Help the Dunce -- Small Engine Problem (Snow Thrower)

Amnorix · 02-01-2007, 08:28 PM

So my little 5.5 HP snow thrower of last year proved itself pathetically inadequate to a serious New England snowstorm (or 3, or 4, or 5, like we had last winter) and so I sold that off and bought a big sturdy 10.5 HP that ought to be able to handle about the worst that New England has to offer.

We're supposed to get a bit of a storm tonight -- nothing too serious, but I might need it tomorrow morning for the first time this year. It's a 10.5 HP Craftsman with a Briggs and Stratton Engine. The thing has an electric starter, but I was unable to get it to work.

I plugged it in, pushed the button and nothing happened. So my first question is this, does the electric starter thing need to be plugged in for a while to juice up? I would figure that like most appliances, etc., that it will work if it's actually plugged in when you go to use it, and that you only need to keep it plugged in if you want it to stay charged for a while.

That is a minor question -- the next one is far more important to me.

I ditch the electric start up and go for the manual one. Prime twice, pull once, and she fires up fine. Wait a bit, then turn the choke down to off. Splutter a bit, turn the choke back up a bit, wait a bit, turn it down, and then off.

10 seconds later the fracking thing starts to smoke. It's pretty cold here -- maybe 20 degrees, so maybe it's just steam, but it sure looks like smoke. Worse, the aluminum top of the muffler or whatever it is is hot to the touch. Like really hot. Hotter than I would think it should be, especially since it's only been running for like 30 seconds total at this point.

So I turn it off and go into hte house muttering to myself.

Random facts:

1. yes, I checked the engine oil, and it seemed fine.

2. damn thing doesn't have a throttle, at least so far as I could find.

Any thoughts/help???

02-01-2007, 08:28 PM	Topic Starter
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Help the Dunce -- Small Engine Problem (Snow Thrower) So my little 5.5 HP snow thrower of last year proved itself pathetically inadequate to a serious New England snowstorm (or 3, or 4, or 5, like we had last winter) and so I sold that off and bought a big sturdy 10.5 HP that ought to be able to handle about the worst that New England has to offer. We're supposed to get a bit of a storm tonight -- nothing too serious, but I might need it tomorrow morning for the first time this year. It's a 10.5 HP Craftsman with a Briggs and Stratton Engine. The thing has an electric starter, but I was unable to get it to work. I plugged it in, pushed the button and nothing happened. So my first question is this, does the electric starter thing need to be plugged in for a while to juice up? I would figure that like most appliances, etc., that it will work if it's actually plugged in when you go to use it, and that you only need to keep it plugged in if you want it to stay charged for a while. That is a minor question -- the next one is far more important to me. I ditch the electric start up and go for the manual one. Prime twice, pull once, and she fires up fine. Wait a bit, then turn the choke down to off. Splutter a bit, turn the choke back up a bit, wait a bit, turn it down, and then off. 10 seconds later the fracking thing starts to smoke. It's pretty cold here -- maybe 20 degrees, so maybe it's just steam, but it sure looks like smoke. Worse, the aluminum top of the muffler or whatever it is is hot to the touch. Like really hot. Hotter than I would think it should be, especially since it's only been running for like 30 seconds total at this point. So I turn it off and go into hte house muttering to myself. Random facts: 1. yes, I checked the engine oil, and it seemed fine. 2. damn thing doesn't have a throttle, at least so far as I could find. Any thoughts/help???
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