How To: Repair Snow Blower Carb - Engine Only Runs with Choke

[@felipevazquez123]

Bought this for my small back deck in the Eastern Sierra. kzbin.infoUgkxoHYZbq5g9fkcAtinlTqstNlje-UQkCHN We get A LOT of HEAVY snow so I was a bit skeptical but it was worth it! After the first storm of the year this has exceeded expectations! It throws snow very well, even 10-12” + that said the more it piles up the harder it is to maneuver the machine. It is exceptionally light weight and overall exactly what I was looking for. If you have a large amount of snow and a lot of area to clear, you may consider something with a drive engine to help maneuverability, but for decks, second stories, roofs etc, you can’t beat the light weight to great snow throwing ratio. Side note, the chute rotator is a bit flimsy and it initially didn’t seem to work, after a few uses it seems to have loosened up.

[@vivivanniadiegocastaneda7449]

This was perfect for my snowblower. took me one hour to clean it out. runs like new again. i even removed the float.much easier than taking the carb out. thank for taking the time to show this video.

[@kyleclifford6753]

I inherited two snow blowers, one with the same symptoms (runs only in full choke) and another that did not start. This video was the reason I got both running great. Just in time for winter. Thanks for this great, informative video.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

I'm glad to hear my video was helpful to you! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@mattmaka9029]

Very kind of you to take the time to make this video. Very very clear and helpful!

[@joelthebiker]

Thank you sir! I cleaned the float valve thinking that was the problem. It wasn't . Stupid me, I never thought of cleaning the tube and blowing compressed air up it. Now have 2 great running snowblowers. I was ready to give them away.

[@GaryYSheng]

Thank you Eric, the step using a wire/needle to clean saved my machine.

[@Hot4stockchick]

Bought a Sears Craftsman with this exact engine 4 years ago. POS has never run right from day 1. Always stalled out, wouldn't restart unless it sat forever. Last year we couldn't even open the choke to use it. Complete frustration. After watching this video and literally a 10 minute fix, it started right up. Runs like a dream.Thank you so much. Saved us a ton going to a repair shop and our stress level is now down to zero when it snows, lol.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Hot4stockchick I'm glad to hear my video helped you! Thanks for sharing. :)

[@Hot4stockchick]

OMG NO! I am glad your video helped me. Do you know how much snow we have had this winter? LOL

[@tomc8157]

Well then, this guy should get a medal. Tried it and voila! Run's like a champ now.

[@atlasdaddy]

Completely different application but still addressed my issue. Living in the southern states, my lawnmower was experiencing the same issue. I applied what I learned here to the carburetor of my twin Briggs and the problem is solved! Thank you for taking the time to show how to fix this. You have saved money for me as well as frustration. This is what the internet was intended for. Thank you so much!

[@jamesmarino3514]

Clean carburetor with carb cleaner , only thing i didn't do was put a pin in hole near float..watch your video and realized that had to be the problem..did what you said and it runs like new..thank you..

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Awesome! I'm glad to hear my video helped you!

[@bradkerr2798]

You've addressed part of the problem and will restore power under load, but it is still surging at no load. This is because the idle is still lean, and running lean makes it over rev and the governor will kick in and out causing the surge. To correct this, you need to clean the very tiny pilot jet. To do this, underneath the red throttle arm at 3:17 there is a black screw with a plastic head, also visible at 3:29 showing the D shaped head. Take note of how far it is screwed in. Remove this throttle stop screw, and pull out the vertical black plastic plug beneath it (plug may be one or two plastic pieces). In this lower end of this plug is the small pilot jet (a brass insert with a vertical hole) that feeds into a horizontal through-hole. Once cleared out, reassemble.

[@duramax78]

Brad Kerr mine is a steel screw with a spring washer and brass o ring, is that not to let air in.?

[@mj625]

Thank you Brad Kerr. I just finished cleaning the first carburetor I've ever worked on because my snowblower wouldn't start. I did not want to mess with that screw on top because I assumed it had a specific setting, but I also did not realize that there was a jet underneath it. The result is that I now have a snowblower that starts very quickly but surges when I take it out of choke. I will revisit this and hopefully get it working correctly. Thanks again!

