where can i find info on servicing an old Troy bilt snowblower?
everyone ive talked to says this thing needs a carb rebuild cuz it wont run smoothly. where can i get a manual or something that explains how to do this? ive done this sort of thing before but its been a while, so i want to make sure i dont mess anything up.
this last snowfall caught me off guard, none of my equipment was ready to handle this. any help will be appreciated.
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Fuel can go stale in as little as 30 days. Empty the fuel tank and buy fresh gas. This may be an easy quick fix for your problem.
Troy-bilt was purchased by MTD a couple of years or so ago. I’ve put a customer support web link below.
I have an old tiller. Unfortunately, the manual I downloaded did not have information on the engine, just on the Troy-bilt manufactured components.
Most Troy-bilt have either a Briggs and Statton engine or a Tecumseh engine. If you go to Lowes or Home Depot or similar store that sells lawn mower parts, you will probably find a small engine repair manual for sale there. Another option is to check your local library. You can probably find the book there, also.
My serial number was so old that the web site did not recognize it as valid. So I picked a model that was close to mine and downloaded the manual.
To prevent your carb from gumming up, there is a product sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc., called Sta-Bil that will help prevent the gas from gumming up in the carb. I put it in my gas can for my mowers, etc. and use it all of the time to keep my carb clean. If your snow thrower will run at all, the sta-bil may clean it while running. Drain out the gas that is in the tank and buy fresh gas to put the sta-bil into. Then refil your snow-thrower with the fresh gas.
If it is going to set up for more than four months, empty the gas tank, crank and run the gasoline out of the carb. Then pour a bottle of 90% rubbing alcohol into the gas tank. Next time you get ready to use it, pour the alcohol into a jar for later use, and put gas back in.
I go to the auto parts store and buy a can of aerosol starting fluid. It is mostly ether. It will help crank the thing until it warms up. I take the air filter off and spray it into the carb.
When you take the carb apart to clean it, sometimes I use lacquer thinner or brake parts cleaner to cut the gum from the parts.
If it is a Tecumseh engine and if it won’t crank, there’s probably a fairly simple fix. Locate the bowl on the bottom of the carbureator. Get a crescent wrench THAT FITS EXACTLY onto the brass bolt that holds the bowl on. If you try to use pliers or something else you will mess it up because it is soft brass. Remove the bolt but leave the bowl. A small amount of gas will leak out. The bolt is hollow inside. If you look carefully you will see that there are small holes located on the outside of the bolt near the head. Sometimes the varnish gum will completely cover these. Use a tiny brass or copper wire to clean the holes. If you don’t have either type thin wire, use a very tiny thin sewing needle, but be carefull that it is not larger than the hole. It is easy to gouge the hole to a larger size if you are not careful, because it is soft brass. There is also a small hole inside the hollow part of the bolt at the bottom in the center. Carefully clean it, also. That is usually all I need to do for mine.
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The previous answer was great. The only thing I can add is that if it is the engine that is having problems, take it to a dealer who is trained with that engine. The big box stores are not going to have parts or someone who can service you product. Another thing is that MTD will NOT do anything for the old Troy-Bilt. I tried on another product, and MTD’s response was "We do not have any information on Troy-bilt before we bought them."
Good luck