How To Clean A Carburetor On A Snowblower?

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Is there anything in your house that doesn’t need maintenance? Similarly, every machine demands regular maintenance to stay efficient. 

Some of you might know a snow blower as a snow thrower. In simple words, it is a machine used to remove snow from the places where it causes trouble. 

The concept of a snow blower is that it eliminates the snow with the help of tools and carries it away to some other location instead of simply blowing it by air.

In a snowblower, a carburetor is a part of the motor to combine fuel and air for combustion. It is a device for supplying a spark-ignition engine with the mixture. 

It is an essential tool for the snowblower to run. If it is not maintained correctly, it shall create trouble in the machine’s appropriate functioning.

Even for the snow blower to function correctly, you need to clean its carburetor. You might think that it is a long and challenging process, but trust me, it is not. You can clean the carburetor without even removing it. Doesn’t it sound like a quick process, then?

With the regular use of the snowblower, you will undoubtedly face a few issues. That is normal with all the machines. Cleaning the carburetor might help resolve some of them. But how do you know when to clean it?

You will know that the carburetor is ready to be cleaned when you start facing specific issues like rough idling, stumbling while accelerating, increased fuel consumption, or flooding. These issues arise because the carburetor fails to function correctly. It is because of the debris that blocks the fuel and the air from getting it to the engine.

Things to Take Care of Before Cleaning a Carburetor

But before you start, make sure you get your hands clean on these things. Firstly, check the user manual and check the air filter. If your air filter is dirty, it will prevent the clean air from getting into the snowblower. As a result, it won’t function well.

Even if you clean the carburetor and the dirty air filter, the dust will enter the snowblower and eventually get to the carburetor. So, it would help if you cleaned the air filters first to prevent this from happening.

Focusing only on the cleaning part is not enough. You need to get the required materials before you start the cleaning process. Get the right tools, including a socket wrench, a piece of copper wire, compressed air can, wired brush, and liquid carburetor cleaning solution. You will need them while cleaning the carburetor to make your task easier.

Once you gather these tools, follow the steps below, and you are good to go. 

Guide to Cleaning a Carburetor on a Snowblower?

The following ten steps will help you clean your carburetor. Read on the simple explanation and do it on your own next time you face an issue. 

#1. Switch Off the Snowblower Engine

Shoot it down first if the snowblower engine is running. Why would you even try opening the machine when its engine is running? 

Switch off the snowblower engine
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Also, make sure if the engine is running for a longer time and is hot, give it some time to cool down. It will prevent you from any burns.

Also Read: 2 Stage vs 3 Stage Snow Blowers

#2. Remove the Carburetor Bowl

The carburetor bowl will quickly come off if you remove the adjustment nut using a socket wrench. It would be best to minutely watch the bowl because it will tell you a lot about the carburetor.

Remove the carburetor bowl
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Now you need to ensure that the gasket is in good condition. If you think that it has worn out, there are chances that you might have to replace it. 

You also need to check if the bowl has any cracks in it. Any defects in it might again lead to a problem in the carburetor.

While taking out the bowl, if you find a lot of debris in it, it is a sign that the carburetor is quite dirty and requires intense cleaning.

#3. Remove the Float Bowl

Remove the Float Bowl
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You need to remove the needle and the pin using your hands. It would be best if you were careful at this stage. You must ensure that you do not lose anything while removing it.

Once you remove the bowl, shake it. While shaking it, listen if you can hear any material inside that might have entered through the cracks. 

If you can listen to any material rolling inside, that denotes that something might have entered through the cracks, and you will now have to change the bowl.

#4. Remove the Flathead 

Many people find it difficult to remove the flathead when there’s a wheel. You can permanently remove the wheel to get better access to the flathead.

Remove the flathead 
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But of course, if you are comfortable working with the wheel or if the wheel gives you a reasonable allowance, then there is no need to remove it.

#5. Spray the Carburetor with the Carburetor Cleaner 

Once you remove the flathead, it will be effortless for you to access the carburetor. You won’t even need to remove the carburetor because you can anyway clean it easily.

Spray the carburetor with the carburetor cleaner 
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Get ready to lie on your back and start spraying the carburetor with the cleaning solution. Once you finish spraying, use a cloth to remove all the debris stuck on the carburetor.

If you find that the carburetor is too dirty and takes a lot of effort to clean, you can remove it and dip it completely in the liquid carburetor cleaner. Give the carburetor an hour to soak in the solution so that its impurities get cleaned. 

Once you take it out of the cleaning solution, dip it in clean water for some more time. 

#6. Clean the Bowl

Clean the bowl
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Now, you need to clean the carburetor bowl. You can use a piece of cloth and some cleaning solution. If you have been using your snowblower for a long time, it is pretty usual that you will find it very dirty or rusted.

If that is the case, you can also use sandpaper or any other rigid material to remove the layer of debris or rust from it.

#7. Scrub the Nuts 

Scrub the nuts 
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Only cleaning the bowl won’t be enough. It would help if you also focused on the nuts because we can expect some debris left around them. 

Use a cleaning solution and scrub them for some time or until you remove the debris and find them clean. Or, you can use a wire brush for it.

#8. Clean the Dirty Holes

Do you find tarnished holes on the carburetor? If you do, you got to clean it using copper wire. 

Clean the dirty holes
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While you wash them, you also need to look at the carburetor’s throat to clean that too. Spray the cleaning solution in that area to remove the debris present.

#9. Blow Out any Leftovers

Now is the time when compressed air will act like magic. After spraying the carburetor and cleaning it using cloth, some dirt will still be there. 

Blow out any leftovers
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To ensure that even the tiny debris is gone and your machine is clean as new, you can blow the compressed air in the snowblower. You must ensure that the compressed air reaches all the holes to achieve maximum efficiency.

#10. Reassemble Everything

Once you follow all these steps and you find the carburetor clean enough, it is time for you to reassemble everything. When you start reassembling, you must not ignore the gaskets.

Reassemble everything
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If your snowblower is new, then your gaskets will be fine, and you need not worry about it. But if you have used your snowblower for a more extended period, then there might be a need to get new gaskets for the bowl and bolts.

At this stage, you should also apply some oil to the gaskets that will provide maximum lubrication. The oil will also preserve the gasket.

Although the cleaning process is well explained above, a few tips will help you with the process. It would help if you considered them before starting the cleaning process.

Tips for Cleaning a Carburetor

  • It would be best never to forget that there are different models of snowblowers. Depending on the model, specific actions like the number of things you need to remove to access the carburetor. That is why it is wise to have the user manual with you from the start of the cleaning process.
  • If you think that your carburetor is too dirty and you will have to remove it, keenly observe how you are removing it. It will help you put all the parts back again to the positions they were in initially.
  • If you are cleaning the carburetor for the first time, it is advisable to record all your actions using a camera. To make sure that the camera is safe from water and fuel, you must use a waterproof camera of high quality.
  • If the problems you faced initially were due to the clogged carburetor, then cleaning it will fix it. But if you observe that the problem exists even after cleaning it, you must contact a snowblower expert.

Conclusion

You saw that the cleaning process was easy but time-consuming too. You have to follow each step to clean the carburetor carefully. Thus, I suggest that you keep the snowblower carburetor in excellent condition.

Even when you clean it, use the right tools and ensure that they are not corrosive to your device. You should also remove the gas when not using the snowblower.

Whether you clean your carburetor with or without removing it, the aim is to follow the right tactic to keep it clean. It will keep your machine running for a long time.

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