noname wrote:
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 3:09:18 PM UTC-5,
wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 11:38:13 -0800 (PST), noname
wrote:

Ahrens 7HP snowblower, starter turns over but clearly the gear (or
maybe the solenoid) is not engaging so it won't start.

I assume all that I do is pop off the starter and if the gear is
sheared off, replace it. If not the solenoid isn't pushing the
gear out far enough (light scraping noise).

Are these the proper debugging steps or should I be looking for
something else? Thanks!

Well, being a Briggs engine, the starter will not have a pre-engage
solenoid, so forget that. They are an inertia drive (aka bendix) and
the most common problem is the helix gets frozen or sticky. I
generally pull the starter and soak the helix with penetrating oil to
get it moving, then wash it with solvent and blow it dry. A light
dusting of graphite or a spray of colloidal graphite lube and it's
generally good for another few years.

Too sore from shoveling to pull the starter off :-( Petty sure it is
a Tecumseh engine. I pull it off and see what is there. Thanks.

Try warming up the flywheel end of the starter with a blow dryer . My
starter on the Kohler engine on my tractor does that too when it's really
cold out .

--
Snag