There are only a few circumstances requiring a snowblower electric starter repair. In this article, we’ll discuss those situations and some possible fixes.
Tools Needed (Commissions Earned)
Stripped Starter Gear
This is the most common repair done on a snowblower electric starter. Most snowblower manufacturers use plastic starter gears these days.
Unfortunately, if the flywheel is stuck for whatever reason, the plastic starter gear will quickly be destroyed.
This can also happen if the starter gear is stuck in the “on” position.
A worm gear from the starter motor directs the starter gear upwards to activate the flywheel.
In normal operation, the flywheel engages, there’s engine ignition, and the starter motor is no longer required.
You stop cranking the starter, and when it shuts off, the plastic starter gear drops back down. If something is preventing this from happening, the gear can get chewed up.
Snowblower Electric Starter Repair – Starter Gear
In order to do this repair, it’s easiest if you can remove the starter from the machine.
Simply remove the nuts for the electrical wires. There should be a positive post and a wire that grounds out on the cylinder block.
Some machines have terminal plugs which can be removed. If so, just unplug the terminals.
With all of the electrical connections removed, simply remove the starter mounting bolts and the starter should come right off.
At this point, you can remove the starter gear to replace it. Most starter gears are held in place with a roll pin. Take a punch of the same diameter and drive it out.
Then, unthread the gear and replace with a new one. Repeat the steps in reverse to install the starter motor back on the machine.
Internal Starter Motor Failure
Another possible problem with the starter is twofold, but they’re both related to the inner workings of the motor.
If you engage the starter motor and you hear a buzz or a humming sound, then that should tell you that the motor is trying to engage, but something is preventing it from doing so correctly.
In this situation, you’ll want to again remove the starter from the machine using the above steps.
This time, we’ll take it a step further and disassemble the starter.
Snowblower Electric Starter Repair – Brushes and Debris
When there’s a humming sound coming from the starter, it usually indicates that there’s power to it, but something is seized on the motor.
At this point, I’d recommend disassembling and cleaning the internal components.
It could also be that the brushes are worn on the starter. You’d have to reference a diagram on your specific machine in order to determine the location of the brushes.
Some of them have ports that screw out from the exterior of the motor, and those are the simplest to replace. Be careful not to lose the springs that hold the brushes in place.
A number of long bolts (usually four) hold the starter motor together. If you remove them, then the starter motor can be separated and you can have a good look at the windings and commutator.
While you’re in here, take some electrical cleaner and clean out any old debris, dirt, or grease.
On old machines, it’s not uncommon for the shaft to seize to the bushings on either end of the starter motor.
If you can’t separate the starter, or if the shaft doesn’t turn freely, then you can expect a seized bushing.
At this point, you’ll have to do what you have to in order to get the bushing off the shaft (a press is helpful). Once you have removed it, clean both surfaces with a brass wire wheel.
I like to lubricate bushings like these with a light coat of dry lithium grease. Unlike WD-40, the lithium grease is a dry lubricant and it won’t attract dirt.
Now that the starter is clean and lubricated, put it all back together and ensure that the shaft spins freely. Once you’ve confirmed this, go ahead and put it back on the machine.
Seized Armature
Another problem associated with seizing is the armature itself. On a lot of starter motors, the windings along the perimeter of the motor are glued in place.
Over time, this glue can separate, and rust or aluminum corrosion can form behind them. This causes the windings to swell inwards and press on the armature to the point where it cannot spin.
Unfortunately, the odds of repairing this type of damage are minimal.
Theoretically, you can disassemble the motor, remove the windings, clean out the old glue, and reinstall everything and you should be fine.
The problem is that you’re likely to cause catastrophic damage trying to disassemble it. The cause is generally only found after an autopsy on the motor.
Internal Shorts
The last, and most difficult starter motor problem is related to a short in the windings inside the starter.
The windings are essentially uninsulated coils of copper wire. They are wound around the perimeter of the armature (hence the name) to generate the magnetic field.
There should be two sets of windings inside the starter motor. Corrosion or damage can result in a break at any point in these wires.
In this case, the windings will short out and the electrical path will not be continuous. Therefore, the starter cannot fire as the loop is not closed.
If you can remove the windings from casing, then you can begin the arduous task of tracing the windings to find the break.
You might be lucky enough to find it right away on the outside of the winding. If it happens to be on the inside of the winding, good luck.
Simply soldering the winding back together will work, provided that you can isolate the broken location. If you inadvertently solder the entire winding together, then the loop still won’t function correctly.
Snowblower Electric Starter Repair – Starter Wiring
The final common repair for snowblower starter motors is related to the wiring leading to the starter.
As with any other electrical motor, the starter requires a path for electricity to energize it.
This circuit involves a “hot” wire coming from the electrical source (battery or AC power) and a ground wire that grounds out on the cylinder block.
If there is a break in the hot wire, the path will be grounded out prior to the starter motor and no power will be getting to the motor.
With your power source connected, the starter motor should be receiving power. You can connect a multimeter to the hot post on the starter to confirm this.
If you find that there is no power coming in, visually inspect the hot wire leading to the starter.
When you find the break, use some electrical tape to cover it up so it can’t ground out. Even better, cut out the section and re-splice it together with some solder connectors and heat shrink tubing.
Recap
There you have it; the 5 most common snowblower electric starter repairs. This is a general overview, and for more in-depth information regarding your specific machine, I’d recommend studying your parts diagrams and service manuals.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
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