Getting old Craftsman 32cc gas blower to start

[branimal]

I'm trying to revive my dad's gas blower. Hasn't been started in maybe 8 years.

The fuel tank was empty so I'm guessing he drained it out.

I cleaned the spark plug with brake cleaner and mixed up some 2-cycle engine oil 40:1. Been trying to start it as per the instructions, but no luck. I only added 8oz of fuel. Should I fill the tank up?

I got this stuff called Mechanic in a Bottle. It claims to clean out the carburetor without having to take it apart.


Any suggestions?

 

[RTM]

Starting fluid spray?

 

[branimal]

Starting fluid spray?

Spray it right on the carberator? How can I clean that gunk off the yellow foam pad?

 

[bpjr]

Check the plug. If it sparks put a capful of gas in the spark plug hole before reinstalling the plug. It may pop or fire enough to draw gas and run. It may take a few tries to get it running. If it only pops it tells you its a fuel delivery issue. Primer bulb, gas line or carb soft parts. A $10-15 replacement carb is easier than rebuilding and some of the carb kits have a plug, fuel filter and gas lines.

 

[RTM]

I usually pull all air cleaners etc when using starting fluid, want a direct shot to the carb. Once it’s running, I worry about air cleaners etc. I’d try to replace that one first.

 

[Citation]

Make sure the full lines aren't crumbling.

 

[Mick56]

X2 on the fuel line. They get hard and crack, and won't **** fuel then.

 

[wraptor]

Check to see if it has a spark arrester screen muffler, these get clogged with oil and carbon.

 

[zkling]

My suggestion? Unless he/you have an emotional attachment to that thing, go get him a Stihl BG86.

Also...starting fluid on small 2 cycle engines isn't real good for them.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

If the carb is completely clogged it won’t run any gas or that type of cleaner through the carb without a cleaning first. Use a new plug also. I have cleaned a plug before and thought it was good because it made spark. Put in a new plug and it fired right up and ran great.

 

[StillTooManyHobbies]

Also, a ,2 cycle will not run if compression is too low. The 25cc models are known for this problem.

 

[branimal]

Took the blower apart and found the following:

1. The fuel line was completely disintegrated. The fuel line from the carburetor to the gas tank. I found pieces of the fuel line on the carburetor, and lots of pieces inside the gas tank. I cleaned it all out.

2. I measured a cracked piece and got an OD of 1/8". I picked up 1/8" OD line from Autozone. It might be just a size too large. I forged ahead and attached one end of the fuel line to the carb (snug fit) and threaded the other thru the hole in the fuel tank (I had to drill the plastic tank a bit). I connected it to the fuel pick up assembly that was inside the fuel tank. Not sure how that thing works. It doesn't seem to have any holes to allow fuel thru.

3. I put the blower back together and went thru the starting sequence. Nothing.

4. Took her apart, and pulled the fuel line off the fuel pick up assembly and put the gas tank higher than the carburetor. I started pulling and I could see the fuel moving toward the carburetor. Still no luck.

5. I think it could be the spark plug or a dirty carburetor. Or maybe that fuel line is too big.

Here are some pics.

 

[Hughmongus]

Gap is closed on the plug. May not be the only issue.

 

[TNToy]

Put the thing together. Spray it with a shot of starting fluid.

If it coughs or makes the slightest attempt to ignite? Rebuild the carb and sort out your fuel issues because you have both compression and spark. (Starting fluid isn’t great for two strokes or diesels, but a quick test like this will be fine, just don’t try to run it with a steady stream of ether because you’re running the engine without oil.)

If it doesn’t cough? First, verify it has a spark when turned over. I usually use a cordless drill to spin the flywheel after removing the recoil mechanism. Watch some youtube videos to learn how to diagnose a bad magneto and / or test for spark.

If you have spark and it doesn’t run on ether, you’re probably two low on compression and the best route is a repair known as Go Buy A Stihl. ��

 

[joe_pinehill1]

If you have sentimental attachment, buy a new card, file line kit, and plug. You can probably find them bundled on Amazon for around $30.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[TNToy]

If you have sentimental attachment, buy a new carb, fuel line kit, and plug.

