Common Snow Blower Issues

Not surprisingly, every late fall and winter we see a lot of questions on JustAnswer about snow blowers that have sat idle for several months in garages or sheds. While snow blowers can have unique issues to specific models, there are two common problems that crop up every year:

1. Old fuel gumming up the carburetor

According to one technician on JustAnswer, stored fuel, especially newer kinds of fuel, will go stale very quickly, sometimes in less than 90 days. The longer the fuel sits, the more likely it will decompose into a gummy substance that plugs up the carburetor jets. In this case, you have to clean out the carburetor, which can involve everything from an easy fix such as removing the float bowl and adding Mechanic in a Bottle by B3C Solutions or having the carburetor professionally cleaned. This can be done by removing the carburetor and bringing it to a shop that has an ultrasonic cleaner. In some cases, the carburetor might need to be replaced altogether.

2. Mice nests

Mice love to build nests in motor areas. If you run your snow blower without checking for nests first, you could run the risk of overheating the engine. You can easily clear out nests with a pair of tweezers or a longer wire.

Keeping your snow blower properly maintained

Once you’ve established that there are no mice nests and you’ve fired up your snow blower and it engages, here are a few quick tips from Marc, another technician on JustAnswer, for keeping it in tip-top shape for the snowy season:

• Change the oil – just like cars, snow blowers need routine oil maintenance.
• Replace the fuel – even if you don’t need to clean out the carburetor, make sure you’ve added new fresh fuel to your blower.
• Replace the spark plugs – again this one falls under routine maintenance and keeps your blower firing up properly throughout the season.

You’ve done all of the above and you’re still having issues, or none of this applies to your snow blower problem? Talk with a technician now.