Snowblower won't start

[Whimsey]

Bought a new Troy-Bilt 2410 snowblower in October 2014. It has a 179cc engine and worked great for that winter and the one time I used it in 2016. In the spring I ran it dry and lubed it and it stayed in the garage where it always is. Finally got a decent amount of snow last week. I fueled it and fuel ran out of the bolt holding the fuel bowl on. I tried tightening it but to no avail. I took the bowl off and re installed it and no more leak

. I've never touched that bolt and it was tight while it leaked. I went to start it and the primer sounded like it was sucking air and not fuel. With the choke and run position set up for starting it would not start, even using the electric starter. It would make a poof sound and you'd smell exhaust slightly. If the primer is not priming would this prevent the engine from starting even using the electric starter. For the previous two seasons it started up on the second pull of the cord. Due to all the metal and plastic shrouding it's a real beotch to get to the carb and intake set up. What I've seen is taking 2 shrouds off I can at least see the primer bulb set up. Before I have to rip everything apart anybody had a similar problem that they want to share words of wisdom on?

Whimsey

 

[SHOZ]

Can you take the plug out to see if it's wet after cranking? With the plug out ground it and crank you can see the spark good then.

 

[Warstud]

Either spray some starting fluid into the carb or remove the spark plug and pour a small amount of gas into the hole and try starting it again.

 

[old1]

I think that the float stuck down, and the fuel was running down the side of the bowl and off the bolt making it look like it was coming out of the bolt. After removing the bowl, you freed up the float, fixing the leak. About the primer, depending on the make and model of engine, most do not pump fuel, only air into the bowl which in turn pushes fuel up the main jet into the carb bore. If you didn't get a good seal of the bowl when reinstalling it, it will leak air pressure and not pump fuel into the body. Knowing the make of engine will help. But also what the other posters said.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: old1
I think that the float stuck down, and the fuel was running down the side of the bowl and off the bolt making it look like it was coming out of the bolt. After removing the bowl, you freed up the float, fixing the leak. About the primer, depending on the make and model of engine, most do not pump fuel, only air into the bowl which in turn pushes fuel up the main jet into the carb bore. If you didn't get a good seal of the bowl when reinstalling it, it will leak air pressure and not pump fuel into the body. Knowing the make of engine will help. But also what the other posters said.


X2 this is right on. If you can get it going from starter fluid it might make enough vacuum to slurp whatever loogie through the carb you need to.

Conversely since you can get the carb bowl off easily you can get the jet out-- just need a specific flat blade screwdriver. Not a tapered tip but a "straight tip" of the right size. With the jet out you can make sure it's not clogged.

 

[Colt45ws]

I have this same snow blower. Good luck getting to the carb if you need to remove it. I had to tear half the motor apart to get to it. The fuel tank had to come out along with the muffler heat shield(x2) in order to remove the front plastic trim piece and pull the carb. All the plastic trim and stuff seems to be specifically designed to make that as difficult as possible.
I still don't know what make the engine is.
I had to pull my carb and clean it, even though it was left dry there were several places fuel had agglomerated somehow.I think mine was unused for 2 or 3 years however. I cleaned it up as best I could though I still get that lean 'romping' at full throttle. Its so bad I leave the choke on one notch in order to calm it down. But I was able to make it work for what I needed to do. Just a little down on power in certain spots.

 

[dwendt44]

That 'lean 'romping'' may be due to the slow speed jet being clogged.
Had such a problem a couple of years ago. Once that was fixed, no more 'surging'.

My 2¢

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: dwendt44
That 'lean 'romping'' may be due to the slow speed jet being clogged.
Had such a problem a couple of years ago. Once that was fixed, no more 'surging'.

My 2¢

Thats my problem. Somebody left untreated gas in it. Is the slow speed jet part of the bolt at comes out when I unscrew the bowl? Have not taken it apart yet.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I have this same snow blower. Good luck getting to the carb if you need to remove it. I had to tear half the motor apart to get to it. The fuel tank had to come out along with the muffler heat shield(x2) in order to remove the front plastic trim piece and pull the carb. All the plastic trim and stuff seems to be specifically designed to make that as difficult as possible.
I still don't know what make the engine is.
I had to pull my carb and clean it, even though it was left dry there were several places fuel had agglomerated somehow.I think mine was unused for 2 or 3 years however. I cleaned it up as best I could though I still get that lean 'romping' at full throttle. Its so bad I leave the choke on one notch in order to calm it down. But I was able to make it work for what I needed to do. Just a little down on power in certain spots.


I know! I watched a You Tube video of getting to the carb

. He was able to remove the carb without removing the fuel tank, but it was a major pain removing three shrouds and the starter. After all that work I think I'll get a replacement carb rather trying to clean it putting all back together and finding it still doesn't work. In the future I think I'll run Berrymans additive in the last bit of fuel while running it dry. Or the alternative is to leave it wet with Berrymans and Stabil Blue.

Whimsey

 

[Whimsey]

It's a Powermore, a Chinese engine made for MTD, who makes many brands using the same or similar set ups for OPE's. As I said it ran great for the first two seasons and it was stored dry after the first season and restarted great for the second season but not for the third season after being stored the same way, both times indoors.

Whimsey

 

[Colt45ws]

Thanks for the info. Like I said, mine has been out of use for quite awhile. Usually we get a few inches at most; so I never run it. We got hammered this year and I HAD to run it as our vehicles could no longer navigate the driveway. I started tearing into it at 6PM one night, got the carb out and cleaned up all the green gunk. Then had to stop and finish it the next night, got it back together around 8PM.
Its still half way apart. I never put the last muffler heat shield back on and there are about a dozen bolts scattered across the floor.
I also deleted that stupid plastic "key" because thats LONG gone so those wires are hanging out the side.
It was a rush job.
I would order a new carb, but, in all likely hood by the time I need it again, it will have gummed up again.
Well, thinking about it, maybe Ill order one and install it, but just never put fuel in it until it is needed.

 

[Mr_Joe]

I don't like to store 'dry' anymore. I usually store with 100LL aviation fuel inside. If that's not possible, nonethanol fuel with some type of stabilizer mixed in.