Snow's a Flyin!!!! but :( help!&#

[Shuboxlover 482]

So......today is the first day I got to use my "new" snowblower I bought last April. I started up my machine, blew for about 20 min, then it started running like **** Normally, when either mowing or using my push blade, the thing runs absolutely flawlessly. But now it is sputtering around, and not creating much power. Is this due to the snow blowing onto the engine or into the carb via the air cleaner??? Has anybody else had a problem with this? Please help cuz the wind is gonna blow 40-60mph tomorrow, after 13" of snow!!! So I'm goona need it bad.

Thanks

[HorseFixer 2,013]

What NO PIX!! If you dont post pictures I wont root for the NEBRASKA CORN SHUCKERS in their Bowl game! On your engine running rough I would make sure you you have no moisture is getting in the points. spray your plug wire with some WD? Is your plug Wire good not cracked? Mkae sure you have fresh Gas. Good Luck.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,590]

i would drain the gas and refill it and add a little dry gas. sound like it has water in the fuel. have you checked the gas cap?

[Dale 0]

if it has points i would check and make sure they are staying dry

[Shuboxlover 482]

I have a new gas cap....so I am fairly certain that no water is getting in there.....

The gas that's in there is the stuff I've been using with no problems until now....

How do I check to see if the points are staying dry??? And if they are wet, how do I keep them from getting wet???

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,590]

what size/kind of motor? if a kohler, just pull the cover off and take a look at the points. if there is water then blow them off with an airhose or spray wd40. i would check your seal and if you need to then silicone the cover gaps after you put it back on.

[Shuboxlover 482]

16 HP twin briggs

[Buzz 502]

The gas that's in there is the stuff I've been using with no problems until now....

If that's the same gas you used this summer it's time to drain and replce it, it's probably stale. Don't they put different additives in for summer or winter use? Could be a problem also. Another thing to think about is whether you keep your gas tank filled all of the time. There are times when you walk into your garage and all of your tools seem wet or covered. with dew. When that happens the inside of your gas tank sweats also adding moisture to your fuel. The more area of tank exposed, the more moisture in your gas. Keep the tank filled.

[Shuboxlover 482]

ok. I'll drain the tank and fill her up, hopefully that'll do it...the points thing is still on my mind....do I need to pull the flywheel off to see if they are getting wet? and if they are, what's the fix?

[Prater 77]

When was the last time you changed the fuel filter? Mine did a simular thing earlier this year and it was the fuel filter clogged and not letting much fuel through.

[Shuboxlover 482]

Brand new fuel filter in Sept. (under 15 hrs ago)

[C.M.C-175 0]

Had the same thing happen to me two summers ago. Come to find out my points had a huge "pit" missing out of the center of the spark pads. You could crank the engine over and see the spark was very erratic and not a smooth clean arc. I ended up having to buy a new set of points. Sometimes all it takes is folding a piece of very fine sandpaper and sliding between the two points, to clean them up.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

The Briggs twin on the GT-1600/1642 has Magnetron ignition - meaning it has no points.

[catman81056 3]

Might be a long shot, but if you have alot of blowing snow hitting your engine, check that the air breather is not clogged or frozen over with snow.

[Shuboxlover 482]

Changed the gas with new this morning, blew again this afternoon, ran fine for about 30-45 minutes, then it started sputtering again WHAT NOW???? It smelled gassy, but really no big surprise since it was missing!

[pfrederi 18,952]

How old are your spark plug wires. Blowing snow gets into everything and when the engine heats up it melts and the wetness could be killing one cylinders spark. Out of curiosity when it is running like c**p pull one of the plug wires does it stall or just continue to run poorly....

[Shuboxlover 482]

I have never changed the plug wires personally, I have had the tractor for 5 years, and mow 1.5 acres twice a week with it spring through fall. I inherited this from my Grandpa, so I don't know when the last time they have been changed. They look fine from the outside, could they still be bad???? :notworthy:

[bobert94 38]

its possible your carburator is icing up. This happens under the right humidity and temperature. if after it sets for a while it runs fine again this could be the problem. try adding heat to your gas.

[pfrederi 18,952]

I have never changed the plug wires personally, I have had the tractor for 5 years, and mow 1.5 acres twice a week with it spring through fall. I inherited this from my Grandpa, so I don't know when the last time they have been changed. They look fine from the outside, could they still be bad????

Try pulling them off one at a time and see what happens. The 2 cylinders engines will run on one...just not very well and you will have unburned gas accumulating from the cylinder that isn't firing.

That it is running nice in the summer is really not relevant,moisture is the issue here and I doubt you are mowing in the rain....

[clintonnut 127]

Dump the fuel bowl on the carburetor out. I've had the sediment water freeze and clog the inlet up a couple times.

Charlie

[Dale 0]

How old are your spark plug wires. Blowing snow gets into everything and when the engine heats up it melts and the wetness could be killing one cylinders spark. Out of curiosity when it is running like c**p pull one of the plug wires does it stall or just continue to run poorly....

if it runs good for 45min i would bet the motor is getting wet and the plugs wires are shorting out. is the engine getting wet when you are blowing snow???

[Shuboxlover 482]

Yes....The motor, ME, the neighbors yard, my dog...pretty much everything in a 90 foot radius is getting snow on it. So what is the remedy???

[Bow_Extreme 578]

You should probably go thru and weatherproof your machine as much as possible. I personally would buy new plug wires and grab some of that silicone type material (believe it's some form of Di-electric grease but different than Di-Electric ) they sell with spark plugs at the auto parts store. Put this stuff around the rim of the plugs and coil unit to seal up the connections.

I would also go thru your electrical wiring and look for exposed connections. I always solder on new connectors and shrink wrap them to seal them up. I will than silicone spray the entire connection. In certain areas and connectors I will coat them with Di-Electric grease. You can buy this by the can. You can pack the connectors full of this stuff and they will never corrode or get wet again. This is a very meticulous job to do and a great training exercise in learning how to solder connections. It cannot hurt to go the extra mile. I wish I would have done this on my first Horse. Plus you may find some lose connections along the way that you can re-crimp and create a much better connection. It's taken me a while to really get good at this. Now I can re-wire an entire machine in a short amount of time and have all sealed connections when I'm finished.

I agree with the first 2 theories though. Your plug wires are becoming wet and shorting out and the air coming into your carb is actually creating moisture from your hot engine and freezing up your carb. This happens to the best of carburetor style engines. You can fab up some side panels for your tractor to help keep the moisture out during the winter. I think some guys on here have done this in the past.

[Shuboxlover 482]

Are there any pics of side panels people have made? Just curious.