Leaf Blower-NEW ignition coil & still won't start?

[CharBaby]

Yeah I'm thinking timing too!
I will continue to research the no start problem but, in the meantime, I am going to buy another blower of better quality than just a Craftsman as I do use the blower(just for myself) weekly for lawn clippings and other things in the Summer. But, I use the blower extensively in the FALL and I want something strong, reliable and an animal!

Any suggestions are welcome,

CB

 

[Rab6715]

I had a Makita trimmer that gave me problems starting - particularly restarts. I changed the coil and it did nothing. Changing the carb was the solution. For me, the lesson learned was that just because i'm getting fuel doesn't mean i was always getting enough fuel. The carb wasn't that old, so I suspected it was a dud, I always ran fresh/stabilized fuel. Also i think in general, carb failure is much higher than coil failure. So i would probably lean for a carb clean/replace before i spent money on a coil in the future, unless I had solid evidence of consistent no spark

 

[CharBaby]

I had consistent NO SPARK. I want consistent spark, not spark once in a while. For a once in a whole spark, I want more. Now $12 later I have a new coil and I have spark. Still no start. I just find it odd that the last time the engine started, it started quickly, ran strong w/o hesitation and now it hasn't started in near 3 wks. Maybe the carb, maybe still the coil, maybe the timing!?!?!?

 

[Lubener]

If it has consistant NO spark you need to stay with the ignition system, not the carb, compression,flywheel key or timing or muffler. None of those will kill the ignition system. Look at Pinched(grounded) wiring, kill switch, air gap, flywheel magnets, you already tried a magneto which the new one remotely could be bad. It is very basic and shouldn't be difficult to troubleshoot.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
If it has consistant NO spark you need to stay with the ignition system, not the carb, compression,flywheel key or timing or muffler. None of those will kill the ignition system. Look at Pinched(grounded) wiring, kill switch, air gap, flywheel magnets, you already tried a magneto which the new one remotely could be bad. It is very basic and shouldn't be difficult to troubleshoot.


I think you missed what I had stated in the post/reply above. With the OE coil(4.85 K-ohms), I lost spark. Now I have a NEW coil(3.6 K-ohms) w/ SPARK but still, NO START. Yes, the new coil could be bad but has a lower resistance reading than the OE. K-Ohms spec being 2.5-5.0 from my research.

 

[wag123]

Assuming that you sprayed some carb cleaner into the carb intake and it didn't fire (eliminating fuel delivery as a problem), there are only two things left that could keep it from running, a sheared flywheel key (uncommon unless you removed/loosened the flywheel nut) or a crankcase air leak (common on this engine).

 

[CharBaby]

Yep, DID NOT fire the carb cleaner.
Nope, didn't remove the flywheel.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Yep, DID NOT fire the carb cleaner.
Nope, didn't remove the flywheel.

This leads me to believe that the fuel/air mixture is not getting to the combustion chamber because the crankcase is not pressurizing (this also affects the fuel pump in the carb). There are three places where the crankcase can leak, the crankshaft seal (VERY common, it can come out), the crankcase end cover gasket, and the head gasket. You will have to remove the flywheel to check the crankshaft seal but you can check the gaskets with soapy water.

 

[CharBaby]

You seem to really know your stuff. More than I do for sure when it come to OPE. I mean, I can take anything apart and replace parts.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
You seem to really know your stuff. More than I do for sure when it come to OPE. I mean, I can take anything apart and replace parts.

I used to repair OPE for a living for over 10 years and have fixed thousands of 2-cycles.
An old mechanic many years ago told me this..."you have to understand how something is supposed to work in order to figure out why it doesn't work". 2-cycle engines are very simple. There is plenty of material on-line that you can use to educate yourself on their design and operating principles. Once you fully understand how they work, troubleshooting ALL of the different makes/models is really easy.
I forgot to tell you something, this engine is known to have a problem with the head bolts coming loose. Before you do anything else you should check them (requires a long allen wrench).

 

[CharBaby]

Yup, already checked the head bolts. I do have a long T-handle allen set that I've been using for dismantle/reassembly. If anything was loose before, it ain't now!

I'm getting to the point where, I'll keep this blower and slowly work on it as time allows but, I'm probably buying another soon and looking for suggestions on brand/model.

I am retired and do have time but, not too much time on my hands. There are many other things I prefer doing. I do like the handheld blowers(must be strong) over the backpack style but, I'm not against the backpack units however, reasonable cost does come into play.

Suggestions Please!

CB

 

[wag123]

The flywheel is going have to come off so you can check the key and the crankshaft seal.
My recommendations for a new blower are Echo or Stihl. They are not cheap, but you use your blower enough that you will get your money's worth out of them.

 

[CharBaby]

ECHO or STIHL it is!

I am looking for easy start as I have torn my rotator cuff 3X and I just don't have the time or strength for pulling my shoulder out of its socket. Also, I want the thing to be easy starting 10 yrs down the road. I will keep up on maintenance and use the correct fuel/oil ratio. Using E0 fuel and a good/proper oil mix.

Maintenance is something that I do & enjoy well. But, I don't like beating myself up as I am with this Craftsman leaf blower. I'll work on it at my leisure and ultimately sell it when I'm done.

 

[Kamele0N]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby


Maintenance is something that I do & enjoy well. But, I don't like beating myself up as I am with this Craftsman leaf blower. I'll work on it at my leisure and ultimately sell it when I'm done.


+1 I feel you

Get yourself some books about 2stroke porting and keep that leaf blower as a "project" OPE machine to learn on it (how to port etc)

If you want e-books (pdf) about how to I can give you a dropbox link

 

[CharBaby]

Thanks!

 

[mk378]

Does it fire sparks at all? Make sure the new coil is shaped just like the old one where it interacts with the magnets. There are different kinds of coils, the one you use must match the properties of the flywheel. Also if you put the coil on upside down, it will not fire. The coil gap isn't that important though.

If it does fire sparks, timing can be checked approximately by checking that the magnets pass the coil at about 10 or 20 degrees BTDC.

Test with starting fluid, not carb cleaner. The latter often isn't that combustible. Also if you have the engine flooded with gas, starting fluid will not fire.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Test with starting fluid, not carb cleaner. The latter often isn't that combustible. Also if you have the engine flooded with gas, starting fluid will not fire.

Bad advice!
NEVER use starting fluid (ether) in a small engine, especially a 2-cycle where it will often times blow out a cranshaft seal.
Spray carb cleaner is VERY combustible, it says so right on the can, and many of them use propane as a propellant.
Contents listed on a can of Gumout Carb & Choke Cleaner Jet Spray... Contains petroleum solvents (flammable), rubbing alcohol (flammable), organic ketone (a type of alcohol, flammable), and hydrocarbon propellant (propane, flammable).

 

[CharBaby]

Yes, the coil is the proper/exact replacement part# and it does fire.

 

[Lubener]

Get a new one, there have been many good suggestions but you have not tried many of them and haven't gained any ground..

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
Get a new one, there have been many good suggestions but you have not tried many of them and haven't gained any ground..


Yes thank you, I am aware of that! I am going to buy a new blower and have stated that above.

Also, I have indeed tried many of the suggestions and the only reason for not trying all of them thus far is, I have other more important projects going on at home as well and in addition, I am helping out a very elderly couple in my neighborhood who are in their late 80's/early 90's and in fact need my help more than the leaf blower does at this time.

But I will get to the leaf blower as time permits and I do certainly appreciate everyone's help in this matter even if all suggestions aren't to my complete understanding.

Thanks everyone,

CB