I have a Ariens 5hp snowblower and it doesn't start now.
I have noticed that there is no spark when I test the Spark Plug.

I was curious what the normal troubleshooting procedure would be for problem like this.

Are there any continuity tests that can be performed?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Hello lucman2!

Disconnect the kill wire from the coil and see if you have spark. If not, you have a bad coil. If you do have spark, you have a short in the kill wire circuit. This is assuming you have solid state ignition. If you have an old model with points, you might want to service them.

Let us know what you find!

 

This snowblower is over 20 years old.

I'll go ahead and dis-assemble the snowblower but I'm not really sure(at this point) as to what the kill wire is or even where it is.

Once I open it up, I'll follow the sparkplug cable back to the opposite end and see what I can find out.

Thanks for your help.

 

When you get the blower shroud off, you should be able to tell if you have solid state or points. If the coil is visible without removing the flywheel, and has one small wire attatched to it on a spade terminal, you have solid state ignition. If the coil is under the flywheel, you have points. This is assuming (doing a lot of that, lol) you have a tecumseh engine. Is this assumption right?

 

yes, it is a tecumseh 5hp engine. I'll post my findings.

thanks...

 

I finally got back to this task. I was able to see a spark and I re-assembled the shroud. After many tries...I was able to start it but it runs rough at high idle and stalls at low idle.

What's a good way to clean the suspected clogged jets in the Carb?

Thanks!

 

Use Gumout Spray which you will find at any automotive shop. And use a tiny brush with soft brissles, combine that with the use of a small tiny needle to poke through the tiny holes in the jets. Remember clean every nook and crany inside that carb. There are spots you can miss if you don't do a therough job. For instance, the needle valve seat. After you get done cleaning it, let us know how it goes.