[dman2]

Nice job on your carb....As for the tricks, I do the waxing , always had poly shoes , even on my old Mtd...Will try the middle grade gas, install the tach while running in snow..If that don't improve it,, will look into the governor setting..

Yes, definitely use non-ethanol gasoline on small equipment. Octane rating does not matter (as far as power goes), but I like to use 91 octane for cleaner burn.

Ethanol gas will have less energy and it damages the fuel system quick if left in there for too long.

 

[SNOWJOE]

OK..I attached my tach to the dash,,and ran her till warm, about 10 min.....Tops off at 3600 rpm, full throttle , no choke...Now when I engage just the auger, she drops about 100 rpms to 3500-3550...and holds.. No snow or load on it....have to wait for the next snowfall for that test...So should the Rpms drop that much with the auger driven with no snow??..BTW it was running with Shell reg.. 87 in it...Will run it next snow with 89 Shell..No 91 here..I thinking The rpms should be at least 100 higher to 200 without any problems...What say you??

 

[Johnny G1]

Where do u get a 500 rpm drop?? Tops 3600 to 3550 is 50rpm???

 

[SNOWJOE]

Where do u get a 500 rpm drop?? Tops 3600 to 3550 is 50rpm???

When I engage the Auger..with no snow...Yes 50-100 rpm drop.. your right..Good find..

 

[Town]

When I engage the Auger..with no snow...Yes 50-100 rpm drop.. your right..Good find..

On my machine when I engage the Auger/impeller the rpm does not drop at all. When I also engage the wheel drive as well there is no drop in rpm either.

 

[SNOWJOE]

On my machine when I engage the Auger/impeller the rpm does not drop at all. When I also engage the wheel drive as well there is no drop in rpm either.

When I engage the wheel drive there is no drop also...So what do you think why my auger causes a drop, or should the rpms be raised??...I've been underneath in the service postion since day one, and nothing seems out of wack, but I did find the brake wasn't completely disengaging on the auger pulley before..Had to correct that...

 

[Town]

When I engage the wheel drive there is no drop also...So what do you think why my auger causes a drop, or should the rpms be raised??...I've been underneath in the service postion since day one, and nothing seems out of wack, but I did find the brake wasn't completely disengaging on the auger pulley before..Had to correct that...

Your rpm drop of 50 to 100 rpm drop is about the same as my machine blowing 3 to 4 inches of snow that is a bit wet. I have only used my machine 5 times with a tach installed so I am just learning and there is some variability in the rpm reading.

I would suspect that there is some extra resistance in the driveline to the auger. You can engage the auger clutch with a tie wrap or similar so you can see how the auger and impeller are running at speed and check for any irregular movement or noise. Slow the engine very gradually to idle speed and it should be still running (mine runs at idle of 2,000 to 2,400 rpm. If there is extra resistance in the driveline then your engine would likely stall before idle rpm. If your engine stalls then perhaps the brake is not releasing, or bearing is failing, gearbox bushings or lube, bushings tight at ends of auger shafts. My guess would be on the impeller shaft bearing if a roller bearing since I replace them every couple of years and they are breaking up.

 

[SNOWJOE]

Your rpm drop of 50 to 100 rpm drop is about the same as my machine blowing 3 to 4 inches of snow that is a bit wet. I have only used my machine 5 times with a tach installed so I am just learning and there is some variability in the rpm reading.

I would suspect that there is some extra resistance in the driveline to the auger. You can engage the auger clutch with a tie wrap or similar so you can see how the auger and impeller are running at speed and check for any irregular movement or noise. Slow the engine very gradually to idle speed and it should be still running (mine runs at idle of 2,000 to 2,400 rpm. If there is extra resistance in the driveline then your engine would likely stall before idle rpm. If your engine stalls then perhaps the brake is not releasing, or bearing is failing, gearbox bushings or lube, bushings tight at ends of auger shafts. My guess would be on the impeller shaft bearing if a roller bearing since I replace them every couple of years and they are breaking up.

