Craftsman Leaf Blower Won’t Start. A Craftsman leaf blower is a mighty tool, essential to helping maintain the health and safety of a hardworking lawn, but it should always work.
Sometimes all it needs is some TLC and a little help from you to have it purring like new again. This will guide you through diagnosing and resolving starting issues with your tool so that you can get back to maintaining your perfect lawn.
Craftsman Leaf Blower Won’t Start
When you take a leaf blower for servicing, ask the service staff to drain the fuel from it so that no harmful contaminants remain.
When you store your leaf blower for long periods of time, always drain it and refill the tank with fresh fuel. This simple step will make sure that any contaminants in the old fuel won’t be present when starting the machine again.
Here are some issues to look out for when a craftsman’s leaf blowers won’t start.
Carburetor Clogged
If the engine is sputtering or failing to start, the carburetor may be experiencing issues that need to be resolved before you can continue.
The carburetor is an essential part of any small engine that mixes air and fuel in the appropriate ratio to achieve combustion.
While the terms are loosely related in their use, a carburetor’s main function is to supply a suitable amount of air and fuel for dramatic combustion in tiny engines.
Carburetors are simple mechanisms, so they don’t require too much attention, but due to their proximity to other machinery within your engine’s structure, they tend to become corroded and clogged over time.
Which results in poor performance and can obviously put your life at risk if you’re stuck somewhere without being able to start up. Clean out your carburetor using a carburetor cleaner and try starting the engine again.
Spark Arrestor Clogged
A clogged spark arrestor is also known to cause your leaf blower to fail. This fine mesh part not only stops sparks from harmlessly exiting the engine but also prevents more dangerous elements such as debris and even leaves from entering the engine.
Over time, dirt and debris can gather in the fine membrane-like fabric of the filter, which can ultimately affect performance if left unregulated.
The easiest way to clean the spark-arresting screen is to use a cloth towel with some grass trimmer or string trimmer oil.
Rubbing vigorously in an upward motion will easily remove any grime accumulating on the outside surface of your spark arrestor.
Ignition Coil Malfunctions
The ignition coil is the most important part of your leaf blower. The ignition coil sends voltage to the spark plug that ignites the fuel and air inside of your engine.
If you hear a clicking sound when trying to start your leaf blower, meaning you’re unable to get it running, it could be due to a defective ignition coil.
Just like with spark plugs there is an ignition tester tool that you can use in order to determine if there are problems with the ignition coil.
Recoil Starter Fail
The recoil starter assembly engages the crankshaft to turn over the engine.
If this assembly is defective, then your leaf blower won’t start. To determine if it is working properly, remove the starter assembly and inspect it to see.
If it is functional, when you pull the starter rope, tabs extending from the pulley and cam should grab hold of a tab on the engine, causing it to turn.
The same goes for when you release the rope; tabs should retract and allow for proper rewinding upon release of said rope onto said pulley as per design specifications. Therefore, it is defective and needs to be replaced.
Cause Spring To Rewind
The starter rope might not be properly coiled. If the start cord is pulled and released in a chainsaw, it must coil back onto the pulley when the pull cord is retracted.
If the spring within the starter assembly is broken, the cord will fly back to wherever it came from instead of returning to the pulley.
This means that you won’t be able to get your chainsaw started. If the starter assembly itself or just that one spring within has broken, you can replace them individually without having to buy an entirely new starter assembly or any parts for that matter.
Malfunctioning Fuel Filter
It is possible that the fuel filter is clogged. Leaving fuel in the leaf blower for an extended period of time is the most common cause of a clogged fuel filter.
If there’s too much stickiness from evaporated parts, this can clog up the main chamber and prevent the engine from starting.
If old fuel was left in the leaf blower, drain the old fuel from the tank and replace it with fresh gas to avoid pump issues (which might cause air bubbles).
Pulley For Coil Starters
The recoil starter pulley is a device that winds up the starter rope when it’s not in use. If the recoil pulley is stuck or broken, it won’t be able to rewind the starter rope.
As a result, the engine won’t start. If the recoil starter pulley is broken, replace it. You’ll want to make sure you have one on hand for quick replacement by simply sliding it on over your engine compartment’s engine pulley then locking it back into place with a few cotter pins.
Craftsman Leaf Blower Won’t Start
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