Subject: [Shop-talk] Leaf blower issues...need the elders' advice

From: Scott Hall <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2020 14:33:31 -0500

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I have a Troy Bilt 4-cycle backpack leaf blower, the older version of this
thing:

https://www.troybilt.com/en_US/leaf-blowers/tb4bp-ec-backpack-gas-leaf-blower/41BR4BEG766.html

I need intelligent more experienced folks to advise me before I slip into
insanity.

The past year or so the choke has lost effectiveness--you used to start it
as directed: pump the primer bulb a few times, choke on full. Start. Choke
to 1/2 until warm, then choke full-off.

At first it wouldn't start with choke full-on, I had to start it on
half-choke. Then 1/4-ish.

At the same time, the throttle became more of an an/off switch. It would
bog at anything other than idle. If I open it full, it would die. And it
never achieved full-power.

Note: the choke is an actual choke--a plastic plate slides over the air
intake on the carb.

This sounds like something that needs a carb cleanin', right? So I did.
Took it apart, soaked it in carb cleaner, re-assembled.

I also replaced the fuel intake line and fuel filter--a weird little thing,
looks like a pumice stone on the end of the fuel line.

Worked...better. Not back to new, but better. For a day.

Now it won't start at all.

There's just not that much to this carb. I blew it out with compressed air,
chased the passages I could, etc. There's just not much there...there.

What's making me question my sanity is that this happened on my riding
mower last year too and I similarly cleaned that carb, which was similarly
simple and it absolutely would not run again until I just bought a new carb
and replaced it.

 So here's the question: what am I doing or not doing that I can't clean a
small engine carburetor? Is there some secret air passage on small engine
carbs that I'm not reaching? I tool them completely apart. There were no
idle jets, or enrichment circuits, or...whatever. Just a hunk of metal with
a few small holes. What on earth would make the new one better than the one
that's on there?

I feel like this should be so simple and I'm missing something so basic.

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<div dir=3D"ltr">I have a Troy Bilt 4-cycle backpack leaf blower, the older=
 version of this thing:<div><br></div><div><a href=3D"https://www.troybilt.=
com/en_US/leaf-blowers/tb4bp-ec-backpack-gas-leaf-blower/41BR4BEG766.html">=
https://www.troybilt.com/en_US/leaf-blowers/tb4bp-ec-backpack-gas-leaf-blow=
er/41BR4BEG766.html</a>=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>I need intelligent m=
ore experienced folks to advise me before I slip into insanity.</div><div><=
br></div><div>The past year or so the choke has lost effectiveness--you use=
d to start it as directed: pump the primer bulb a few times, choke on full.=
 Start. Choke to 1/2 until warm, then choke full-off.</div><div><br></div><=
div>At first it wouldn&#39;t start with choke full-on, I had to start it on=
 half-choke. Then 1/4-ish.=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time,=
 the throttle became more of an an/off switch. It would bog at anything oth=
er than idle. If I open it full, it would die. And it never achieved full-p=
ower.</div><div><br></div><div>Note: the choke is an actual choke--a plasti=
c plate slides over the air intake on the carb.</div><div><br></div><div>Th=
is sounds like something that needs a carb cleanin&#39;, right? So I did. T=
ook it apart, soaked it in carb cleaner, re-assembled. </div><div><br></div=
><div>I also replaced the fuel intake line and fuel filter--a weird little =
thing, looks like a pumice stone on the end of the fuel line.=C2=A0</div><d=
iv><br></div><div>Worked...better. Not back to new, but better. For a day.=
=C2=A0=C2=A0<br></div><div><br></div><div>Now it won&#39;t start at all.</d=
iv><div><br></div><div>There&#39;s just not that much to this carb. I blew =
it out with compressed air, chased the passages I could, etc. There&#39;s j=
ust not much there...there.</div><div><br></div><div>What&#39;s making me q=
uestion my sanity is that this happened on my riding mower last year too an=
d I similarly cleaned that carb, which was similarly simple and it absolute=
ly would not run again until I just bought a new carb and replaced it.</div=
><div><br></div><div>=C2=A0So here&#39;s the question: what am I doing or n=
ot doing that I can&#39;t clean a small engine carburetor? Is there some se=
cret air passage on small engine carbs that I&#39;m not reaching? I tool th=
em completely apart. There were no idle jets, or enrichment circuits, or...=
whatever. Just a hunk of metal with a few small holes. What on earth would =
make the new one better than the one that&#39;s on there?</div><div><br></d=
iv><div>I feel like this should be so simple and I&#39;m missing something =
so basic.=C2=A0<br></div></div>

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