[@mortnoub6609]

good one Brad

[@jamesnagle2226]

Brad, Thanks!!

[@Cravz69]

Thanks for the additional info! I got mine running much better, I’d say at 95%. The only thing I didn’t clean out was what is under the Welch plug, because I didn’t have a replacement for it.

[@solonixmaster]

Eric, thanks for taking the time to post this video!! Your video was spot on and actually showed my specific model of snow blower. It was reassuring to see on your video that I could use a vise grip to choke off the fuel line since there was no convenient way for me to actually cut it off otherwise. Following your steps made my snow blower a happy camper! It was only running at 50% choked this whole season... past couple of attempts, it needed 65%, 75%f and then the last time it was only running 95% choked and coughed to a halt at least 3 times... I was using h2o proof tape to hold the choke lever in place while snow blower to manually carb it to "just the right" amount... I knew it was finished and we have another 4" storm coming to the Midwest tomorrow. Doing the steps on your video saved me and probably my back!! Also, and I'm not sure when this happened.. but both of the retaining nuts that you removed from your video had shaken off my blower which was causing the carb assembly to pull away from the engine... I had to go find two hex nuts to replace it with and that also helped immensely.. So to any other readers, do check and tighten the nuts that are there. That small gap and gravity may also be an accomplice to contributing to fuel loss/leaking between the carb injection and engine intake/combustion!! Fwiw, I didn't even need to use the wire.. I have one coming today, but thought I'd try it yesterday with just the compressed air and carb cleaner and that turned out to be enough! So anyone who doesn't have the wire, don't rush out to get one especially if you're snowed in and need the blower back right now! For others that may be googling, here are a few of the key terms I'll tag in this comment that I tried searching for to ultimately find this video.. perhaps it will help to drive more people to this useful tutorial faster! Notes/Tags: Menard's MTD Pro 21 Model MP21 Powermore 179cc OHV single stage Snow Blower dirty carb carburetor cleaning - runs on choke or partial or half choke and engine surges or pulses - How to clean carburetor without full disassembly Carb cleaning kit that I didn't use, but may have if my carb was in worse shape: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JVQ5DT

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad you got your snow blower running well again! I'm sure the nuts missing from the carb were a big part of your problem. That air leak would make the engine run really lean.

[@richardmccarty9109]

Thank you was just about to load mine up to take it to the shop, and it only took 15 min to fix it myself. thanks you much.

[@georgemansour4247]

Thanks so much for this video and explanation!! I used the information you shared to get my snowblower up and running in no time. It saved the hassle of getting it to small engine repair shop.

[@mikecarpenter1427]

Thanks for this very informative video. I was able to get my daughter’s Yard Machine snowblower running again. It would start and run for 5 seconds, then stop. It would keep running if I kept priming it. Your video has the exact same engine which gave me the confidence to continue working on my daughter’s snowblower. Thanks to you, I’m her hero.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

I'm sure you have always been her hero, but glad to hear you also repaired her snow blower!

[@JohnFitzmaurice]

Thanks for the video. I had the same problem with my snowblower. Your fix worked like a charm!

[@jonzulick9693]

just saved me money and time in the middle of this snowstorm thank you for posting

[@PeterNguyenDinhHa]

Thank you. Following your video and I was able to start the snow blower again.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad to hear! Please subscribe to see other helpful videos.

[@martyj698]

Didn't work

[@Alexb-810]

Thank you so much! Couple of things to add. 1. The rubber seal on the fuel cup under the carb is conical. The smaller diametre goes into the cup, else it won't seal. 2. The cup itself is thin aluminum, very easy to over-tighten. Mine is a 1/2" bolt, which I hand-tighten towards the end. 3. Once done, run the engine in upright position, to make sure there is no fuel leakage around the retainer bolt on that cup.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Thanks for that!

[@RobertSmith-yb2dc]

Wish I did this years ago. Work great now, runs like new. Didn't pour all the fuel out but used the vicegrips to clamp the line. Thanks for this info. Very easy, should have known.

[@christopherg9806]

I haven't been able to use my snowblower in two years... now I know why! Ughh... going to take care of this now. We're getting two feet of snow tomorrow night, so you saved my bacon.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Good luck and thanks for watching!!

