Small Engine Repair Help!

[Jabba]

Hi all,

I thought someone on the forum may know something about small engines. You see, my snowblower won't go into gear. It starts up OK, the oil level is good, its got gas in it, but when I engage into gear, the darn thing won't move, either forward or reverse

[danny_galaga]

in general if it's belt drive, and a belt is broken then it should be easy to tell. if the belt/s are broken then when you put it into gear you won't feel it move at all. pop the hood/seat/engine cover and have a look around. belt drives are normally fairly accessible and take a bit of room so you should be able spot something wrong. if its some sort of auto-trans you should be able to tell by finding if there is a seperate filler for it (not necessarily so though). BUT if there IS some sort of trans filler you know for sure it's not belt drive since they normally just use a centrifugal clutch, which is dry.
have fun!

[Jabba]

Hi Danny,

Thanks for the info. Guess I'll open her up to see what could be wrong. Hopefully its just the belt thing. I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

BTW..., I LOVE that cocktail cabinet you made, looks real nice with the rotating screen. I'm planning on building one soon so will use your site for research purposes.

Cheers!

[DrewKaree]

I've found sometimes, if skillfully applied, several thrashings with a hammer solve my problem.

The problem, however, is frustration that things don't work.

Your problem seems to be that it actually won't work.

This method isn't guaranteed to solve your problem, but I guaran-dang-tee you sure as heck will FEEL better 

Give it a whirl.  Other methods to try on other things are kicking, an open-handed slap, or a punch, depending on the non-working item in question.

In severe cases, dropping the item from great heights, a long-distance throw into an open refuse container, or a high-speed projection of the item into the refuse container seems to bring about similar results, but necessitate the need to replace said item.

Bring it on over by me, Jabba, and I'll let you drop a front-end loader bucket onto it 

[Jabba]

Thanks Drew for that helpful "handy-man" reminder. When I realized the machine didn't go into gear and further realized I had a 150 x 40 foot 5 inch layer of snowfall which I ended up scraping away by hand, I promply smashed the machine against the side of the house a few times. Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem, but darn, I have to admit, I felt a little better knowing I had tried to solve the problem.

Thanks for the advice.

[Jabba]

Hi Danny,

Thanks for the advice. I opened up the belly plate and found a broken bolt. Upon further investigation, the bolt was being used like a shear bolt on the auger on the wheel axle. After a quick trip to the parts store, I replaced the bolt and all is well with the world again. Problem solved!

The funny thing is, I asked the guy (at the repair shop) how much it would have cost to fix this problem, and it would have cost 40$ to pick-up/drop off the machine (they don't do house calls) and 60$ an hour. So it would have cost like 100$ (plus tax) to replace a 2$ shear bolt! Just goes to show you to look for yourself before you bring in the "experts" !

Thanks for the quick reply and I appreciate your help in this matter

I've included a few pics of the repair job for those of you intererested. Who knows, maybe someone will hit the same problem I did...

[Jabba]

Opening the belly plate...

[Jabba]

Upon opening the belly plate, the offending bolt was laying on the bottom...Notice how it's sheared...

[Jabba]

Now where the heck did that come from. Upon closer looking, it was on the drive axle. Notice the hole on the right hand side next to the gear. This was spinning and not engaging the axle...

[Jabba]

And finally, the 2$ repair job.

[DrewKaree]

Don't you have a blade for that "snowblower" of yours, or is that a gravel drive?

Or am I mistaken and that big-arsed monolith-on-wheels not a part of your snow removal machine?

What the heck is that thing, as well?  It looks WAY WAY nicer than a Kubota, but since there was no side shot of that, I can't tell...it may be some toy I need to try a few times.  I'll think of a reason later 

[Jabba]

I wish it was some big arsed monolith (maybe would do the driveway faster). Actually, the snowblower is titled forward on the bucket in that shot. It is standing up. Only way to get to the belly plate 

What the heck is a "gravel drive" anyway?

[krick]

If I'm not mistaken, that bolt is probably designed to shear to protect the motor from damage if you run it into something you shouldn't.

Look at the sheared part of the bolt and check if it looks like a groove was machined around the bolt at the spot where it broke.  If so, then the bolt is a special bolt that is designed to shear and shouldn't really be replaced with a standard bolt for safety reasons.

Most decent lawnmower shops should be able to order the bolt for you.  Or you might be able to look it up and order on the Murray website by using the model number.

[danny_galaga]

if he's replaced it with a $2 bolt from a hardware store (and it isnt hardened steel) then it will do the same job again and sheer if there's too much load

[DrewKaree]

What the heck is a "gravel drive" anyway?

Instead of a concrete drive (or driveway, I'm just used to calling it a drive) or a dirt driveway, they take crushed stone (gravel) and use it to line the driveway in order to give some traction or to stop creating ruts that eventually help you get stuck at some completely inopportune time, usually when you need to leave to do/get to something vitally important.

The gravel helps you from creating a rut as quickly, spreads the weight out over a larger area, and gives you traction.  The downside?  Picture running your snowblower over stones.  Lots of them.  Every minute it's running.  Fun stuff, unless there's a window on your lot. 

[Jabba]

I thought thats what you meant. Wasn't sure if you were refering to some new-fangled drive system for snow blowers.  Yes, it is a gravel drive, every once a while I will hit rocks that become hutrling projectiles. Not great for the auger, but kinda fun like a shooter game  I make sure both cars are securely parked in the garage beforer I begin...

[Jabba]

If I'm not mistaken, that bolt is probably designed to shear to protect the motor from damage if you run it into something you shouldn't.

Look at the sheared part of the bolt and check if it looks like a groove was machined around the bolt at the spot where it broke.