Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): snowblower running rich

Question
hello,I have an older craftsman blower model C950-52677-8 I believe
it is a tecumseh 8hp,everything was running fine then midway through
clearing the wet snow on my driveway it started missing.I thought there must be a problem with the plug or wire,there is a black soot on the plug.I have since replaced the plug and fuel with no effect.
I was thinking of replacing the carb,is there anything else that would give it the same symptoms?

Answer
Black soot indicated a rich running condition as you mentioned.

Have you ever cleaned the carb?

Did you look on You Tube for carb cleaning videos???there are lots of videos on You Tube and clean the carb is not that difficult of a job but an air compressor really helps.

Do you have a basic tool kit?

DO NOT mess with the governor and let me know if you want to try cleaning the carb BEFORE you remove it.

You can try removing, draining and cleaning the carb bowl nut on the bottom of the carb...this is the high speed jet and is easy to clean as long as you can access the nut.

Eric