It’s a fresh blanket of snow out there, and you’ve got your Cub Cadet snow blower ready to go. But when you pull on the starter rope, confident it’ll come alive like always, it instead coughs and stops. Now what?
Is it done for the year? The disappointment stings, but it doesn’t have to mean it’s broken beyond repair. Most of us will find that our starting problems stem from little mistake that multiply fast in the cold weather.
Snow blowers works under brutal circumstances, and a cold engine runs more differrent than a warm one. Where do we begin to diagnose why yours won’t start up? Start by reviewing the basics, then understand the fix.
It is probably inexpensive and easy, and it is probably something you can tackle yourself. The most common reason is stale fuel. In 30 days, gasoline will start breaking down, and gum up carburetor jets.
Common Reasons Your Snow Blower Won’t Start
Stale Fuel and Carburetor Issues
If you had gas in your Cub Cadet this past summer, chances are you have a sticky syrup on your hands. That choke the carburetor, starving the engine. Simply drain out the old fuel, fill with new and use the proper amount of oil to fuel.
Use a stabilizer if storing again. Most no-start case can be solved by taking this step. Next check the spark plug.
Spark Plug Maintenance
This little part do a lot of work. When the plug’s electrode wears down or gets dirty from carbon deposits, it can’t make a good enough spark to fire up the fuel mix. Pull out the plug and compare it to a new, clean one.
Is there too much wear? Are there dark deposits? Changing out a plug that needs replacing is cheap insurance in reliability and will help you start easy while running smoothly.
If you’re on an electric start machine, the other likely culprit would be batteries. A cold battery have greatly reduced capacity. The battery may have tested fine in the fall but a hard freeze will also sap life out of your battery overnight.
Battery Problems in Cold Weather
Use a multimeter and check voltage. If it’s less than twelve volts, charge your battery completely or attempt to jump-start your snow blower. In some cases, even though the lights work, the battery may be too weak to crank the engine quick enough for starting.
How about safety interlocks? Newer Cub Cadets features a safety interlock system. The machine will not start unless the auger control is set to neutral and the discharge chute is free of obstruction.
Safety Interlock System Checks
The switch stay open when the chute is full of packed snow. Thoroughly clear the chute. Make sure all handles is locked into their safety positions.
These systems are in place for your protection, but can be tricky when ice build up within the switches. Check your engine oil. If there is not enough oil, the engine will not start for safety reasons because the low-oil sensor will stop you.
Engine Oil and Air Filter
Top up if necessary; use the dipstick to check quality and level. And think about air filter. Air restriction results in too much fuel that won’t light.
If the filter appears dirty, tap it lightly to remove any loose crud and replace it, or simply replace it. Good air flow is every bit as critical than good fuel. Respect winter equipment.
These are typical problems that can have you fixing your machine instead of your driveway. Have a battery charger, some fuel stabilizer and a box of new plug handy. When the snow flies next, you’ll be prepared and the sound of doing something would of break the silence.