Solved! Craftsman Snowblower Will Not Start | How to troubleshoot.

There is no worse feeling than getting a large snowfall, going out to start your Craftsman snowblower and it will not start. In this guide on why a Craftsman snowblower will not start and how to troubleshoot, I will show you the most common issues that craftsmans snow blowers have and the steps you must take to diagnose why your snowblower won’t start and how to fix it.

I have been working on and repairing small engines on my own and for others for over 20 years. I also interviewed multiple repair shops on what is the most common issues they find with snowblowers that will not start.

How to troubleshoot a craftsman snowblower that Won't start

Troubleshooting a snow blower small engine that won’t start does not have to be hard. There is a step by step process to ensure that you are not missing something easy and it is just a quick fix.

What does a craftsman snowblower need to start?

All snow blower small engines need the exact same thing to start. They need gas, spark and compression. If you are missing any of these your snowblower will not start. All troubleshooting comes down to figuring which one of these components is the cause why your snowblower is not starting.

what you should check when your snowblower will not start to Verify that you are using the correct starting procedure for your model of craftsman Snowblower.

You should familiarize yourself with the owner’s manual for your model of snow blower. Every Craftsman snowblower has a unique procedure for starting it. The fuel shut off valve needs to be open, the choke needs to be in the correct position, the key needs to be set to run, and you may need to prime it so many time before you attempt to start it.

If you have attempted to start it with the wrong procedure you may have flooded the engine and you will have to let it sit for a while before you can try again.

If your craftsman snowblower still does not start follow the process below.

Step 1. Try to start your snowblower:

Does your snowblower attempt to start, this simply means that when you turn the key or pull the cord, does it spit and sputter and finally just not start or is does it not make any noise at all.

If when you turn the key or push the button and your snowblower does nothing and makes no noise the very first thing to verify is that you have the machine on and the safety switch set to the run position. Next you need to check to see if you have power to your starter switch and from switch to to the starter. If you do not have any power in any of these places you need to either replace your power source or the switch.

If you have power to the starter but your starter will not turn on then you have a bad starter and need to replace your starter.

The other reason your motor may not turn over is if you hit something or the snowblower stopped suddenly it is usually because the flywheel key sheared off to prevent damage to the engine on your snowblower.

One more thing to check is your recoil starter, can you pull it out and is there any resistance. If there is resistance it means your engine has compression and you can try some of the trouble shooting listed below. If when you pull on the recoil starter and there is no resistance it means you have no compression and the engine it self is damaged.

If you mower attempts to start but cannot it is time to move onto the other steps.

Step 2. Replace all the fuel in your fuel tank and drain the carburetor. (most common solution)

Bad fuel or no fuel is the number one reason that snowblowers will not start after sitting for an extended period of time. This is the main reason why you should use a quality fuel stabilizer in your fuel tank when storing gas. The ethanol in the gas goes bad and can clog up your carburetor and fuel lines. You should never store your snowblower with gas in it for an extended period of time like over the summer.

To drain you carburetor follow your fuel line from the gas tank to the carburetor and unhook from there. Place a container under the hose to collect all the gas that will come out. Dispose of the gas in a safe manner.

Once you have all the gas drained out go ahead and replace with fresh gas. You will have to attempt to start the snow blower for at least a minute for the fuel pump to prime and to get gas back into the carburetor.

Step 3. Clean your craftsman snow blower carburetor (second most common solution)

If your craftsman snow blower will still not start with fresh gas you will need to clean your carburetor. A dirty carburetor is the second most common reason why a snow blower will not start after sitting. This is caused by the ethanol clogging up the jets and parts in the carburetor and causing the gasket to start to disintegrate.

To clean your carburetor you will need to unbolt it from the motor to get at the fuel jets and gaskets.

Steps to removing and cleaning your craftsman carburetor

Step one. Drain the fuel from tank: If you are going to clean your carburetor you should start with fresh gas and the best way to do this is drain all the old fuel from the tank.

Step two. Remove the carburetor cover. On some models there is a cover for your air filter covering up the carburetor, remove this cover to access the carburetor.

Step Three. Remove the bowl. You will need a socket to remove the bowel from the bottom of the carburetor. This is where fuel will collect and you should inspect it to see if there is any dirt in it.

Step Four. Spray out the carburetor with carb cleaner: Use a good quality carb cleaner to get at all the places within the carburetor. Using the straw that comes with the cleaner make sure you get in the all the jets and crevices where dirt could collect. You should spray carburetor cleaner and do this a couple of times to ensure you get all the ethanol deposits off of the carburetor.

Step five. Inspect all the gaskets: Inspect all the gaskets specifically the rubber ones inside the carburetor. Do they appear to be disintegrating at all. All gaskets need to be air tight or they will not work as designed and your carburetor will not use the fuel efficiently.

