I just acquired an Ariens 5hp snowthrower (ST524) and having what appears to be air/fuel mixture problems. Starting with an engine that would not start, I confirmed spark and gas ... then moved on to basic carb disassembly and cleaning (nothing too invasive, just pulled the carb from the engine, removed the bowl, both mixture screws, and needle followed by spraying down with carb cleaner - no obvious blockages), followed by reseting the idle mixture and high speed mixture screws to 1.5 turns from being seated. Now the engine will start, but only with the choke almost fully closed. I have tried unsuccessfully to slowly tweak both carb adjustments and although I can it run at part choke, it quickly dies when the choke is fully open. As someone who has worked on cars since my teens including full engine rebuilds, this is driving me nuts! Any help or suggestions on getting this diagnosed would be greatly appreciated. The carb is a Tecumseh float version with 3 adjustment screws (idle speed, idle mixture, and high speed mixture). Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

My Briggs & Stratton 16.5 engine on my 29 month old MTD mower is giving me serious problems with occasional knocking and hard starting. Their warranty is for two years but when I wrote an email to them the answer indicated that I may be covered but the local dealer says “no way”. I am wondering just what, if any, recourse I have to get some kind of warranty on the repair of this engine and also wondering what kind of reputation B&S has. I have been a Gravely owner all my life and have never before had any serious engine problems like this. Thanks in advance. Jvp in Canton, Ohio