Anyone have a Cub Cadet snow blower? Mine won't start...

[bennybmn]

Since its easy to get to the float bowl, remove it and inspect the fuel quality.  Remove it over a clean container and let the fuel settle.  If you see any fuel separation, you may have water in the fuel or gum or other crap.  Now that you can see the float, check its function by gently pushing up and verifying it has some range of motion.  This will also likely fix a stuck needle valve.  If its not too much trouble, remove the carb and spray everything internal with carb cleaner.  I'd also remove the jets and spray everything you can see and check that all the little holes are clear.  

Check the plug.  replace if its fouled or wet.  

I'd recommend draining the fuel and replacing with fresh.  Just put the fuel in your car, it won't hurt the car.  

My Honda generators don't like stale fuel.  But their carbs have very tiny passages.  

In the future, run the tank dry at the end of the season.  Put in half a cup or so of Truefuel and run it dry again.

I actually just got back from home depot where I got a new spark plug... I also the other day got a fuel filter/funnel thingy. It's pretty neat, separates out water too. maybe I'll drain it thru that. 

You basically described what I did to my lawn mower carb a few months ago. Started first pull after that... It's a shame I don't know exactly where the problem was, since I took the shotgun approach. I also like the half a cup of true fuel idea. I was thinking of making sure I use true fuel on my last couple of uses each season of whatever tool. 

...And I drive a diesel (for now), so I'll have to convince the wife it's ok to put the gas in her car

[Phil Thien]

How old is the gas?

If it is from last season, get rid of it and get fresh.

I get rid of the old gas by putting about a gallon of it in a nearly full gas tank in my car.  It does not seem to make a difference when it is diluted 15 to 1.

QFT.

New gas (get all the old gas out), pull it till it starts.

If it is cold, take it inside the house and let it warm up for several hours.

Take it back outside, pull it till it starts.

[Robert Adams]

Good  luck finding gas without ethanol. Not available in my state at all. Back when I worked at Ata a friends mower shop we would put a specific tecumseh gas filter on all mowers because it had a membrane that would allow gas through but not water. Some of their gas tanks had it built in. It worked very well. Not sure who makes one today as tto have been gone for years. 

      Also fyi... There are sticks that absorb water that you can put in your gas cans etc. They are made for jet skis for the odd water in the tank. They work as well. 

       Also tte small engine manufacturers recommend gas be dumped after two weeks now because of the water that the alcohol absorbs. 
        It's It's a really bad fuel and especially bad for small engines.


          Best thing you can do is always put stabilizer in your fuel and run your machines dry. Or do as I do and periodically add fresh fuel and start up and run my equipment for a little while every month or so. Allot less trouble than having to clean out a carb.

[Roly]

Give it a small shot of ether.  If it starts & runs for a few seconds ignition is good and it is a fuel problem.       Sometimes once it runs for a few seconds it will clear out a little clog.    Make sure you use fuel stabilizer in it.
 The passages in the carb are so small these days it only takes a speck of gelled fuel to clog it.     Carb cleaner should work.     Roly

[CanoeBoy]

I found out the hard way what ethanol gas does to small engines. Now I only use ethanol free gas plus SeaFoam and haven't any problems. My snowblower still leaks gas after using it, so now I just run it out of gas or park it over Kitty litter.

[TDKPE]

...And I drive a diesel (for now), so I'll have to convince the wife it's ok to put the gas in her car

I do too, so old gas goes in DW's car.  Fuel information is on a need-to-know basis, and that's just one of many things she doesn't need to know. 


I use ethano-free 91 octane in all my small engines, and the outboard.  No problems with them, ever.  But I use Stabil and run the carbs dry (and also drain the bowls on the Honda outboard, which hold a bit even when run dry), and keep the tanks topped off.  My generator is stored full and ready to work, so I siphon the fuel out once a year and use it in the lawn tractor, which doesn't seem to care.  Or her car, which also doesn't seem to care (a gallon at a time).

[bennybmn]

Thanks again guys. The bottom of carb bowls are usually very accessible, so I should get in the habbit of making darn sure they're empty. The ones on my bike even have a little spout you can hook a hose onto, like you would bleeding brakes. So handy...

[daddo]

When I have one that won't start, I check the spark and change the plug. If there is spark, it's most likely just fuel.

I go ahead and check and replace the fuel filter- if you haven't one, I'd install an inline filter in the fuel line if there isn't one- it won't hurt. I blow out the fuel lines back to the tank and empty and flush and re-fill the tank and with fresh gas and clean the bowl. These things need to be done anyway, so your not wasting time.

If it still doesn't start, the carb is most likely the problem- replace or clean it.

Since alcohol has been used in the gas, I use staybil in all my gas and even once in a while in the truck/cars. Every so often I run seafoam (which is basically  isopropyl alcohol) in all the tanks to help clear them up.
I have stored gas for over a year with no problems using staybil additive.

Running the carb dry sounds good, but you'll still have some fuel on the bottom of the bowl and it will coagulate there. You can remove and dry out the bowl or just fill the tank with 2x treated gas and run the engine for 10 minutes before storing it.


I buy 3 fuel filters and plugs at a time in case I need them. Saves me a trip and they are cheap.

[tomsteve]

I used a bottle of Truefuel that I just opened... The gas from last season that may or may not have sat in the bowl is gas station 91 with stabil in it. Maybe I didn't have enough stabil... I need to find a website/app that helps me find ethanol free fuel. I'd rather not go to a marina but maybe  I'll have to.

http://www.pure-gas.org/

[fixtureman]

I pull the spark plug squirt a little gas in put the plug back in and start the engine in my Roto tiller Once it starts it usually will keep running then the next time it starts easy