. These engines are used on snowblowers, generators, log splitters etc.

[@BobSmith-rx9mw]

The augers, and the rest of the machine look pretty new for a machine that allegedly never had an oil change. Good video nonetheless!

[@GarageGear]

Not to worry there’s some rust on. Just about every panel on this machine when you get in close. Thanks for watching Bob!

[@Parabola_PJ]

Hey JB!! Do you think in your opinion Craftsman blowers are in a way a problematic blower part wise since they went under? They had odd belt sizes by "1/2in" like the auger belts 40/42 & 1/2 huge belts.

[@GarageGear]

Hey bud! Yes and no. They’re decent machines. Better than shoveling. If you take care of them they hold up. MTD really started cheaping out on things which created a lot of weak links in them.

[@Parabola_PJ]

@@GarageGear 100% TRUE I had a 3 stg one but too big for the sidewalk but had 21.5hp and could toss that snow. But sold it because at the time there werent parts avail and lotta Snow lol 😆 Love watchin durin the summer because I don't mow anymore its 38 bucks and done in 20m but i do miss my tractor. Love this Channel ya cant go wrong coming to this channel - You're The Real Deal. 👊

[@GarageGear]

@@Parabola_PJ appreciate you Pete! We keep it real on this channel! 👍

[@edwintaber6465]

If you need full power you need to operate at the speed shown in the power chart for your engine. Typically it is reached at an RPM lower than the maximum RPM your engine will reach. If you have an engine without a throttle it is set at the peak power rpm for your engine. These engines were built for the consumer who had no understanding of engines. Customer complaint: "This snowblower is junk - it doesn't blow snow very far". Dealer - "Did you use the throttle?" Customer "What's a throttle?"

[@GarageGear]

Thanks for sharing

[@BenNawrath]

Pretty sure that’s the exact same engine as my Cub.

[@GarageGear]

Pretty common engine! They work great if cared for! Thanks for watching as always Ben! Happy new year!

[@BenNawrath]

@@GarageGear same to you bro! I just did the old snowblower/lawnmower swaperoo yesterday. Later this week I’m gonna do the oil 👍🏼

[@GarageGear]

@@BenNawrath your on it my man! 👍

[@danwaligursky4258]

Never understand why the drain tube can't extend another inch or two so it doesn't drip all over the housing.

[@GarageGear]

Craftsman clearly doesn’t understand that size matters lol!

[@jeffdurall8353]

I have the model where the oil drains by the tire. Who thought of that design??

[@GarageGear]

A dumb engineer that didn’t speak with a mechanic first.

[@jeffdurall8353]

@@GarageGear Trust me, I can assure you his ears were burning after I changed oil for the first time on that thing.

[@gemmachaplin3117]

why is there 2 places to fill up the engine oil?

[@GarageGear]

These engines are mass produced for different applications . They have these to fit and make oil changes easier for other equipment like generators for example

[@norge696]

Is there a reason you didn't fill it up to the high level?

[@GarageGear]

Hey Norge. The manual states to fill it up between the lines. Thanks for watching bud!

[@zerokewl951]

When’s the best time to do the oil change? End of the snow season or at the beginning? Great videos by the way

[@GarageGear]

I always change mine at the end of the season so that way no junk is left inside to sit all summer long! 👍thanks for watching!