Flames shoot out of my snowblower...

[Theo 1]

Yes, out of the exhaust pipe. Always when I stop the machine and also as it runs sporadically. What am I doing wrong and how can I stop this? Or is it normal? :lol: I venture to say not, at least while it is running. The first time I started it, I ran it right back into the shed and shut it off. Well, I was surprised to see the ball of fire come out and even more, 2 feet away from the gas can- That right there folks could have been the end of Theo.

[Spreedizzle 1]

That is a carbeurator adjustment. Your carb is running your air/fuel ratio mixture a touch rich. In other words....your cylinder is not burning all of the combined fuel in the combustion chamber, and then it is igniting the excess at the tip of your exhaust pipe. Nothing serious, just a minor adjustment. There should be a set of screws on the carbeurator. Typically one of them will be for the idle adjustment speed, and the other for your air/fuel mixture. With the engine running....back the a/f mix screw out 1/4 turn, and run it as you always would. This may cure your problem.

[lawryde 0]

That is a carbeurator adjustment. Your carb is running your air/fuel ratio mixture a touch rich. In other words....your cylinder is not burning all of the combined fuel in the combustion chamber, and then it is igniting the excess at the tip of your exhaust pipe. Nothing serious, just a minor adjustment. There should be a set of screws on the carbeurator. Typically one of them will be for the idle adjustment speed, and the other for your air/fuel mixture. With the engine running....back the a/f mix screw out 1/4 turn, and run it as you always would. This may cure your problem.

Sorry dude, but she's running LEAN if you've got fire shooting out. The fuel mixture is burning so slow that it's still burning when the exhaust valve opens.

Or you've got a timing issue, but I doubt that on a snowblower.

[D aka speck 0]

I agree that it sounds like it's running lean. Have you tried cleaning the carburetor?

[Theo 1]

Thanks, guys.

This is a brand new machine more so or less. I used it 3 times last winter. Put in the special stuff in the gas tank that you use if it will not be used in a while. Had a recall on one part and the man actually took care of the oil a month ago. And put in new gas (89) before I took it on it's second run this season.

Another related question: Should the front two skids touch the ground or the scraper? The skids put marks in the concrete a bit, so I am thinking I will put the scraper down so that doesn't happen

[Spreedizzle 1]

Thanks, guys.

This is a brand new machine more so or less. I used it 3 times last winter. Put in the special stuff in the gas tank that you use if it will not be used in a while. Had a recall on one part and the man actually took care of the oil a month ago. And put in new gas (89) before I took it on it's second run this season.

Another related question: Should the front two skids touch the ground or the scraper? The skids put marks in the concrete a bit, so I am thinking I will put the scraper down so that doesn't happen

The skids are a height adjustment on the primary auger. They should be longer "runners" that should keep from scoring your concrete. You can try raising them up all the way so that the auger blades are going all the way down to the concrete. This will also distribute the weight of the front of the unit across the entire front bucket. This will also do better in icy conditions of chipping and pulling the ice all the way off of your driveway.

[hockeysew 0]

That is a carbeurator adjustment. Your carb is running your air/fuel ratio mixture a touch rich. In other words....your cylinder is not burning all of the combined fuel in the combustion chamber, and then it is igniting the excess at the tip of your exhaust pipe. Nothing serious, just a minor adjustment. There should be a set of screws on the carbeurator. Typically one of them will be for the idle adjustment speed, and the other for your air/fuel mixture. With the engine running....back the a/f mix screw out 1/4 turn, and run it as you always would. This may cure your problem.

Sorry dude, but she's running LEAN if you've got fire shooting out. The fuel mixture is burning so slow that it's still burning when the exhaust valve opens.

Or you've got a timing issue, but I doubt that on a snowblower.

Sorry but lean run will NOT cause it to back fire through the exhaust.

Lean means that you do not have enough fuel in the air/fuel mix to support combustion.

Only a rich condition will cause enough fuel to remain unburned to the point where it will combust in the exhaust stream.

A timing problem (retarded- late spark) will also cause this to occur.

Check the color of the electrode on the spark plug to be sure of a lean/rich condition. It is the most accurate way to tell. If the electrode is sooty/wet appearing then you have a rich condition. If it is white-very light tan and glossy/glazed in appearance then it is running lean.

A well tuned engine's plug will have a medium tan to slightly brown color to it.

You want a slightly rich condition for the following reasons especially on a snowblower.

1- To ensure enough fuel in cold temperature for ease of starting.

2- To prevent engine damage due to lean run. The combustion temperature in the cylinder can get hot enough to melt pistons if too lean.

Let the machine idle down for a minute before you shut it off. If you shut it down at full throttle it will dump raw fuel air mix into a hot muffler and cause a backfire.

You did the right thing to put a fuel stabilizer in at the end of the year. It will keep the fuel from spoiling but it will not do anything if you got some condensation in the tank. Can you drain the tank completely? A bit of water in your fuel can also be a factor to your issues.

As far as carburator adjustment goes- The majority of mixture screws on a carb will be -Turn in( clockwise) to lean. Counterclockwise to richen.

Let the engine come to temperature and with it at full throttle slowly lean the mix screws until it starts to get a lean mis-fire (runs rough). Then slowly richen the mixture until it smooths out. Keep backing it out slowly to where it gets a rich mis-fire (Runs rough and belches black smoke). Lean it out again to the point of misfire and then richen it to where it is smooth again and go 1/4 to 1/2 turn rich. That should do it!

I know it seems silly to go back and forth between lean/rich but you want the adjustment to be right in the "Sweet Spot" of the mixture range and the only way to tell is by going lean/rich a couple times. You want to be right in the middle between the two.

[Theo 1]

Great addional advice. I appreciate it and I will check that all out.