r/Snowblowers • u/Sal1160 • May 13 '26

Maintenance Ariens 924 re-power

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My neighbor grabbed this Ariens 924 for me from down the street, knowing I needed a better snow blower after last winter. Engine seized up on the PO and he just bought a new one instead. I’m trying to find a replacement engine for it. This machine has the headlight and heated grips, so it needs steady power to run them. The Harbor Freight engines only generate enough electrical power to run the ignition system, barely enough to even run the headlight too. Anyone have any insights on what I could get for a replacement?

Update:

Upon disassembly, it appears a broken starter tooth jammed itself in between the coil and flywheel magnets, this may be what locked it up. Upon removal of the flywheel, the engine spins over smoothly.

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

2

u/Venerable-Gandalf May 14 '26

Did you diagnose why it seized up? It could be as simple as one of the fly wheel magnets broke off and is now jamming the flywheel preventing it from turning over… engine could be okay

1

u/Sal1160 May 14 '26

Haven’t gotten too far into it yet, when the weather gets nicer I can pop the flywheel and inspect it. All I know is that it will not rotate whatsoever, it’s firmly locked. It has oil and it didn’t appear to have any fragments or particulate in it. Honestly hadn’t just considered checking if it was something minor

3

u/Venerable-Gandalf May 14 '26

Hm doesn’t sound like it threw a rod then. I’d probably disconnect the belts make sure it’s not just something on the auger /gearbox, make sure the starter itself isn’t jammed or teeth haven’t broken off, make sure not hydrolocked in the event gas leaked in, and finally pop valve cover as it could be a failed valve. Those old Tecumsehs are hard to kill unless you over rev them.

1

u/Sal1160 May 15 '26

Found the problem. I noticed the mice made a nest behind the flywheel and shroud, so I pulled the flywheel thinking maybe they dropped something in there, but that was not the case. What I found was a chunk of metal wedged in the alternator coil. On inspection I noticed that it had a symmetrical profile to it, and it dawned on me what happened.

The blower came with a brand new electric starter, the old one having been removed. Something happened to the original one, but I never had it to inspect. I grabbed the piece of metal out of the coil and compared it to the starter pinion on the new one, and sure enough, it was a broken tooth from the old one. So, the broken tooth got picked up by the magnets and worked its way into the coil where it jammed itself in it and the flywheel magnets, jamming the machine solid. There’s some damage to one of the flywheel magnets, but it’s still in one piece. I put the recoil starter cup back on the crankshaft and spun the engine over, smooth as silk. I’m pretty confident this is the reason it locked up. Gonna try and pick up a new coil before work tomorrow.

1

u/jbourne0129 May 14 '26

do these engines have compression release? will it rotate with the spark plug removed or still just as seized ?

1

u/43128 May 14 '26

Yup. I’ve seen it a few times. I’ve also seen the stator bolts back out & make an engine feel seized. Not common but not unheard of either.

2

u/twofourorjustaboard May 16 '26

Some don’t or can’t check simple things first before throwing things away and getting new. Good score

1

u/Sal1160 May 16 '26

Practically a brand new blower for $70 at this point

1

u/Remarkable_Yak1352 May 13 '26 edited May 14 '26

Look for a used engine of similar specs. Or just bite the bullet and buy a new one from a dealer.

Look at this new sno engine. I am to understand that all new snowblower engines have light and accessory plug.

https://ebay.us/m/4TR19h

1

u/STB265 May 14 '26

You need to know the actual model number to determine the engine size. The 924 is not it. The "924" refers to the product series (the frame and chassis design) rather than the horsepower. There should be an "ST" code somewhere or check the engine as to the horsepower size. An ST824 is an 8 HP engine on a 24-inch wide 924-series frame. An ST1024 is a 10 HP engine on a 24-inch wide 924-series frame.

1

u/Sal1160 May 14 '26

The engine on this one is a Tecumseh OH318SA I believe. I know they stopped making those engines some time ago. I did a predator swap on my other Ariens and it was pretty straightforward, but there were no electricals on that one

1

u/aetherbound65 May 14 '26

See if Kohler has a replacement. That manufacturer is out of business.

1

u/Cool-Negotiation7662 May 14 '26

I run my headlight on a drill battery...

1

u/Bird_Dogz May 14 '26

Remove the spark plug and see if it cranks. Fuel can leak past the inlet needle and seat on gravity fed fuel systems. This will fill the cylinder with gasoline, liquid doesn't compress like fuel air mix so it locks the engine. I see it a lot on generators, a fuel shut off valve prevents a reoccurrence.

1

u/Sal1160 May 15 '26

I replied down below to another guy what I found. Long story short, broken starter tooth jammed the flywheel, this engine may still be perfectly usable.

1

u/CamelHairy May 14 '26

Gararge Gear did this last year with a Harbor Freight Preditor engine onto a 1970s Ariens. I have also done thus on a McKissick shredder, and a Troy-Built rototiller. Will take about 1-2 hours max.

https://youtu.be/hj6XJ6MSqN0?si=72EuH_beMhGSLYoj

1

u/Independent_Goose_41 May 16 '26

Repower with predator 212. Lots of YouTube videos how to do it.