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.