I'll give it a try tomorrow with the auger held down and lower the idle speed slowly and see what happens. I don't suspect anything dramatic because I don't hear any noise or any shaking with the auger ... And it's well oiled and greased... The machine is brand new so I can't see how any bearings being bad, or I would hear it.

Your rpm drop of 50 to 100 rpm drop is about the same as my machine blowing 3 to 4 inches of snow that is a bit wet. I have only used my machine 5 times with a tach installed so I am just learning and there is some variability in the rpm reading.

I would suspect that there is some extra resistance in the driveline to the auger. You can engage the auger clutch with a tie wrap or similar so you can see how the auger and impeller are running at speed and check for any irregular movement or noise. Slow the engine very gradually to idle speed and it should be still running (mine runs at idle of 2,000 to 2,400 rpm. If there is extra resistance in the driveline then your engine would likely stall before idle rpm. If your engine stalls then perhaps the brake is not releasing, or bearing is failing, gearbox bushings or lube, bushings tight at ends of auger shafts. My guess would be on the impeller shaft bearing if a roller bearing since I replace them every couple of years and they are breaking up.

OK,,,Used a clamp to hold auger handle down..Looking at the auger spinning at high and low speed , nothing unusual to see or hear...Rpms at low speed/ no auger/ 2100.. with auger about 1800...No stalling of engine with auger at low speed....You do have a monster engine, 414, I think you said...Might be why no drop with auger at high speed...Need others with my engine /model to compare with...

 

[Town]

Yes I do have the 414 cc engine and it runs very well.

 

[SNOWJOE]

Opened the bottom plate to double check everything..Auger brake still clears when auger engaged, but checked auger belt pulley and found the center nut was not snug tight....
Made about a full turn to snug it up..Also checked every nut or bolt in reach...Don't know if that will matter..Next time I run it, don't want to drive the neighbors mad...

 

[Town]

@SNOWJOE Good find on the loose retaining bolt for the impeller pulley hub. One turn of that fine (24 pitch) thread bolt is not likely to affect anything but left alone the resulting further backing out would be nasty. The hub has a D shaped internal shape that mates to the end of the impeller shaft's D shape. The parts mainly rely on the bolt/lockwasher to hold the parts together. Did you notice a lock washer under the head of that bolt?

 

[SNOWJOE]

@SNOWJOE Good find on the loose retaining bolt for the impeller pulley hub. One turn of that fine (24 pitch) thread bolt is not likely to affect anything but left alone the resulting further backing out would be nasty. The hub has a D shaped internal shape that mates to the end of the impeller shaft's D shape. The parts mainly rely on the bolt/lockwasher to hold the parts together. Did you notice a lock washer under the head of that bolt?

Tell you the truth I did not notice a lock washer, though I wasn't really looking that closely,, I know the three surrounding bolts that joined the other pulley did not have lock washers and they were pretty snug..

 

[BazookaJoe]

The talk about E-10 gas with less HP is relatively insignificant when talking about an 8 hp snowblower engine. E-10 has about 96% of the BTU of E-0, meaning your engine is 7.68 hp which will not be noticeable. Also note that if you're running E-0, you should be running a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to absorb any moisture in the fuel. Often times, the E-10 will bring the carb jetting closer to correct and actually result in a net gain of output power. Ask snowmobilers from the days of carburetors how E-10 could be a tuning tool on a warmer day. Bottom deal- don't get too hung up on your gasoline's octane or E-10.

Regarding the OP's D-24.. A couple of checks- this might be a dumb question, but are you twisting the throttle knob completely to full position? The engine will run full rpm with a small amount of rotation, but not pull a full load. A year ago, I thought my D-28 was totally underpowered at first. There may have been a break in situation or I may have not been turning the throttle knob all the way. Very possible I wasn't twisting the throttle the full turn at the time. Whichever the case, ample power now. Not crazy extra power, but ample to get the job done.

Interesting that you found the drive pulley's retaining screw to be loose. I found that same screw laying at the bottom of my service cover last spring. Another member on this site also reported the same condition.

