Hi Jerry, 10 years ago we switched to 208cc because the old 179cc engines didn’t have enough power. Today the better 24-inch snowblowers have a 250cc engine and one even has a 369cc!

My first choice for you is the Ariens Deluxe 24. It has a lot more power than your Classic (or SnoTech?) and also handles heavy, wet snow without clogging. It will throw most snow twice as far as the Classic.

Hi Mike, Carb parts for new small engines are not available because the government won’t let us rebuild carbs anymore. I’m actually surprised they don’t require tamper-proof screws so we can’t tear them apart. So, you have to keep your storage containers clean and use a fuel stabilizer or SeaFoam when you store your snowblower.
Did you check the oil in the snowblower before you used it? Since BOTH engines had the same problem my first guess is they were overfilled. I’ve seen engines from the big box stores that have been overfilled because the kid at the store couldn’t see the new oil on the dipstick. The 254cc engine only uses 20 oz of oil and comes from the factory with the proper amount. If you pour a full quart into that engine it will blow oil out the main seal.

Hi Wilson, You didn’t tell me which snowblower you purchased. Various Ariens have different ways to mount the wheels.

Ariens Classic or Compact. There are pins in the axle on the outside of the wheel. The pin goes through the hole in the wheel and through the hole in the axle. If the pin just goes through just the axle that’s why there is no power. Read your operator’s manual for more info.

Ariens Deluxe/Platinum/Pro – Did you happen to take the right wheel off? If you did the woodruff key fell out of the axle.

Hi Steve, Try here. http://www.lctllc.com/service_parts_catalog/.

Hi Bob, Just two questions. Was there gas in it that whole time? If there was – was the fuel shutoff closed? If that is true please remove the sparkplug. Does it turn over now? If it does – with the fuel shut off still turned off pull the starter rope until the gas is out of the cylinder. Also, change the oil. Gas may have seeped around the piston rings and gotten into the oil. Check your manual but I think it takes 17-22 oz of 5W30 synthetic.

If that does not fix the lock bring it back to the dealer and have them check it out.

If Joe got a lemon (November 12, 2019), I must have gotten a double lemon. Bought a Compact 24 (#920027) on November 6, 2019. It sat in my garage until today (1/18/2020). There was a decent snowfall overnight. When I went to start my brand-new Ariens it refused to turn over! This was the first time the machine was ever used.

Ariens must really be starting to slip.