Why Does Snow Blower Backfire?

Right now there are a lot of different snow blowers on the market. You might be one of those people who like to buy every single new model that comes out and says is more potent or of higher quality than the previous one since now, it’s quite easy to keep yourself informed regarding these kinds of things. You just receive an e-mail with the new coming-up models so you can purchase them online. Or maybe you just have one snow blower, a not-so-old model that has still some life in it and helps you to get around and clear up some piled-up snow on the driveway. Snow blowers, in general, can be a little expensive and they are easy to be set up. With the approach of winter, we all immediately think about all the trouble that 12 inches of snow piled up on the front yard blocking your driveway can cause.

So we just automatically go to where our snow blower is safely kept and proceed to turn it on. However, one of the problems of trying to start up a snow blower that has not been used for months is that it might start backfiring. Why does this even happen? And, more importantly, what in the world what we do in order to fix this serious problem?

Why is your snow blower backfiring?

A backfiring snow blower is more common than most people would believe. It does not mean that is a tedious time-wasting energy-absorbing issue. So if your snow blower has been backfiring, this issue is possible to be traced back to of three main reasons or causes. The first reason or cause is that it might be running too lean. And at the same time, this could be caused by different reasons as an example we can say that there is a partial block orifice in the carburetor. The second issue or cause might be improper timing that can be around the valve or maybe the spark. And the third issue or cause of the backfiring that we have previously mentioned is the incorrect seating of the inlet valve. This inlet valve is vulnerable to a different kind of damage so it could have been damaged by being partially burned out among other things.

What can you do about it?

The very first thing that you will have to do is making sure that the backfiring is not being caused by the mixture of lean fuel. This is more common than most people would imagine and it usually happens when new fuel is mixed with old fuel and the old fuel remains in the carburetor for a long time. How do you know that this happens? Well, you know that old fuel gets tarnish-like and it usually covers the carburetor, it is often left them since the previous winter season since it was not needed ever since. It is highly recommended to avoid this situation. However, if you actually leave some fuel in your snow blower carburetor, you also have to pour in some stabilizer. This will help the fuel stay fresh and keep its volatility. There is a great variety of available stabilizers. Among the most popular brands, there are Seafoam and Sta-Bil.

Replacing the fuel

The first thing that you will need to do is replace the gas that may be remaining. Do this with some fresh oil. Afterwards, you have to add some stabilizer by carefully following all the instructions that are specified on the label. If you want, you could some extra stabilizer so the cleaning process goes more smoothly. Remember that not following the instructions in the proper way might be dangerous. Always be sure to read the labels, follow the instructions and take the precautions needed in order to avoid causing any unwanted accidents, especially if you are managing an agent for the first time.

Closing the choke

Afterwards, you will have to make sure that the choke is properly closed. After you have carefully checked this, you can now proceed to start the engine. It is of great importance for you to le the engine run for a while. This has a very important purpose which is to let the stabilizer go through and clean out all the snow blower carburetor passages that may have been partially blocked. Not following this step in the proper manner, might result in the failure of solving the backfiring issue, plus more future problems regarding the proper functioning of the snow blower.

Cleaning the throat of the carburetor

Now it has come the time to clean the throat of the carburetor. For fulfilling this task, we will use a carb cleaner spray and apply it down the throat of the carburetor, take your time while doing this since rushing this step might result in the failure of actually cleaning the throat of the snow blower carb as well as fixing the backfiring problem besides future issues regarding the proper functioning of the snow blower.

What else can be done?

Providing that you have followed all the previously stated instructions, taken all the steps and considered all the recommendations and the backfiring issue is still not solved, you might going to have to clean the entire snow blower carburetor thoroughly. Take your time while doing this, do it carefully and make sure to clean every single passage. If cleaning it is not enough you will definitely have to rebuild it. First, remove the bowl and carefully use the carburetor cleaner spray to any internal passage that might be slightly blocked, this might be causing the problem.

Depending on the type of the carburetor, it can have two screws, one for idle mixture and the other for high-speed rev limit; others only have one screw. You might have to adjust this. Use the user manual to help adjust this part. If you do not feel well prepared it is highly advised to take your snowblower to a professional that can assist you with the adjusting.