Rotate the impeller slowly until the hole lines up with the hole in the shaft. I f the hole is plugged drive out the broken piece with a hammer and a small punch. Install the new shear pin tighten the nut on using two 7//16 wrenches and ta da. You should have spares and know how to change them. If you take it to a shop be prepared to wait in line.

Thank you for your response Canada Guy. But you may be thinking of the auger shear pins, those are right out in front of the auger housing, and easily accessible. My problem is with the impeller, which is attached to the impeller shaft, and sits in the back end if the impeller housing. There are two small, thin (rolled?) pins- not screws- attaching the impeller to the shaft. I've ordered the pins from Sears, but I'm wondering how hard it will be to get those pins in there. There isn't any room to swing a hammer back in the impeller housing. So back to my original question- Will I need to take the auger housing, and gear box apart in order to seperate it from the impeller housing, and then remove the impeller housing in order to get a clear shot at the impeller and impeller shaft? Seems like a lot of intricate work just to re-attach the impeller.

Any advice?

I think the hard part is going to be getting the old piece out of the shaft, not getting the new one in there. You should be able to use a pair of channel-locks to squeeze the new roll pin in there, but you have to get the broken piece out first.

No, I already made sure the shaft holes are clear by dropping a nail through them, I also wanted to make sure the impeller holes lined up with the shaft holes, so I placed a small Allen wrench in there and wiggled it, so I know for sure they're clear.

So you say I should be able to use a pair of channel locks to squeeze the pins in. That makes sense. I'll see what happens when I receieve the new pins.

Thank you for your response and advice!

good advice dewaynep, I normally use a hammer and tap them in.

First, thanks to canguy, dewaynep, and andyma for your contributions/responses. Well, I got my new spring pins , and installed them today. Dewaynep, you were right, the old spring pins were still in the shaft. However, as I was hammering the new pins in, the old (sheared) pins simply fell out the other side of the shaft! Also, as I suspected, there is very little room in the impeller housing to swing a hammer with enough force to get the new pins in. What I ended up doing, was removing the discharge chute assembly (three carriage bolts & nuts), lined up the impeller and impeller shaft holes so I had a clear view of them through the discharge chute hole, and used a breaker bar and my hammer to slam those pins right in. It took about five or six good swings for each pin- in with the new, out with the old. Im back in business!

Thanks again. By the way I also found out this Craftsman (model #536.887990) is the same as an AMF/Murray (model #622505x4A), which is now owned by Briggs & Stratton.

fjs001,

I have the exact same problem - the bolts / pins holding the impeller broke on my 9HP Craftsman. Problem I have, though, is the schematic for the blower from Sears doesn't show those parts at all. Yes - nothing shown holding the impeller in place, so I don't have a part number to order.

Can you let me know the part number you used / what you ordered? Did you order from Sears?

Thanks in advance.

spring pins or roll pins as they are called round here are standard sizes you should be able to get a kit with an assortment at the local hardware or parts store princess auto has a nice kit if there is 1 near you probably buy the whole kit for what you would pay for 2 at sears

Glad I came across this thread. Had exactly the same issue. Both spring pins broke and remained in the shaft. I went to Lowes and picked up new pins and right in the same isle I picked up a couple of 24" steel rods same size and 1 size smaller than the pins. I took the top of the shute off so I could get a good angle and knocked both pieces out using the rods. A little WD-40 helped. New pins went right in and I was able to use the rod to knock them in. Just finished up and wanted to say thanks guys!
Dave

hello!
really glad I found this thread. I have the exact same problem. The impeller stopped working, but the auger still spins and the two shear pins are still in place. I don't see anything on the impeller shaft that looks like a shear pin, but there are two holes and the shear pins that came with the machine (designed for the auger) seem to fit, though I haven't yet been able to line up the impeller holes with the shaft holes to be sure. What I'm wondering is... is it ok to use the auger shear pins in the other shaft? I would think if it fits, it would work and still shear when it's supposed to. But they have these round locking "clips" on them, I'm wondering if they would get in the way. I'm still not entirely sure this is the problem, but it seems like it is. I can pull the impeller up the shaft toward the auger (where it obviously shouldn't be) and it turns freely without the shaft turning.

I downloaded the manual and there are no apparent instructions on replacing these if that is indeed what is meant to go in those holes. It seems perfectly logical to me. And I can't find any reference to those pins in any of the detailed exploded diagrams. I'm going to check the local hardware store to see.

Any advice would be most appreciated. The propane delivery truck can't get up my driveway and I'm running out of fuel! (and it's way too much to shovel)

thanks everyone.
Kevin

I own a Honda HS624 snowblower...with a big problem. It won't move. Before it got this way I took it (with great difficulty) to the only small engine repair shop in town (Reno, NV) because it was making a loud noise in drive....both forward and reverse. This was last April, right? Plenty of time for a repair that would have spared me the Winter breakdown...but the guy who accepted the machine was a grumpy old beast! He gave it a tune up and I think he tightened the tension on the belt....but he basically did nothing about the noise. Maybe this was a classic story of not wanting to deal with a woman...I don't know, but today a neighbor looked at the snowblower. He removed a loose V belt which was torn to shreds. I'd like to think that's my only problem....but does someone with snowblower experience have any idea what could have chewed this belt up? Would a bad V belt be the cause of such a noise...or is it likely I have a transmission problem?

