Tecumseh electric starter for snow blower fixable

[jwales]

I thought this would maybe be a better location than the technical forum.... I have seen two snow blowers already this year, and several in the past in which the electric starts do not work. These are the type that the plug-in/switch sets on top of the engine and you use an extension cord. The recoil works fine so they have not been interested in repairing. I have only offered to get the unit running (primarily fuel/carb issues) as I do not have a good understanding of electrical items.

Has anyone (tried to) repaired these units? They are fairly easy to remove and get on the work bench. Is there a common issue with these? Are they fixable? (ie., are parts reasonable/available).
I have not opened one up yet but plan to do so the next time I see one to explore.

[RoyM]

There are no service parts, if they are disassembled they lose UL approval.

[bgsengine]

Yup - what RoyM said - not to mention liability , you realize you are messing with 120VAC household current there, just one screwup (missing a ground connection, short, etc) and you electrocute a customer.. so, not a good idea to try and mess with them.

[KE4AVB]

As advised don't attempt the repair.

I see a couple problems other the liability issues. One is that as you said you have limited electrical knowledge and second even if the item is repairable getting the parts can be very hard to do as some are custom made for a particular application and they are not freely available on the open market.

It like the wiring harnesses that I deal with. Most are repairable but sourcing the parts can be problematic unless you know which manufacture is involved and the style of terminals and housings.

Now of course I spent 2 yrs in training to work with electrical systems and have to read up on some items as things change over time. Even the wiring codes changes. When I first started there was no such thing as ground fault detectors. Now they are a common item in wet areas.

[jwales]

Thank you for your advice. Well Taken!!

More to add to the scrap metal pile.