Hope this helps.

 

[SNOWJOE]

The talk about E-10 gas with less HP is relatively insignificant when talking about an 8 hp snowblower engine. E-10 has about 96% of the BTU of E-0, meaning your engine is 7.68 hp which will not be noticeable. Also note that if you're running E-0, you should be running a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to absorb any moisture in the fuel. Often times, the E-10 will bring the carb jetting closer to correct and actually result in a net gain of output power. Ask snowmobilers from the days of carburetors how E-10 could be a tuning tool on a warmer day. Bottom deal- don't get too hung up on your gasoline's octane or E-10.

Regarding the OP's D-24.. A couple of checks- this might be a dumb question, but are you twisting the throttle knob completely to full position? The engine will run full rpm with a small amount of rotation, but not pull a full load. A year ago, I thought my D-28 was totally underpowered at first. There may have been a break in situation or I may have not been turning the throttle knob all the way. Very possible I wasn't twisting the throttle the full turn at the time. Whichever the case, ample power now. Not crazy extra power, but ample to get the job done.

Interesting that you found the drive pulley's retaining screw to be loose. I found that same screw laying at the bottom of my service cover last spring. Another member on this site also reported the same condition.

Hope this helps.

As for the gas, I don't believe it will matter either, but willing to try it, since others have made comments about it...No, the throttle is in the full position, even lifted the plastic knob off and re-positioned it to make sure it was all the way to full..My tach when engine warms, shows it at 3600 rpms with no load..I was surprised to find that pulley nut wasn't snug too...Will check it at every service in the off season, maybe others should too....BTW, when new out of the box, I did find the auger brake wasn't disengaging from the auger pulley,, had to make adjustments to the curved brake bar... Found that a bit odd, fresh from the factory...

 

[BazookaJoe]

SnowJoe- Any update on your machine? I was just thinking about your engine's rpm drop when you engage the auger. When I engage my D-28's auger, the engine gives a confident bark from the governor system, and then steadies back at the same rpm (as best I can tell by ear).

 

[SNOWJOE]

SnowJoe- Any update on your machine? I was just thinking about your engine's rpm drop when you engage the auger. When I engage my D-28's auger, the engine gives a confident bark from the governor system, and then steadies back at the same rpm (as best I can tell by ear).

No update until it snows again, I hope....Yes, my Mtd use to throw it into a higher rpm also, almost sounding like a truck down shifting for more power....So if and when it snows, and the 91 octane doesn't show any improvement , I'll look at the governor setting. BTW, what is your engine size on your D-28??

 

[BazookaJoe]

BTW, what is your engine size on your D-28??

I have the same size engine as your machine- 254cc rated at 12.5 ft-lbs. I think most parts are the same on our machines except for the D-28's wider bucket. Back at your original post- that thick heavy snow can be a total power killer. Your old MTD was probably a louder machine, so there can be the perception that more noise equals greater power. And remember that your D-24 will throw snow further than your MTD, so that increased throw distance is going to sap a little power.

 

[SNOWJOE]

I have the same size engine as your machine- 254cc rated at 12.5 ft-lbs. I think most parts are the same on our machines except for the D-28's wider bucket. Back at your original post- that thick heavy snow can be a total power killer. Your old MTD was probably a louder machine, so there can be the perception that more noise equals greater power. And remember that your D-24 will throw snow further than your MTD, so that increased throw distance is going to sap a little power.

Yes it does throw farther, but at 9 inches of dry stuff, shouldn't be a drag for 8HP...Will have to see at the next snow...One step at a time...Could be needs more break in time also....Only have 6hrs or so run in time on her total..

 

[WIHD]

Initially had a 28" with the 254...it was constantly lugging, couldn't get the work done. Got rid of it and got a 414, it throws snow into orbit.

 

[SNOWJOE]

Added a weight bar I made..Weighs about 11lbs..Cost me about $35 with SS bolts and the shipping..Not painted . Sprayed it with corrosion oil stop..One problem,, NO SNOW...