8 hp snowblower won't start

Hi Everyone. I have a yard machine snowblower with a 8 hp Tecumseh engine. I've replaced the carburetor and it ran fine for a tank of gas put in fresh gas and now it won't start. I've been told it needs a valve job. Any help is appreciated

 

You may have flooded it. Remove the spark plug, look at it & smell it. If you smell gas, then the cylinder is probably gas washed. Squirt a few drops of oil down the cylinder & pull the cord a few times without priming it. Install a new spark plug. Make sure that you set the choke correctly & don't over prime it. Otherwise, those things flood is seconds.

 

How old is it?
Who told you it needs a valve job, and why?
Last thing I'd be doing is squirting oil in the cylinders. Sure way to foul up the plug.
Has it been smoking? Low compression?
Low use gas powered equipment are always trouble.
Always using nonethanol fuel or at least adding an additive to counter act the effects of it, "a fuel stabilizer does nothing" never running old fuel, when done using it shut off the fuel (no shut off, add one) and let it run out of fuel when shutting it down.
When's the last time you removed and flushed out the gas tank?
Tried removing the intake cover and using some starting fluid?

 

That's how you get the compression back. After you squirt the oil in the cylinder, you pull the cord a few times before you install a new plug. You can use an old plug, if you use any at all. How else do you get the compression back on a gas washed cylinder? I've been doing it for 45 years.

 

Was the engine doing anything odd when it was running? Was it difficult to start when it was running? Compression and valve problems tend to come on very gradually over a long period of time or "bang" and you definitely know that something broke. There is not much middle ground. So, if the engine started and ran OK we can probably assume your valves and compression are good for now. That leaves us with spark and fuel.

Remove the spark plug and connect the wire to it. Hold the threads of the plug agains bare metal of the engine and try starting it. Look at the tip of the plug for it to spark. If you see a spark then the problem is probably fuel (carburetor). While you have the plug out you can give it a cleaning. Plugs very rarely die and actually need replacing so a cleaning can bring them back into top shape.

Check the oil level of the engine. It it higher than it should be? If so it indicates a flooding problem of the carburetor. The oil should be changed and the needle/float valve in the bowl of the carburetor should be checked for sticking of a float that's full of fuel and no longer floats.

If the oil level was OK and you don't think the engine is flooding try removing the spark plug and put a half teaspoon of gas in the cylinder. Re-install the plug and try starting the engine. If it coughs, sputters or briefly runs then you might have a clogged jet or orifice in the carburetor.