[@GaryFi]

Just what I needed to give me the confidence to rebuild the carb on my Toro snowblower..Thank you!

[@Bharlos]

Thank you man, I was just running it on choke for a while, but the machine was struggling/slow with the high snow fall recently, fixed it up in like 20 mins and it made clearing the rest of the snow a lot easier.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad I could help

[@megatrends]

Well thank you for the video ... repaired my snowblower just before a storm where I had checked my snowblower just before winter and it ran fine and then it decided not to. I cleaned out the fuel bowl and blew some carb and choke cleaner up into the tube you put your wire up into after I did the same. Put it back together being careful to make sure my rubber seal was seated for the fuel bowl and all runs perfectly. The rubber seal had sand on it and there was sand and dust all over the place, my snowblower doesn't have an air filter type design and that is what it is. Gapped a new spark plug at 0.30" and put in fresh fuel which I had to drain the old fuel which was not spoiled but I threw it out anyway. In any case thank you for this info and how easy these carburetors are to clean and maintain without a trip to a technician that will cost you money for seemingly not much work in this case.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

I'm glad to hear this video saved you some time and money!

[@derekbarg2574]

Thank you for posting this video! Saved me a bunch of money on repairs, and I was able to fix the problem myself in about half an hour.

[@Y2J19831]

Very good and thorough video. Did exactly what was recommended in the video and my snow blower now runs on Run. Initially I had a problem with the blower not wanting to start at all. Found out after 5 min of no start that gas should not be left in anything for 2 years straight. It had been 2 years since I last used my blower. It is a craftsman that I bought 4 years ago and up until today had been used only a handful of times, but still relatively new, however bad gas caused by 2 years of non-use will ruin anything. I found green gunk and small grains in the carburetor bowl which is what also caused the jets to be clogged. I ended up taking the carb apart and completely cleaning it after seeing this video. My blower fired right up and ran on choke and finally on Run. Before it would only run on choke and once I put it on Run bam shuts off. Lesson learned and applied drain your gas from your blowers and mowers otherwise you will end up with a big time headache that ends up with you taking apart the engine and going through this

[@Pau_Pau9]

Thank you! I was about to take out the carb and rebuild, you have saved me many steps!

[@Scuba_Son]

I was able to start my snowblower after it sat for 5 years. thanks!

[@VelezBiH]

Thank you for your guide, i just finished cleaning up corroborator on my snow blower and it started up on the first pull. Runs great now on "run" position.

[@Evan-lx9lw]

1) thank you for this video. I fixed my blower yesterday because of it. 2) but i probably didn't screw the fuel bowl on well (or bad o-ring) because all the fuel leaked out afterwards :-)

[@goodgoin1]

If only people would remember to add stabilizer. That’s it no need to empty the tank. It’s also easier to completely remove the carb and completely clean it.

[@nodak81]

Still better to drain it and replace with fresh stabilized fuel at least once a year. Steel tanks I keep full so they don't rust internally but plastic tanks I leave empty.

[@moochercat]

Thanks! We hadn't had much snow in the past 3 years and it had been sitting around with old gas. We have 5-8 inches forecasted starting tomorrow, and more later in the week, so I was desperately not wanting to shovel. Started up on the first pull!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Awesome! Glad you got your snowblower running again. That much snow will give it a good workout!

[@jerrysamuelson1247]

Thank you for making this video. I will try this tomorrow. I put stable in every spring for storage so I was surprised that I started having this problem.

[@jerrysamuelson1247]

Did your procedure this morning and it works like a million bucks. Toughest part was trying to find a wire small enough to clean the jet. Also it runs a little rough like you said it would until the air gets through it. Thanks again.

[@Sondove]

thank you very much. We have a PowerHorse 208cc (Honda OEM) on my son's go-cart. After setting for 2-3 months, it now won't run unless the choke is engaged. I've adjusted the idle to see if it helped, and it did not. with your video I will now try to clean the carburetor. I'll let you know how it goes.

[@wa2lds]

Thank you! Fixed my machine today! Thanks for your help!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad to hear you got your machine running! Thanks for sharing.

[@kevinrayer6921]

Thanks, Eric Short and sweet to the point!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cwester165]

Thanks. Big help. Fixed my snow blower right up.

