There’s nothing worse after a fresh fall of snow than finding out your snowblower carburetor needs cleaning. If you find yourself in this situation, fear not. Most people who end up with a clogged carburetor think they’re in for a major repair, because they don’t know how to clean a snowblower carburetor without removing it.
So, let’s jump right into learning an easy way to fix your much-needed snow removal equipment.
Things you’ll need:
Clean microfiber cloths
Copper wire
Carburetor cleaner
Steps to Clean a Snowblower Carburetor Without Removing It
Step 1: Turn off the snowblower
The simple first step is to make sure the blower is off. In addition to cutting the engine, let it cool down for a while to protect yourself against any damage.
Step 2: Detach the carburetor bowl
Once you have located the carburetor, remove the fuel jet to make it easier to remove the carburetor bowl. If this is your first time removing it, check your owner’s manuel to give you an idea about the specific parts and their placement. You’ll likely see dirt, liquid, or concentrated fuel on the inside of the bowl. Grab your wiping cloth, copper wire, and carburetor cleaner, because we are about to scour!
Step 3: Clean the carburetor bowl and fuel jet
Spray a carb cleaner on the bowl’s surface and remove the dirt and residual with a wiping cloth. Make sure it’s clean and clear before you move to the fuel jet. Now take up the fuel jet and repeat the process. Spray the carb cleaner through all of its holes and scrub them off with the help of copper wire. Using a copper wire will help you to avoid scratching the brass surface and won’t mess up the jet’s precision holes. Do a final test spray and make sure the droplets come out of all the tiny holes. This shows the jet isn’t clogged anymore.
Step 4: Move to the emulsion tube area
Put the carburetor bowl and fuel jet aside. Here you need to focus on three key areas: the emulsion tube, floating bowl, and the needle attached to the floating bowl. Spray the carb cleaner inside the emulsion tube for few seconds. Around the emulsion tube is a floating bowl which is kept on by a sliding needle. Make sure the floating bowl isn’t sticking or else you’ll need to change it. Remove the sliding needle and detach the floating bowl. You’ll see a fixed needle on the inner side of it. Clean it up and put the system back together.
Step 5: Adjust the carburetor bowl
Bring the fuel jet and the carburetor back together and adjust it on top of the emulsion tube. Make sure the rubber gas kit is in place before you adjust the system and seal it properly.
Check out this quick video tutorial to help you get the hang of it in one go.
Why Do Carburetors Get Clogged?
Most of the time we get too caught up in fixing the problem that we forget to check why it happened in the first place. Understanding the nature and root cause of a problem saves both effort and money when things go wrong.
The snowblower air filter is one of the reasons your carburetor might stop working. The system requires the correct ratio of air to fuel to start up the combustion process, and a clean air filter gets the job done for you. That’s why regular air filter maintenance will help keep your carburetor in top shape.
With equipment that isn’t used regularly, such as with snowblowers, it’s also easy to forget to change the fuel for an extended length of time. This leads to fuel evaporation, which leaves behind a concentrated gummy fuel substance in the carburetor bowl. This results in a clogged carburetor and reduces machine efficiency.
You can check the symptoms of a dirty carburetor at diy.repairclinic.
Don’t Want To Go Through The Tiring Process Again?
Most of us don’t like to dismantle machines and get our hands dirty in the process. So although you clean a snowblower carburetor without removing it, the ideal situation is to avoid clogged carburetors entirely. Just make sure to check the air filter after regular intervals to remove trapped particles and dirt inside of it. Also, change the fuel after some time and don’t let it sit for long.
Moreover, buy yourself a rebuild kit, clean the carburetor, and rebuild it. Changing jets, pins seals and gaskets will help maintain the carburetor for the long term.
The Snowblower Is Still Not Working?
After trying the aforementioned techniques if the carburetor still doesn’t work properly, then you might have bigger problems with your carburetor. The following article by Weingartz covers these and related issues.
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