Ariens 520E Snowblower Problem

14 years ago

I recently bought a used Ariens ST520E snowthrower.

This is my first snowblower, so I am just getting used to it.

I had the opportunity to use it a about a week ago for our first snowfall of the year.

As I was using it, I realized that the after letting go of the clutch for the auger/impeller, the impeller is still trying to turn; it will not completely disengage. The impeller turns in pulsing manner. I could also smell a little burning rubber odor.

I checked the shear pins. They are fine.

I checked the attachment clutch cable. There is enough slack in the cable.

I took the belt cover off and ran the engine, then engaged the auger/impeller for a few seconds. Then, I disengaged the auger/impeller and I could see the belt grabbing at the pulleys causing the impeller to spin in a choppy manner as the belt would grab and release on the pulleys.

I could also see where the belt had been rubbing against the metal belt fingers. There was a lot of black dust in the belt area....looked like belt shavings.

So.......what adjustments need to be made so the impeller will completely disengage and stop the belt from grabbing the pulleys?

Thanks for the help. I'm desperate....we're supposed to get close to a foot of snow this weekend in CT....I need my snowblower!!

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Comments (5)

rustyj14
14 years ago
Buy a can of PB Blaster and liberally apply it to the cables, and any moving parts that you can readily see.(WD-40 is too "wimpy" to do much good in this situation!) Then, if that fails, turn the machine on its side, and look underneath for a steel plate that should be held on by bolts. This plate covers the main gears and working parts. Check for rusted chains, pulleys, or anything that could hinder the movement of controls, etc. Liberally squirt everything except the belts, and the engine. Allow it to sit and soak, then try to see if it has loosened up.
I would think that the machine has been allowed to sit in the elements, and the previous owner sold it when he couldn't get it to work.
The areas named above usually get lots of snow in them, and that causes rust later on, especially if the machine has been setting for a while.
A word of caution: Always turn this, or any machine, onto its side with the carburetor "UP", to prevent engine oil from getting into the intake side of the engine.
HTH: Rustyj
lbpod
14 years ago
Good advice, but I would like to add:
don't spray the friction wheel or the
disk it rides on.
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I've been out of snow country for a decade. In my experience on the snow king was they would surge backfire if they were lean. I would think that to be the case if all was well last year and the problem reared its head this fall. Does this have a removable jet on the side? If so, many times forcing the jet spray into that passage when running as well will get the cleaner through the passage it needs to go too. Basically, if this is a standard Tecumseh carb except fixed- try my instructions. On many of the old style carbs they drilled the passage to the idle circuit larger then required and then reduced its size by inserting a pin, much like a roll pin to make the passage the correct size. Maybe yours was built the same. In itself, it isn't servicible. They did this as they were breaking the bits and damaging the castings when boring out the small passage. These carbs had welch plug on the side of the carb that covered a small mixer chamber as well as 1 well cover in the bottom end of the carb. You could if not succesful, carefully drill a hole in the side plug, pry out and re-soak or try jet spray. They used to suggest a dab of sealer (nail polish) to brush over the plug edge on this one once it had been installed.(Only on the outside plugs) Sometimes w/ Tecumseh the service carbs for the fixed jet come as adjustable. I don't know about these. Maybe the bowl nuts are the same size and the adjustable main jets would screw in and work. Wouldn't that be lucky.... How was the carb when you first dis-assembled it? If there were signs of water damage/ corrosion- the success rate of a carb rebuild just went down. In your email you had asked about the possibility of a partially sheared flywheel key or a sticky valve. The jet spray should free up the valve if it is sticking. Keys don't tend to shear a great deal on snowthrowers, but yes it could cause your runabilty issue. If it ran well before it was put away last year, it is back to the fuel system or sticky valve. If you have other questions, post the spec # as well so we can see the carb (hopefully).Good luck!
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zoulas
14 years ago
if I recall from mine, there is a tension pully. when you press the lever with your hand, you activate the tension pully that applies tension to the belt that turns the impeller. this pully is adjustable to when the lever is not pressed, the motor spins but does not spin the impeller (because the belt is loose). The manual would definitely tell you how to do this as this is a standard snow thrower adjustment. also ariens has great support so you can call them also.
andyma_gw
14 years ago
RustyJ, My pair of 30 something Ariens 5hp summers outside under tubs. I tricked one into running long enough to clear my driveway. So I'm happy. In your opinion is an engine like this worth the trouble to rebuild? Or just find a better one?
rustyj14
14 years ago
Well, if it runs--why rebuild it? New engines are expensive! New parts are too. But, they aren't always available.
I usually try to find a good running, used engine, and install it.
I'd do a general clean-up on it, with any parts that need replacing, installed on it.
If you were using it as you do a lawn mower, then maybe a new or rebuilt engine would be ok, but for occasional use--just tune it up with the usual things, and next spring, cover it well with a new tarp, or new wash tubs;0)

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Ariens 520E Snowblower Problem

Comments (5)

rustyj14

lbpod

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zoulas

andyma_gw

rustyj14

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