Once you have your carburetor cleaned put it back together and see if that will solve the problem.

Step 4. Replace the spark plug.

A bad spark plug that is damaged can cause your snow blower not to start. While this is not a common issue it can happen if your snowblower is stored outside or it overheated causing the porcelain to crack or the electrode to not have a good connection.

Step 5. Replace the air filter

A bad air filter will not cause your snowblower to not start. It may cause it to run rough once it is started but will not prevent it from starting. The easiest way to test if you need a new air filter is to remove it, put the cover back on and see if that improves the performance of your snowblower. If it doesn’t then you know that was not the issue.

Snowblower trouble shooting video

If you are still struggling to get your craftsman snowblower to start this video may help.

Step 5. Inspect Broken Craftsman Snowblower flywheel key.

If you hit something and your engine stopped suddenly you may have broken the flywheel key. The flywheel key is a small metal piece which fits into the crankshaft and engages the flywheel. The flywheel key will break in half to prevent damage to the motor if you hit something or the auger stops suddenly. To determine if the flywheel is broken, remove the flywheel from the engine, and inspect the flywheel key.

Step 6. Test Graftsman Ignition Coil

If you do not have spark for your snowblower you may have a bad ignition coil. The ignition coil sends voltage to the spark plug while the engine is running. Before replacing the coil make sure that the spark plug is working properly. You will need a spark tester to ensure that there is spark from your sparkplug.

Step 7. Bad electric starter

You will need to use a multimeter to test your electric starter, If you turn the key or press the button and nothing happens you may have a bad switch. Verify with you electric meter whether or not you have voltage going to your starter.

My craftsman snowblower starts then dies, whats wrong with it?

The most common reason your craftsman snowblower will start and then not stay running is fuel and carburetor related. Either you have bad fuel in your tank and carburetor or your carburetor is dirty and not letting enough fuel through to keep the engine running.

Your carburetor may also need to be adjusted if it is an older model.

The steps to troubleshooting this are to replace all the old gas with fresh gas, clean the carburetor and replace the gaskets in the carburetor.

Craftsman snowblower wont start no spark.

If your craftsman snowblower does not have a spark it is usually because of two things. A bad ignition coil or a bad spark plug. You can check the ignition coil using a multimeter and you can check the spark plug using a spark plug tester.

Craftsman snowblower electric start wont turn over.

If the electric starter on you craftsman snowblower will not turn over it is because of three things. One, your power supply is bad, two your starter switch is bad, three you have a bad started.

To test you power supply verify that you have power coming out of the end of your cord to your snowblower.

To test your switch or key you will need a multimeter. Connect your multimeter to electrical tips on the switch and when you press it or turn the key you should get some type of voltage.

If you have voltage to your starter but it still wont turn over, you have a bad starter and it will need to be replaced.

Craftsman snowblower Carburetor adjustment.

If you craftsman snow blower is running rough or will not start you may need to adjust the carburetor. To adjust the carburetor on your craftsman snowblower you may need to remove the cover over it.

Step 1. Close the high speed adjusting screw by hand

Closing the high speed screw by hand will ensure that you do not overtighten. Once you have it tight, open it by 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 turns.

Step 2. Close the idle adjusting screw by hand

Once you have the idle adjusting screw all the way closed open it by 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 turns

Step 3. Start the engine and allow it to warm up.

One of the most common mistakes is adjusting the carburetor on a cold engine, by adjusting when the engine is at operating temperature you can make sure it runs right under load.

Step 4. Set the throttle control to fast

With the throttle control set to fast adjust the high speed screw in and out until the engine runs smoothly at full throttle. If the engine stall at high speed, open the high speed adjusting screw slightly to obtain a richer fuel/air mixture.

Step 5. Set the throttle control to slow

With the throttle control set to slow adjust the low idle screw in and out by hand until the engine runs smoothly at low idle.

Step 6. Allow the engine to run for a few minutes between each setting to see how the engine reacts.

Craftsman snowblower wont start after sitting.

If you craftsman snowblower will not start after sitting it usually due to bad fuel and dirty carburetor. Replacing the fuel and cleaning the carburetor will fix the issue 90% of the time.

How to start a flooded craftsman snowblower.

There are two ways to start a flooded craftsman snowblower. One, you can let it sit for a while. This will cause the fuel to drain away from the sparkplug and it will start eventually. Two, remove the sparkplug and try staring the machine. This should only be used in worst case scenarios when you don’t have time to let it sit.

conclusion to why your craftsman snowblower will not start

I hope you have found the solution to why your craftsman snowblower will not start. If you found this helpful leave a comment below.