Trouble Ariens Deluxe 24 Snow Blower

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
1,456
Location
Pennsylvania
I just purchased this snow blower, added oil and gas, then fired it up today. It starts easily using the rope or the electric starter. The motor sounds good at operating speed. If I engage the auger, it turns. If I engage the drive wheels, it goes forwards and backwards. So far, so good... When I engage both the auger and the drive wheels, the motor starts ejecting oil thru the vent tube on the valve cover. Any thoughts on what might be causing this?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Donald
First double check oil level.

Yup - letting her cool down and settle so that I can do just that.

Would it eject oil like that if overfilled? And if so, would it only do so if both the wheels and auger were engaged?
 
Take it back buy a Simplicity seriously check level makes no sense engaged or not under full load possibly and engine should be broke in with a load change after first hour of usage.
 
Last edited:
I'm assuming this is a brand new machine with an LCT OHV engine?

I could definitely see it puke oil out the breather if it's been overfilled with oil. Engaging the wheels and auger loads the engine, opens the throttle plate more, increases crankcase pressure and ejects the excess oil.

If it's not a too much oil situation, it could be a blown head gasket.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
I'm assuming this is a brand new machine with an LCT OHV engine?

I could definitely see it puke oil out the breather if it's been overfilled with oil. Engaging the wheels and auger loads the engine, opens the throttle plate more, increases crankcase pressure and ejects the excess oil.

If it's not a too much oil situation, it could be a blown head gasket.
load is minimal if nothing unless it's blowing snow for it to have a load on it it is a Ariens I never did like them.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Astro_Guy
I just purchased this snow blower, added oil and gas, then fired it up today.


I'm not sure about the "added oil" part...how much did you add, and where did the dipstick read afterward? My Ariens Deluxe 24 arrived with a full dipstick straight from the wholesaler in the box.
 
Okay, in answer to various questions:
  • Machine was purchased new
  • Motor is 254cc OHV by LCT
  • There was no oil visible on the dipstick when new
  • Added the prescribed 20 ounces (M1 5w30)
  • Oil does now appear to be overfilled, even after ejecting an estimated 4 ounces
I will drain some out, get the level right, then try again. I will also go back to the big box store and look at some other identical units to see if that rubber hose that is ejecting the oil isn't supposed to go somewhere. If the problem persists, I still have 27 days to return it. Any advice on cleaning all that oil off of my driveway?
 
Thanks all. This does appear to have been a case of too much oil. I drained some out, and all is well. And to end this on a positive note, nothing sparkly came out with the little bit I did drain.

The Ariens manual is a little silly on oil recommendations; it says to use 5w30 up to 32 degrees F. Most of my OPE does quite well on 5w30 at 85 degrees F. That's all I ever run in the Honda powered OPE.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro_Guy
Thanks all. This does appear to have been a case of too much oil. I drained some out, and all is well. And to end this on a positive note, nothing sparkly came out with the little bit I did drain.

The Ariens manual is a little silly on oil recommendations; it says to use 5w30 up to 32 degrees F. Most of my OPE does quite well on 5w30 at 85 degrees F. That's all I ever run in the Honda powered OPE.


I'm seeing more and more strange oil recommendations in OPE manuals, trying to follow most of them would result in changing the oil in them 3-4 times a year depending on the season/temperature. They're writing the manuals and drawing the charts with no overlap or range where more than one oil is acceptable....
 
Originally Posted By: Balrog006
I'm seeing more and more strange oil recommendations in OPE manuals...

Agreed! I am thinking of just going with a good 5w30 synthetic for all of the OPE. Only the generator and leaf vacuum are on xw40 now, and that's only a matter of superstition on the genset or oil use on the leaf vac.

No-one will notice or care if the leaf vac throws a rod, but I most certainly will care if the generator does. Luckily we have not had an extended power outage up here in the northeast lately, but it is only a matter of time.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro_Guy
Okay, in answer to various questions:
  • Machine was purchased new
  • Motor is 254cc OHV by LCT
  • There was no oil visible on the dipstick when new
  • Added the prescribed 20 ounces (M1 5w30)
  • Oil does now appear to be overfilled, even after ejecting an estimated 4 ounces


Does the oil dipstick on your LCT engine show full and add marks? The stick on my ~2yr old Ariens SnowTek machine has no graduations on it what so ever. I don't recall if it had any oil in in when I bought it from Home Depot, but I must have gotten the level correct on mine (drained it and went by the manual). I did loose the primer bulb hose after one season. It cracked/split and the fuel shutoff valve is hard to turn and can leak.
 
Last edited:
My LCT powered snow blower has a fill tube with no dipstick and an overflow port at the base of the crankcase. Takes about a quart I think...
 
Originally Posted By: BrianF
My LCT powered snow blower has a fill tube with no dipstick and an overflow port at the base of the crankcase. Takes about a quart I think...


I know it's 16oz of oil for the 208cc LCT engine on my 2014 model year Ariens. Half a quart.

Mine has the dipstick/fill tube and the fill/level check caps lower on the block. One on each side of the engine, plus twin drain plugs.

*EDIT- just checked the LCT engine website. The 254cc engine uses 20oz of oil. If you add a quart (32oz), you're going to have the same oil puking situation.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: BrianF
I just checked the site as well and my 291cc uses the 1.1 liters.


I had confused your post with the original poster's thread. Sorry!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top