"MPost" wrote in message
...
I have an older, but still strong snowblower (8 1/2 HP) that has been
running great up until our 3 foot snowstorm this winter. I was able to get
everything cleared out during that storm effectively, but haven't been
able
to clear even smaller accumulations (6-8") since. The problem is that
while
the drive mechanism still works great and the engine seems to run at full
RPM, the auger and blower mechanisms seem to not be running at full
throttle...when I drive the machine even slowly through moderate snow, it
looks like snow is entering too fast for the machine to clear itself. The
snow just kind of dribbles pathetically out of the chute instead of being
flung out with any momentum. Even if I stop the forward motion to give the
machine time to clear itself, the speed with which the snow comes out of
the
chute isn't what it used to be.

I'm planning on doing some exploratory surgery this weekend...any advice
on
what I should be looking for? Can anyone point me towards cutaway drawings
/
diagrams on the web so that I can get a sense of what's what before taking
the knife (OK, the wrench) to it? It's an 8 1/2 HP Tecumseh, probably mid
90's vintage. Red, if that helps.



is the auger still turning & cutting into the snow? broken shear pins are
pretty common, but it shouldn't hardly work at all if that's the case.


Be cool,
Longshot

Weak auger mechanism on snow blower
 

I have an older, but still strong snowblower (8 1/2 HP) that has been
running great up until our 3 foot snowstorm this winter. I was able to get
everything cleared out during that storm effectively, but haven't been able
to clear even smaller accumulations (6-8") since. The problem is that while
the drive mechanism still works great and the engine seems to run at full
RPM, the auger and blower mechanisms seem to not be running at full
throttle...when I drive the machine even slowly through moderate snow, it
looks like snow is entering too fast for the machine to clear itself. The
snow just kind of dribbles pathetically out of the chute instead of being
flung out with any momentum. Even if I stop the forward motion to give the
machine time to clear itself, the speed with which the snow comes out of the
chute isn't what it used to be.

I'm planning on doing some exploratory surgery this weekend...any advice on
what I should be looking for? Can anyone point me towards cutaway drawings /
diagrams on the web so that I can get a sense of what's what before taking
the knife (OK, the wrench) to it? It's an 8 1/2 HP Tecumseh, probably mid
90's vintage. Red, if that helps.

The auger mechanism is turning with no problem. I suspect what's wrong is
the impeller in the chute that is supposed to throw the snow that's running
slow.


"longshot" wrote in message
...

"MPost" wrote in message
...
I have an older, but still strong snowblower (8 1/2 HP) that has been
running great up until our 3 foot snowstorm this winter. I was able to
get
everything cleared out during that storm effectively, but haven't been
able
to clear even smaller accumulations (6-8") since. The problem is that
while
the drive mechanism still works great and the engine seems to run at full
RPM, the auger and blower mechanisms seem to not be running at full
throttle...when I drive the machine even slowly through moderate snow, it
looks like snow is entering too fast for the machine to clear itself. The
snow just kind of dribbles pathetically out of the chute instead of being
flung out with any momentum. Even if I stop the forward motion to give
the
machine time to clear itself, the speed with which the snow comes out of
the
chute isn't what it used to be.

I'm planning on doing some exploratory surgery this weekend...any advice
on
what I should be looking for? Can anyone point me towards cutaway
drawings
/
diagrams on the web so that I can get a sense of what's what before
taking
the knife (OK, the wrench) to it? It's an 8 1/2 HP Tecumseh, probably mid
90's vintage. Red, if that helps.



is the auger still turning & cutting into the snow? broken shear pins are
pretty common, but it shouldn't hardly work at all if that's the case.


Be cool,
Longshot

"MPost" wrote in message
...
The snow just kind of dribbles pathetically out of the chute instead of
being flung out with any momentum.

Two things to check.

1. Enlarged prostate

2. Loose drive belt.

This sounds a lot like a belt which is slipping. Open the unit and look
for the belt(s) which drives the auger and the discharge. Check them
and adjust or replace if needed. If you examine a belt and notice that
it is extremely glazed on the portion which makes contact with the
pulley, then you can get some temporary improvement by lightly sanding
the glazed surfaces. Then go buy a replacement belt.

Hope this helps,
Gideon