[@FLStraightShafts]

Now the engine is surging. You should of soaked the whole carb. in cleaner for a few hours. Removing the brass main jet, and emulsion tube which is in the center of the carb. where you stuck your wire though. The emulsion tube is still clogged. The engine should run smooth in the open run position.

[@german69692007]

Agree'd on the sitting fore a few hours. Should have never removed the brass jet or ??

[@franky347]

Thank you! I was wondering what was the problem with my old MTD snowblower and it is running great thanks to this video. Much appreciated!

[@kylemcleod2839]

Just had this issue! Thank you so much for this video. Helped a lot.

[@madcyborg]

I was having this issue on an Toro 518.. Will try this fix, but think this is the fix I need. Thank You.

[@judysullivan8750]

Thank you so much for your video, it got our little Toro running during one of the worst snow storms we've had in years..p.s. we didn't have an air compressor, so we used a bicycle tire air pump and it did the job till we can get it properly serviced. :)

[@whutshisname]

Great video, worked perfectly on my snow blower.

[@roarmller-hansen3311]

Very good video Eric! Good camera quality, good explanations. About Your grey hear,..you have plenty of it!!! I am almost bold. Thx for uploading! :).

[@Destroyer-th9xu]

My snow blower runs great now, thanks a lot. Great job

[@marttrev4279]

You should have also cleaned the top jet located below the throttle screw, ( black plastic) screw. Remove the throttle screw and take out the small plastic insert. It has a very small hole in the middle. Blow air through it, some carb cleaner a wire and replace. You wont get the hunting and surging you got after you started the engine. Good video though.

[@bitkahuna]

have just used this to drain fuel and clean the carb on my generator - similar setup but much more of a pain to get to the components. got dark so haven't put it back together yet - will do that in the morning, haha. thanks.

[@marcelatello9567]

Can some one told me how to fix my snowblower It turns on but it runs to high. And I can't turn it of on less I pull the spark cable out.

[@konstantdesign]

Thanks so much worked perfectly... on my snow blower thanks so much.

[@mortnoub6609]

Good one Brad.I could hear it surging and what you said is true.

[@jlittleope1]

Thanks I just did the carb bowl and jet and it took me 10 minutes and fixed the problem

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Jim P awesome. glad to hear! :)

[@888HUSKERS]

This was exactly what I needed and despite missing a few shots here and there it was perfect.

[@josephfiumara9065]

thanks for making this video its been vary helpfull to me, i have a snowblower just like this same problem . much appreciated ! ciao

[@robertcraven1771]

Exactly what I needed, thank you sir!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Glad it helped!

[@dearthworm]

Speaking of the importance of clean, fresh fuel for small engines...my brother's Stihl chainsaw was running crappy after sitting in the shed for the winter so he took it to his local small engine shop for a spring tuneup. When he picked it up and paid the bill he got to chatting with one of the employees (not the owner). The guy said, "I'll tell you a little secret about these chainsaw tuneups. There are no moving parts, no adjustable parts, no replaceable parts in a Stihl chainsaw carburetor. If the saw isn't running well, pretty much the only reason is bad gas. All we do for these 'tuneups' is dump out the bad gas, put in fresh gas, clean out any gunk around the chain sprocket, wipe them clean.... and charge you $29.95". (or whatever)

[@turboj74]

Thanks for the video! This fixed my problem in just a few minutes.

[@GeigerFarm]

Thanks, worked perfectly on Generac power washer.

[@bobwelch5056]

Right video Right time

[@jetjoey19]

Great! This video helped me out, many like it but not as detailed. Good onya mate! Lol

[@blackstarafro2]

I have the exact same snowblower. So this video is perfect for me. Show I use an additive like sea-foam in the tank each year?

[@Peppermint1]

The nozzle can be removed from there. There is a small screw underneath that nozzle, just where the small metal cup has it's securing screw. Insert a thin flat screwdriver to unscrew it, then push downwards with the screwdriver inside the carburetor on top of the nozzle to make it fall. This way you have proper access to clean the nozzle.

[@ChrisD4335]

i'm lazy so i just put seafoam in there and wait till it fixes itself, you can run it in choke a few times without it hurting anything if you kept doin it eventually you might need a spark plug but no other harm will be done.

