Snowblower And Impeller Problem ? Or,...?

Hi,

My son has a 6 yr old typical Ariens 2-stage snowblower.

He doesn't live in my area, but I am hoping to help him out diagnosing
a problem that has developed.

Starts right up, and engine runs normally.
Auger turns as it should.

But, as soon as he moves it any amount, the chute just clogs right up.
He clears the chute, moves it again, and again an immediate clog..

Snow has been reasonably dry, so not what you would expect, e.g., with really wet snow.

Almost sounds to me that the "high-speed" Impeller is not turning as it normally should, due to perhaps becoming disconnected from the shaft that turns it (and apparently the auger, via the gearbox), and the auger is just pushing the snow into the chute where it is not being pushed out by the Impeller, and clogs right up.

What do you think ? Other possibilities ?

Is this something that is a common problem in 6 yr old machines ?
Easy to fix ?

Thanks, and Happy New Years',
Bob

 

Assuming the belt has proper tension, he needs to find if the impeller has a shear pin/bolt and see if it's sheared. Also make certain engine is running at rated RPM.
Mike

 

Impeller shear pin is the first thing to look at. After 6 years you need to replace the impeller drive belt Finally, have a look at the inside of the discharge chute. They will rust after 6 years and cause a lot of drag on the snow traveling thru them. Remove it from the machine, sand it smooth and paint it with any high quality spray paint. (Sherwin Williams rust stop for instance.) Let that dry for 48 hours then spray on a light coat of silicon spray. Should be good for 2 years or so.

 

Also be shure to run the machine at or near full RPM so it dosen't get overwellmed.
Sid

 

Hi Folks,

Thanks for help; much appreciated.
The Snowblower is a 24" Ariens 7524E (6 yrs old)

Some clarifications, please:

a. I thought that the Impeller is connected to the shaft (the one that goes to the Auger Gearbox) by just 2 Roll Pins. Looking at the exploded view, it does Not look like their are any Shear Pins; just the 2 Roll Pins.

Are there Shear Pins (also ?) for the Impeller ? Where ?

b. The Auger seems to turn just fine. Can I assume therefore that there is no belt that (might) require replacement, as this shaft to the Auger is the one that turns the Impeller also ?

Thanks again,
Bob

 

When the chute plugs up, does the engine continue to run at speed, or does it bog down?

 

Hi,

Thanks for help.

Chute just clogs up, totally.

Snowblower, engine, auger, etc. all work normally.

Bob

 

The impeller is mounted on the shaft that turns the auger thru its gear box. There is a belt located under a cover just in front of the engine and behind the impeller housing. After 6 years this belt tends to stretch and the sides tend to glaze. It is not expensive or hard to replace. The roll pins will act as shear pins. As Sidny mentions above, If the machine bogs down or stalls when the problem occurs, the impeller pins are likely not sheared and the belt is probably the problem.

The only sure way to tell if they are sheared is as follows.

1. Shut off the engine.
2. Turn off the fuel.
3. Remove the key if there is one.
4 Remove the spark plug wire.
5. Remove the spark plug.
6. Engage the blower, auger, attachment (whatever it's called on your machine) clutch.
7. Use a broom handle to reach into the discharge chute and try to turn the impeller.

If the impeller will turn freely on the shaft with out turning it, the pins are sheared. They're cheap but you'll find lining up the holes and installing the pins will be are real challenge. Leave everything disconnected untill you get the job done. If you're not mechanically inclined, I'd take it to your local shop.

 

The impeller AKA blower/fan doesn't use shear pins on most machines.
It is welded on the main shaft. Only the two augers use shear pins.

It's important for the inside of the housing to be clean and smooth. The snow gets caught on the rust.
May involve taking machine apart, sanding and repainting the inside of the chute and blower housing.
A shot of silicone spray will help before a use also.

 

Could you post the model number of the machine?

 

Hi,

It's an Ariens.

Model Number is: 7524E

Bob

 

I looked up your machine on the Co website, and I can't tell by the schematic if the pulley that drives the blower fan has a key or roll pin. It might have only one or two set screws. In any case try to determin if that pully is secured to the shaft that it is on. You can leave the cover off, and find some snow, and load it up and look at it or have someone observe it to see if the pulley, and the shaft move together or not, and go from there. Or with the engine off put a sturdy stick in the blower chute, and try to move the pulley by hand.
Sid

 

Lots of diagnosing going on here in including my own.
Getting back to basics... If you drive it into some snow and get, maybe, a short squirt of snow out the chute and, then, it immediately plugs up, then you've got an impeller that has become disconnected from the shaft indicating the roll pins have sheared and have to be replaced. The only other long shot is, if the augers stop turning when the chute plugs, the auger drive pulley has become disconnected from the shaft. I can't tell from the parts diagram, how its attached to the shaft. (Appears to be a 5/16" bolt)
Here's the link to the parts diagrams. Click on "select assembly" and the diagram will show up.

Jacks Small Engine Parts Help Page

Let us know when you get it fixed and tell us what the problem was.