Got my first snowblower

[natenkiki2004]

I've been watching Craigslist like a hawk since people tend to get rid of their snowblowers now that the snow is all gone. I think I nabbed a pretty good deal. Picked up (ha, with the help of 3 other people) a Bolens FMC 524 today for $75. The engine turns and the auger moves as well, new tires, minor sun fading and very little rust in the scoop and thick pads.

Check out the attachments. How did I do? From what I gather, it's an 80's vintage but beyond that, I can't find anything online. Does anybody have a owners manual, parts manual or engine diagram?

I'm not at all familiar with Tecumseh engines. I know this one hasn't run in 5 years (previous owners just didn't use it but they had maintenance done on it). The spark plug looked good, a nice brown color on it and very little residue. I put my finger over the hole and rotated the engine, I didn't feel much compression though, not anywhere near as much as a 2 cycle I've been playing with. I took my finger off and saw a good puff of gasoline vapor. Hopefully this won't be an issue. I've got many months to pop the head cover off and take a look at the valves and piston though.

Any tips with maintenance? I thought of replacing or topping off the gearbox oil but I only see the drain plug. I'll take a look at the belts once I see how to get in there.

 

[Rivets]

You have a project that may payoff if you do the work. First put a couple of squirts of oil in the cylinder and turn the engine over about ten times. No plug in. Squirt some carb cleaner in the cylinder and put the plug back in and start the engine at half throttle. What happens next will tell you and us where to go. I am assuming you checked for spark already.

 

[natenkiki2004]

I figured people were selling similar HP, inch and age for $200-500+ in working condition, $75 seems like a good deal even with some elbow grease

I tried getting spark out of it today but with different combinations couldn't get anything. I turned the key on and tried then disconnected the kill line with the key on and didn't get any spark.

I gave up and turned to the oil, draining out the pure black oil and putting in some spare old 20W-50 I have, rotated the engine a bit and let that drain out to get some crud out. I'll put some 10W-30 in it before I go to run it.

I might have some spare time tomorrow to take another look at it. I might pull the shroud off and see if it has points or CDI and investigate spark that way. I still haven't been able to find a manual for the engine or the blower itself.

 

[Rivets]

Give us the model numbers and I'm sure I can get a manual.

 

[natenkiki2004]

All I have is:

FMC Bolens Model 524 (serial is in the first picture in the OP)
Engine: HS50 670730 SER 91830

This is my first Tecumseh and I'm not at all impressed, especially when comparing to the Briggs I've worked on.

 

[Rivets]

Try these sites for engine manuals or part numbers.
Lawn Mower Parts, Small Engine Parts & Much More! | PartsTree.com - Briggs, MTD, Toro, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Troy-bilt...
http://www.tecumsehpower.com/CustomerService/OperatorManuals/index.php
http://www.smallenginesuppliers.com/html/engine-specs/tecumseh/Tecumseh_quick_reference.pdf

 

[natenkiki2004]

Ah, yes! Your first link tells me it is likely a ignition coil. I've not had luck with them lately but I'll take the shroud off and see if I can get a handle on this wiring and check gaps.

Thanks for the links I'll try to keep this thread up to date but considering I have 7 months to get it running, replies may take a while.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Well I pulled the flywheel shroud off and was able to get the head off as well. I saw a thick coating of carbon so I took a wire brush and got the caked stuff off. After I cleaned the piston, I noticed some holes appeared that seemed to get a tiny bit larger with a bit more wire brush action. I tried searching online and couldn't find holes quite like it. The thing that gets me is that the biggest hole is on the opposite side of the spark plug. From research, detonation occurs closest to the spark plug.

I also took pictures of the cylinder wall, it felt pretty smooth all around. Any thoughts on how it looks? Do I have to get a new piston?

 

[Rivets]

Sorry I have not gotten back to you, had something's that needed attention. Try pushing the piston in all directions. If there is very little movement the piston and rings should be good. Those small holes you are talking about don't concern me at all. Normal wear. What number is on that Champion plug, doesn't look right, but could be just wear.

 

[natenkiki2004]

No problem on time, I have 7 months before I need this running

I put the piston at TDC and tried to wiggle it in the cylinder, I couldn't move it. But, there was a slight coat of oil between the piston and cylinder that seemed to have a reflection that was ever so slightly displaced/moved when I pushed hard on the piston.

It seems like the valves move at the appropriate time so I just need to see why I'm not getting spark. Is it common for these coils to go bad? I know this unit was left outside a while. The flywheel and inside of the shroud is completely rusted, I'll probably paint them before assembling again.

*EDIT*
I believe the plug is right. J8C or something. I'll double check tomorrow.