Many thanks to canguy, dewaynep, andyma and fjs001. Your advice and comments were extremely helpful. I've replaced many a shear bolt, but replacing spring pins was a new adventure and this just as a real bad storm was bearing down. The so-called "professionals" I talked to insisted that the augur/gear box/shaft had to be removed. What a process that would have been! Then I stumbled on this thread and was able to replace the spring pins in about an hour, start to finish. Sears was out and couldn't tell me the pin specs. I finally figured it out and for the record the pins are 1 1/4"x5/16" for the 9 hp 26" model.

I had an old Ariens which used the roll pins to secure the impeller. Since roll pins are hardened steel, I replaced them with grade 8 bolts. I don't see any harm in this but wonder about canguy's opinion.

Bay not sure if CG will agree but my two cents is with your experience repairing these units that if common sense was applied in similar sizing and you have lesser grade bolts then all is good .

I realize this is an old thread. I have asimilar situation with broken spring pins on the impeller. Did not see an answer whether it's acceptable to use a shear pin as opposed to the spring pins?

I'm thinking of doing just that.

thanks
steve

I don't believe that steel spring pins are meant to be shear pins, so in theory, hardened bolts could be used if we are on the same page here with our descriptive terms. In my past experience, I would see them break as the hole in the shaft became worn. Some manufactures even key the impeller to the shaft. It may be helpful to supply the make and model number.

So...I am new here but came looking for a way to remove a shear pin from the impeller. Thank you for all of your great ideas. I used some of them to get me started. I have been working on one of the pins since last spring! It was totally bent so there was no way for me to get it out. I was able to saw off both ends but could NOT for the life of me get the rest of it out. So...This is what worked so well, I was impressed with myself...:)

I took the shute off

turned the snowblower toward the sun and tilted it for light.

I rested the back end on a box as to not break the shifter or shoot turn shaft.

I attached a pair of vice grips on the impeller shaft and turned it to line up with the holes in the impeller...looking through the snow shute.

once I got them lined up. I put the new pin in the impeller hole.

placed a 7/16 drive socket over it (DO NOT USE A 1/2 drive socket as the hole in the back of the socket is just big enough for the head of bold to get stuck in).

I then placed a 1/2 inch socket OVER the 7/16 socket.

attached a long 1/2 inch drive extention through the snow shute...and pounded away;

Less than 2 minutes the broken pin was out and new one was in!! I did not realize that the second impeller hole ALSO had a broken pin in it...less than 2 minutes...THAT one was out also. Worked like a CHARM!!!

put shute back on and began snow blowing for the first time this year with over 2 feet of snow to catch up on!

Just want to drop a quick line and just say THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYBODY ON HERE! Thanks to this thread I was able to fix my impeller and have a solid game plan to put the new pins in before we started to get more snow here in Massachusetts! You guys Rock! THANK YOU THANK YOU

Thank you all, you all rock! MA has seen so much snow that I can't imagine lifting shovels full from the next storm over the already too high banks in metro Boston. Thanks to houzz for providing the forum and to you all for helping the next guy out. (And to google for finding the thread!)

This thread is 6 years old and still helping people out. I was just given an 06 9.5hp 27inch blower which ended up having the same problem. I am happy to say because of this thread, I fixed my blower in 2 hours and it only cost me $2.50 cnd. Big thanks to Litchfield for posting the dimensions of the spring pin. No where on the internet or even calling sears could I find what size spring pin you are suppose to use. (1 1/4 x 5/16) x 2. Thanks to everyone who posted ahead of me!!!!

Awesom-O. Fixed. Thank you. Our blower is a fourteen-year-old Craftsman 9 HP 29 inch dual stage model 536.887990. The two roll/spring pins are only 1/4". I initially grabbed 5/16" and they were too large for this machine.

The process: I tilted the unit back onto a box and used a 24" long 1/4" steel rod turned down ten thousandths at one end. I had a clean shot through the discharge chute. I just needed to remove the spark plug wire, slip thin allen keys through the broken pins trapped inside the shaft, clamp the auger clutch down, and gently pull the starter rope until the holes with the broken pins inside lined up through the chute. I removed one allen key, placed the steel rod through the chute and into the opening on the impeller and shaft, sprayed lots of WD-40 and hammered away until the first rusty, broken pin popped out. The hard part is knocking out this first pin. Don't be shy, just make sure you're lined-up and bang away. Then I tapped a new roll pin into alignment, fed a wider steel rod through the shoot and duct taped it to the end of the new pin. I lubed up the pin and hammered it into place with about ten good shots. Then I did the next hole the same way. The second one took less time and effort because it was in perfect alignment. Worked like a charm. Thanks.

Tip: Face the sad truth, if you've read through this thread the remnants of two hollow spring pins are stuck inside your impeller shaft.

I think it's odd that this older 29" machine uses smaller roll/spring pins and wanted to let everyone know. Thank you all for helping me.

The correct size of roll pins is 1-1/4" long x 1/4" diameter) x 2. Use WD-40 or rust penetrant. It will take while to remove broken pin and will have to keep hammering to insert new pins. But it will work. Not sure about using 24" x 1/4" steel rod from discharge chute. I could not see holes very well from discharge chute. I did all work without any disassemble of parts.

Tempered roll pins are available in replacement kits , various sizing @ any auto supply store . However in a pinch any proper sized stove bolt will suffice !