[@insanegixxerdude486]

this problem has become worse since 2007-2008 when the fuel industry started add 10% ethanol to regular grade fuel and 5% to mid grade fuels. typically ultra or super has 0% ethanol added to it so that's what I use. Also adding Stabil to each Gerry can when filling with new fuel will keep the fuel fresher longer. Doing this you'll never have a foul fuel issue.

[@goodgoin1]

So much easier to just add stabilizer at the end of the season, run it for a couple minutes. Then shut it off

[@insanegixxerdude486]

Yep. Stabile is the best. 😂

[@laurantsmccloskey5927]

Thanks a million for this video!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

You're welcome! 😃

[@johnmilner7603]

Before putting the blower away in the spring, always drain the gas and run it until it dies.

[@nodak81]

That's what I do but I still have this problem. Seems to be an issue with these MTD snow throwers, my other equipment doesn't seem to ever have any fuel issues.

[@peterhewel8984]

@@nodak81 I drive 20 minutes to buy ethanol free fuel, run mower and blower dry at end of season. Mower has USA Briggs & Stratton before they went to China. The old blower had a Tecumseh engine, gave 16 years of solid service. This Chinese Troy Bilt (MTD) I clean the carb every year. I replace it every other, at least the carb is only $19 on ebay. I have a pressure washer with a 270 cc Lifan engine, same problem. I have a 8+ year old Champion generator, believe it or not, despite being from China, I've started it on gas that looks like apple juice.

[@Jacob1986]

thanks for the vid ! I have a snowblower brand new, used only 5 times last year and its doing the same thing. I will clean it this way and see if it will do the same. It shoots flames out when its switched to run. What do you think?

[@martinpicinich9223]

Love the Foxbody!! And thanks for the vid

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Awesome! Foxbody videos coming soon.. :)

[@garythesnail8171]

so this should work on my lawnmower too right?

[@JodBronson]

+ Garythesnail - Yea it should, always GOOD to CLEAN the CARB EVERY SEASON and EMPTY your CARB BOWL / GAS before Storage to prevent these issues :))). My Dad take the Carb out Completely on one of our Riding Lawn Mower and bring it inside for Winter Storage / Cleaning. He only do this on his Favorite Mower, LOL. On his spare time in Winter... He sit and CLEAN it completely before the Season / Spring start. I am Happy to say, it's an OLD JD Riding Mower but sure hell it RUNS like crazy every Season.

[@tonyfleck236]

Good demo thanks

[@slcrcflyer]

great video, just fixed mine :-) thanks for posting this.

[@khonable]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@normcarguy4571]

great video thanks

[@kommoncents5853]

Having the same symptoms you had, but my snow blower ran fine the day before, and all of a sudden I'm having this problem. Is that still possible ?

[@billconserva1461]

The surge you are still getting is from two things, The Governor spring is too loose and you didn't clean out the carb air/gas Mixture screw, located under the plastic cap at top of carb.

[@yaryar1976]

Remove the jet and tap the carb and a brass insert tube will drop out.You can actually see the tip when you look behind the choke plate.Theres about 8 pinholes in that tube that would benefit from some carb spray

[@bjorn1000]

Hey man! Very good! So where is the donation link? 😅

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

That's a really good question! Lol

[@killerpitdbo]

Mine runs just like yours after you cleaned it. It sputteres without choke but runs. It is brand new but I left gas in it for 10 months. Will cleaning it solve the problem and run smooth?

[@dadsworkshopbykipplabrie7982]

Great video and thanks for sharing, What engine/brand are you working on and what is the CC rating? Thanks for you're time. #SaveSears

[@adamkempa5157]

Thanks

[@christopherlolagne1585]

Great video! I’ve been able to move out of choke with extensive use of the blower. However, I am about halfway to run. Would you still recommend cleaning the system or letting the new fuel cycle out the old.

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

If you have run and worked it for more than a few hours and still can't run it at full power then I recommend cleaning the carb. I have a few other videos that go into more detail on how to remove and clean various carburetors, so check those out as well.

[@raymondflores4183]

thank you

[@wellingtondeleon9249]

Thatnk you, that really worked on my toro 721 R-C snow blower.

