QuestionI've got an 8hp Tecumseh (HM80-155128E) on an Ariens snow blower. It is experiencing several troubling symptoms. It only runs on choke, it has governor-hunt going on, and from the muffler, I can see a small (<1/4 inch) constant flame being produced (mostly visible when running at night). It also backfires as the throttle is closed.
I've gotten a lot out of reading your other postings and have cleaned the carb (mixture screw and nut -even the tiny hole, and all other passages). It was plugged badly, but appears spiffy clean now (I didn't open the welch plugs though). I've reset the governor arm and throttle linkages so that both are synced at full open throttle. The flame from the muffler worries me. It seems to be constant, but nearly subsides when the engine races at high RPMs (while hunting). All the original symptoms persisted after cleaning the carb and resetting the governor. The carb is set at 1.5-out on the high, and 1-out on the idle. I also torqued the head bolts for good measure.
I'm hoping that these multiple symptoms help to identify a specific problem and aren't a combination of unrelated problems.
Thanks, Brad
AnswerSome of those Tecumseh snowblower carbs have a check ball inside them. If you shake the carb you should be able to hear the ball rattle. If there's no rattle, then the ball is stuck and the engine will hunt/surge.
We recently had to soak a carb for a couple of days in some strong carb cleaner to free the stuck ball. It ran perfect after that.
How bad was the carb gummed up? Do you know how old or how many hours are on the engine?
Let me know.
Eric
