Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): tecumseh shorts out

Question
Mr Jones,

I have a MTD snow blower that is about 18 years old. It has been a fantastic machine. The 1 problem that I have is if snow blows onto the engine, it shorts out. I can dry it out with a small heater in 15 or 20 minutes and it will run great until it gets wet again.
It has a Tecumseh hssk50 67376 p engine. I don't want to tear into it unless I have to. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Larry

Answer
Service manual URL:

http://www.smallenginesuppliers.com/html/engine-specs/tecumseh/Tecumseh_L-Head_E

To start, you need to determine if the ignition, fuel or other system is the problem area.

Do you have an inline spark tester to verify you have spark when the engine stops?  

Let me know if you have spark when the engine stops.
Eric