Re: Snowblower ys828 won't start

Sorry if this seems obvious or too simple, but these are the two things that have caused my YS828 not to start (or not to stay running) once in a while:

1.) Actually, I had this problem on my YS828 just last week, and I've had this problem on other power equipment too (other snowblowers, lawn mowers, etc.)...  The gas cap typically has a breather function designed into it that allows air in but doesn't let gas spatter out.  All it takes is a little dust (like what would settle on it from the end of one winter to the start of the next) to get into the little air hole in the top center of the gas cap and it can plug it shut.  Without letting air in through the cap an engine will do exactly what you said yours is doing - you can start it but it will only run for a little while.  Once sufficient vacuum is pulled inside the gas tank (because the cap isn't allowing air in while gas is leaving the tank) then it begins to starve the engine and it eventually dies.  Depending on how tightly your cap seals and depending on how completely your cap is plugged your blower may run for a longer or shorter amount of time.  Quick test of course is to ensure you have gas in the tank and then start it and let it run for a while without the cap on.  It's a little messy spattering gas out of the top, but if it stays running you found your culprit.  And it takes all of 2 minutes to clean the crap out of that little breather hole - so no big deal there.  Just be careful that you gently "dig" the dust/debris OUT of the hole rather than shoving it deeper down into the cap.  And don't push hard into the hole (with the wire or jeweler's screwdriver or whatever you end up using) or you'll damage the inside of the cap that provides the breathing function.

2.) This is less likely I think since you had it running fine in prior seasons (it sounds like).  But the only other time I had trouble keeping my YS828 running was when I accidentally bought and tried to use the wrong spark plugs.  Jeesh did I waste a lot of time looking for a problem that wasn't there with that little move.  Once I got pissed and bought new plugs from a reliable source (i.e. so I knew they were the right plugs for my machine) it then started in no more than 3 pulls (sometimes on the 1st pull!) and stays running without any hint of trouble whatsoever.

Hope one of these helps!