MTD Snowblower Stalls and Chokes Off

Troubleshooting a Cold Start

• Find the choke knob on your MTD snowblower. The location of this choke knob will vary according to the specific MTD snowblower you have, but the lever will be found on the front of the engine, generally in the area above where you insert the ignition key. Ensure the choke knob is on the "Full" or "On" selection if you are attempting to do a cold start with your snowblower. A cold start occurs when you start a machine that has not ran recently and the engine is completely cold. Once the snowblower starts and engine sputtering ceases, move the choke knob to the "Off" position.

Draining the Carburetor

• Find the carburetor on the MTD snowblower if the machine still stalls and fails to run properly. Find the distinctive, rounded carburetor bowl about halfway up the left side of the engine. Place a pan under this bowl. Loosen the nut on the bottom of the snowblower's carburetor bowl using a socket wrench. Remove the nut and wait as any fluid drains out into the pan.

Cleaning the Carburetor

• Twist off the now loose MTD carburetor bowl using your hands. Clean out the inside of the bowl using a cloth and carburetor cleaning solution. Drop the removed carburetor nut into a dish of carburetor cleaning solution and scrub it with a wire brush.

Carburetor Reassembly

• Twist the carburetor bowl back into place and use the wrench to tighten the nut back into place.