[@leadnsteel1428]

I used brake cleaner.... I drained the gas out, and sprayed pure brake cleaner in the gas tank and ran.it through. Let it sit overnight and the next day it ran great..

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

That's interesting. Results are results!

[@aldengiron2712]

*”La maquina es excelente, supero mis expectativas, es liviana, no hace ruido, es muy eficiente. > < La recomiendo en un ciento por ciento.”*

[@alanshaw7365]

I have same problem with my GX200 engine. have stripped carb completely, cleaned pilot which was blocked solid and re-assembled. I note no mention was made in video of the fuel mixture jet. Do you think that may be contributing to the problem.

[@tvento]

Nice tutorial.

[@gunnarhaldorsen4185]

Great video! Keep it up!

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

[@sandymcphee8607]

So after you did all this it still ran rough???? What you have is a hunting governor caused by the engine STILL running TOO lean. Rather than pull it all apart first I would try fuel injector cleaner add some to the gas then run it for 5 min each day Till it clears, and run it with the choke on. Also you can avoid this problem by running premium gasoline and fuel stabilizer in the spring. If this does not work then yes the carb may have to come apart MTCW Sandman.

[@2liter8]

That sounds like my problem but why then have I never had that problem with my lawn mower which sits in the shed for 6 months? same type and size engine. You should consider getting that grey hair tinted professionally.

[@RobbCapeling]

great info thanks!!!!

[@usaf20071989]

I have the MTD version of this snow blower so it has the exact same motor and everything. I recently couldn't get the blower to start so i replaced the carb with a brand new one. Now it will start up on full choke and as soon as move the lever over to run it will high rev like the engine is about to blow up. Any ideas what i should check next? I also replaced the spark plug with an oem plug. I have an inline fuel filter as well but i don't believe that would cause this issue. Sounds to me like a gov issue or maybe an idle adjustment. Hope you can help me out with this. Thank you in advance.

[@krupal5787]

Hi I had same issu and I cleaned carburetor as you demonstrate in video but I still same problem please advice thanks

[@toledoflyboys8685]

What is the other screw on the bowl of the carb? It’s Not holding it on ?

[@bobchan1666]

Thanks for sharing

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

I hope this video was helpful to you. Please subscribe to my channel to see more similar videos!

[@daveprototype6079]

Great video New subscriber Cheers Dave

[@olibug2023]

Hi, i cleaned the carburetor, changed a mew spark plug, put in new gasoline for the 4 cycle toro but it still wouldnt start. I also use the electric plug in and it wouldnt start. If i use electric im assuming the carburetor and the gas is not the issue so what could be an issue? Thanks

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

Probably still something in the carburetor. Watch my video on the generator and the 2-stroke snowblower for more in depth carburetor cleaning. Most small engine carburetors are very similar internally. Or buy a replacement carburetor for your engine. They are usually inexpensive online.

[@davebarry4647]

What can be used to blow out the nozzle if I don't have an air compressor? Could I spray carb cleaner?

[@realgdman4u1]

How do you get at the spark plug? I have the same model and looks like the plug boot is covered with a metal cap.

[@Dhldakram5]

So the main jet was clogged, clean the main jet and it will run, I would at least take the main jet out and clean it, sometimes in the emulsion tube the holes in the side get clogged also, take out and spray carb cleaner thu. Make sure all holes are open. Small flat head and jet will unscrew , same place as he stuck copper wire

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

You're absolutely right. I did a similar repair on another snowblower recently and removed the jet for a more thorough cleaning on that one. I posted a video of that repair in December 2020.

[@brianu33]

My craftsman 5hp only runs on full choke. I cleaned carb. Sprayed sea foam and still only runs on choke. When I look up into carb I see jet. I put thin wire up there and sprayed which seemed to be open Any idea what else I can try?

[@PaintedSpringsGarage]

If it only runs on choke then it is not getting enough fuel. Make sure you have good fuel flow through the fuel supply line to the carburetor and if there is an inline filter replace it. Also look at the bolt that holds the bowl to the carburetor and clean any passages in the bolt. Check out my video from repairing a champion generator which had a restricted passage in the bolt, and please subscribe to my channel. Best of luck to you!

[@robertknight4672]

I used to have this snowblower but replaced it with the two-stage machine.