Get Your Snow Blower Ready for Winter

There are few things I love more than a good snow storm. Many people complain about snow, ice and winter weather, but I’m not one of them. I love everything winter has to offer, with one exception- trying to get a stubborn snow blower started during the first storm of the season. Trying to diagnose problems when it’s -10 outside and a bitter wind is cutting through your clothes is less than ideal, and you can be assured that if you need any parts or professional assistance you’ll have to wrestle your way through a crowd of other grumpy procrastinators who also decided to wait until the last minute to get their snow blowers running. I’ve been there too often, and it’s not fun.

This year, I decided to get an early jump on things and took advantage of the less-oppressive fall weather to winterize my beloved snow blower. Preparing your snow blower for a new round of winter is relatively simple and doesn’t take too much time. Getting a repair shop to do routine seasonal maintenance will usually run you anywhere from $50-$100; doing the exact same work yourself will cost under $10 and should only take a half an hour or so. On the MGL scale of do-it-yourself projects, basic snow blower maintenance is a DIY Level I - You Can Totally Do This! and doesn’t require any special tools or real skills beyond being able to turn a wrench and tolerate a little bit of gas and oil on your designer jeans. Here’s how to get started:

1. Change the oil - Changing the oil in your snow blower is an easy task because, unlike a car, the drain in easily accessible and there’s usually not even a filter to worry about. On most models, the drain plug is on the back and comes off easily with a socket or wrench. Put a drain pan under the plug, open it up and let the old oil drain out. You may need to tilt the machine towards the end to make sure all the old oil drains. Reinstall the plug and add new oil through the dipstick / fill hole, using a funnel to avoid a miniature Exxon Valdez in your yard. Check your owner’s manual to see what grade oil you need and the oil capacity- mine takes 770 ml of 5W30. Once you’ve added almost enough oil, insert the dipstick to check the level and add until you reach the “full” mark. Don’t overfill- that can do almost as much damage as under filling.
2. Add fresh gas - Much like milk and kids, gasoline goes bad after sitting around for a while. If you left gas in your tank at the end of last season, chances are it’s not going to work too well now. There’s also a good chance it has gummed up your carb if you didn’t add a fuel stabilizer. If there’s gas in the tank, you may have to drain it and add fresh fuel, and keep this lesson in mind when you go to store your snow blower again next Spring. To drain any old gas, many blowers have a drain valve. If not, removing the tube from the bottom of the tank will also work. You may also need to drain whatever gas is left in the carb, often easy to accomplish by removing the screw on the bottom of the float.  Make sure you’ve got an appropriate container to catch the gas, and check with your city to see how you should dispose of the old gasoline.
3. Check your spark plug

    

   - Your spark plug is usually located right on top of the motor, staring you in the face. Pull off the spark plug wire and remove the plug with an insulated socket designed for this purpose; you can find one in any decent socket set. Have a look at the plug and check for signs of carbon deposits or oily buildup. You might also want to check to make sure the gap is what is specified in your manual. You can probably get at least a few seasons out of a spark plug, but for the sake of $3 I like to change mine at the beginning of every season. Installation is the reverse of removal, but be careful not to over tighten the plug, Arnold.

4. Check your belts - Most two-stage snow blowers have two belts- one that turns the auger and one that turns the wheels. You want to make sure these are in good shape and not cracked or overly worn, as snapping a belt while trying to clear out after a blizzard is about as frustrating an experience as you can imagine. On many models, the belts are hidden behind a plastic cover. As you can see in the photo, on my machine the cover is in front of the motor and secured by a hex head screw on each side. Take the cover off and have a look at the belts. If they appear worn, you’ll need to replace them. It’s not overly difficult, but I’ll save the how-to for another post. If everything looks fine, reinstall the cover.
5. Check your shear pins and auger - Before starting the snow blower, check the condition of the shear pins and auger. You want to make sure all your pins are in place and that there is no obvious rust or damage. If there is, now is the time to fix it. It doesn’t matter how well the motor runs if the business end of your snow blower looks like it ran over a roadside bomb. Also check the gearbox and grease if necessary, although many newer units are sealed and shouldn’t need much maintenance. It should go without saying that your snow blower should be safely turned off before you go poking your limbs around the auger.
6. Check your tires - Snow blower tires love to go flat over the summer. Make sure you’ve got adequate air pressure and fix any leaks that may have developed. I like to keep my air pressure a little lower to aid with grip, but don’t go too low. If your blower has treads instead of tires- cool! Check to make sure the track is in decent shape and operates freely.
7. Start ‘er up! - Now you’re ready to get things going. Prime the engine and give it a pull. Hopefully your snow blower will roar to life, and it will probably belch some blue smoke. Let the engine run for a few minutes to burn off any oil or gas and check to make sure that the auger and drive are working fine. Your neighbors will probably be peering out their windows, secretly thinking that you’re a little bit touched for starting your snow blower when there’s not a flake of snow in sight. Return the favour by chuckling at them when the snow hits and they’re struggling to get their snow blowers started in the middle of a storm. Smugness is a virtue.

If your snow blower doesn’t start after a few pulls, here are a few troubleshooting tips:

• A snow blower is a delightfully simple machine. It needs two things to start- fuel and spark. If your blower isn’t starting, there’s a very good chance it’s one of these two things.
• On the fuel side, a starting problem can be caused by either bad fuel or no fuel at all. To check if the motor is getting fuel, pull it over a few times and remove the spark plug. If the base is wet with gas, fuel is making it into the chamber, but not being ignited, either because of bad gas or no spark.
• You can check for spark either with a spark tester from any automotive store or, if you’re a little more confident, by removing the plug from the chamber, reattaching it to the plug wire, holding it near the engine block with insulated pliers, and pulling the engine over while looking for spark. Be careful doing this, though- you can give yourself a shock or ignite any gas or other fuel that may be around if you’re not careful. 
• If there is no gas on the plug, your problem is likely with the carburetor. Fuel left sitting in the carb over the summer can cause gummy deposits to form, plugging the small holes that let fuel into the motor. The solution to this is to remove the carb and clean it out with carb cleaner, a task that is about as pleasant as it sounds. Be careful with the small parts involved and make sure you put things together exactly as they came apart- the tech manual diagrams will definitely come in handy here. Removing a cleaning a carb falls into DIY Level II- Careful, Dude.
• If you’re getting spark and getting good fuel, your problem is a little more complicated. Check to make sure that your primer is working and that the choke and throttle cables are properly adjusted. If you’re still having trouble, you may be looking at compression or timing issues, which is getting beyond the realm of most DIYers and moving into DIY Level III - Hold My Beer and Lookit This!. If you’re familiar with checking for and addressing compression and timing problems, you don’t need my help. If not, suck it up and call a repair shop, or just buy a shovel.

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