i bought a craftsman leaf blower at a garage sale this morning for $10. i normaly don't pay for stuff that doesn't run but it was calling my name. it has a blower nozzel and a vaccum nozel and a bag. apparently its supposed to mulch the leaves while it vaccums.
i can't get it to run. it's getting fuel, its getting spark. i've cleaned the carburetor. the diaphragm looks okay. the fuel lines look okay. no cracks. the fuel filter looks clean. once in awhile it drips fuel out the carburetor. i can't tell where its comming from. it will start dripping for a second then quit. i wipe it off and look for the leak but nothing appears. maybe its just flooding? i'm not sure its even firing. i think it did once or twice but i couldn't tell. i tried spraying starting fluid in the intake but i don't that would even work on this engine. then i tried spraying starting fluid in the spark plug hole, re-installing the spark plug and pulling the cord. then i tried dumping a little gas in it. nothing.
what else should i check?
monday i'm going to the parts store and buying a carburetor repair kit and a gasket to go between carb and the carb adapter and the block.
a little more info. i've google searched about a dozen times by now. i've pretty much exhausted my resources. the last article i read, the guy had the same modle number as mine. he said the key on the flywheel sheered off and let the flywheel rotate on the shaft thus throwing off the timing. this prompted me to tear mine down to inspect the flywheel. i can't tell if the key is sheered off but my flywheel is on tighter than a drum. i tried prying with a screwdriver and it wouldn't come off. i didn't push it too hard since it cast aluminum. i assume my flywheel is fine and that timing is not the issue. i'll procede with the carb rebuild unless someone chimes in and suggest otherwise. i still find it odd that i couldn't get it to fire off of starting fluid. i've never seen that before. at one point i had the spark plug in my hand, resting against the muffler, wet with starting fluid/fuel and it flaired up when it sparked when i pulled the cord.
Remove the muffler & see if it will try to start...
if you still have nothing ... it may have been ran without oil mixed fuel... Leaving it with little or no compression ... look into the exhaust port ... is the piston scratched?? several things to check... and still could be a partially sheared key... :smile:KennyV
does this look like the rings are shot? i can't tell. i see bubbles on the compression stroke but i don't know if its normal. i don't see any major scaring on the rings that would indicate it was run out of oil.
does this look like the rings are shot? i can't tell. i see bubbles on the compression stroke but i don't know if its normal. i don't see any major scaring on the rings that would indicate it was run out of oil.
Too bad you don't have a compression gauge, that'd tell you for sure if the rings are bad. It'd be a good tool to get, especially since it's obvious you are handy with a wrench........
Dump a tea-spoon of gas/oil down the carb, hold the throttle wide open and pull no more than about 10/12 times and if nothing happens than it is a timing issue or even possibly a spark problem.But if all is good it should start for a few seconds and die, then I would rebuild the carb so it will run good.
does this look like the rings are shot? i can't tell. i see bubbles on the compression stroke but i don't know if its normal. i don't see any major scaring on the rings that would indicate it was run out of oil.
How hard was it to turn the flywheel? Can not tell from watching the video... BUT it sure looked too EASY...
This is what twall was referring to... YouTube - Compression Test of HUSQVARNA 55 Chainsaw
Also this same you tuber has some EXCELLENT how to videos ...
You only have 10 $ in it so far so you can spend a bit to make things work... :smile:KennyV
it doesn't seem too easy to turn. there's definatly resistance on the compression stroke. even if the rings are shot it should fire shouldn't it?
i got the fly wheel off. that was an ordeal. i gently tapped on the shaft and gently pried with a screwdriver for a good 5 minutes while spraying with pb blaster. i finally got p**sed off and walked away before i broke something. i went back an hour later and the d**n thing practically fell off in my hand. the flywheel key and shaft look fine so timing is not the cuplrit.
the engine looks great. it should atleast fire. this is really bugging me. i'm not used to failure.
rings are $6 from sears. i'll just buy a carb repair kit, head gasket and piston rings and cross my fingers. a whole carb is $26. if i thought it was the carb i would just buy a new one but i don't want to invest that kinda money unless i'm sure its the problem.
one other question, how does this thing even suck in air and fuel? in the picture, the piston is at the bottom of the stroke. there's no gap for air and fuel to enter. the oblong hole looking thing is, i assume, a vaccuum port to operate the diaphragm in the carburetor to pump fuel thru the 3 injector ports on the carburetor.
which leads me to another question. where do those injector ports start? i blew and shot carb cleaner into every port i could find on the carb and never saw anything come out of the injector ports. they could be clogged up with gummed fuel
the head gasket is jacked. is that piston ring stuck on one side? its sticking out on one side and not on the other. i believe its the intake side that the ring is not sticking out. i still can't figure out how this thing takes in air and fuel.
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#11
BIGxMONEY
I am having the same problem I checked out everything on the engine, replaced gas line even. When I remove the spark plug and spray starter fluid into it and try to start it it will kind of try. But when it does that it sounds like its not getting a good spark. Maybe timing is off or just a bad plug? Ive tried everything the muffler isnt blocked.
I hate to be jumping in on this so late, but suspect a carbon problem, based on the picture of the piston top, among other things. Your exhaust port looked good, but have you checked the muffler, and especially the spark arrestor screen? If the screen is heavily covered or blocked with carbon a 2 cycle engine will be very difficult or impossible to start, and also generally will have poor power and lowered RPMs if it does start. Before I put any money into it I would check to see if it will run without the muffler, though with it apart now it may be a bit late for that. Before trying to start it check the carb rough adjustments. If it is a Walbro WA or WT carb the rough set is at 1.25 turns open, both high and low speed needles which should get it started if all else is ok.
A little more information. If you decide to put in a new carb kit, make sure you carefull check the inlet screen inside the carburetor. Also, I would recommend you get a rebuild rather than a gasket and diaphragm kit. It is possible your metering needle is bad, and the gasket and diaphragm kit does not iinclude a new needle. Be VERY careful removing the metering fork holding the needle so you do not lose the spring under the fork. It is very elusive!! If the viton tip of the needle is red, it is bad and needs to be replaced, and if not it will not hurt anything to replace it. Also, while the covers are off the carburetor make sure all passages are open by spraying carb cleaner or a lube like WD40 through them with a spray straw. Include the needle passage. Be sure the gaskets an diaphragms are replaced correctly in relation to the carb body or they will not work properly.