Autocorrect really doesn’t like you today.

 

[branimal]

@Hughmongus Regarding the spark plug - yes I see now there is no gap. There was a gap when I initially tried it. I measured it with one of those round gap checkers. I wonder why that gap went to nothing. Maybe wrenched it in too tight. Or maybe theres some blockage in the blower thats pushing down on the spark plug. I pryed it open and restarted it. Still no luck. I'm going to buy a new spark plug.

@TNToy I did get it to cough a little bit when I tried the starting fluid. So there is hope.

With the new fuel line I can see fluid moving to the carburetor if I place the fuel tank higher than the carb. I'm going to buy the proper fuel line 1/16 ID / 1/8 OD.

I'll try to give the drill to spin the flywheel.

If that doesn't work, I'll look into getting a new carb. $15 at sears parts direct.

The blower is at my folks place so next time I work on it will be a week and a half from now.

Thanks guy - i'll keep you updated.

 

[goblue1998]

I’ve been down that road with cheap 2 stroke stuff. You will not be happy with the time or money and the results. There is a good chance it will never be reliable, even if you get it running.

 

[branimal]

I’ve been down that road with cheap 2 stroke stuff. You will not be happy with the time or money and the results. There is a good chance it will never be reliable, even if you get it running.

I hear you. This is probably a 30 year old leaf blower. I'm going to limit my investment to $20 at which point i'm gonna drop the project.

I have a 20 x 20 space in front of my building in Brooklyn that'd I'd like to keep clean. I'm getting tired of brooming. Plus my neighbor has a gas blower.... his place is spotless all the time.

 

[BTL-A4]

Just get a cordless blower for a 20' x 20' space. I have a 10,000 sq ft yard and I use a B&D 20V cordless blower all the time.

I got rid of my gas string trimmer because I got tired of dealing with the issues that you are. The Mechanic is a Bottle DOES work, though. I still have a gas mower, so I use it on that and have had no trouble. I also have a gas blower too, but don't use it much. However, I use the TrueFuel premixed gas, along with the Mechanic in a Bottle and the Stabil fuel stabilizer and that keeps everything running.

BTW, if you live where they put ethanol in the gas, that could clog it up as well.

 

[engineer2]

Take the carb apart. It's either filled with dried gas residue, the rubber parts have deteriorated, or the rubber flapper valves are stuck to the seats. Or a combination of these.

 

[bpjr]

The soft parts in your carb are probably shot. Even a diaphragm that looks ok can be porous enough to keep it from drawing fuel. Many 30 yr old cman lawn equip were made by husky and not bottom feeder quality. You can buy a complete plug n play carb kit with new carb, fuel lines, gas filter and spark plug for well under $20 delivered on the big auction site. I just replaced one on my stihl hedge trimmer...after the 2nd OEM $$$ carb crapped out in less than a yr. The after market carb has high & low mixture adjustment and the Stihl carbs only had a low speed mixture adjustment. Your cman probably has both adjustments.

 

[branimal]

The soft parts in your carb are probably shot. Even a diaphragm that looks ok can be porous enough to keep it from drawing fuel. Many 30 yr old cman lawn equip were made by husky and not bottom feeder quality. You can buy a complete plug n play carb kit with new carb, fuel lines, gas filter and spark plug for well under $20 delivered on the big auction site. I just replaced one on my stihl hedge trimmer...after the 2nd OEM $$$ carb crapped out in less than a yr. The after market carb has high & low mixture adjustment and the Stihl carbs only had a low speed mixture adjustment. Your cman probably has both adjustments.

I've looked on ebay and amazon for the replacement carb kit. The blowers model # is 358.797921. I haven't been able to find a match. The only thing I've been able to find is a carb rebuild kit. From the pictures, it looks like mostly soft parts.


When you say plug and play carb kit... do you mean I can get a similar carb kit to work with my blower?


https://www.searspartsdirect.com/product/2rrzaz2v9x-0071-358/id-530-035260

 

[bpjr]

Yep, some cm model numbers don't show up, even on the sears parts site. My cm chainsaw had the last three model numbers on the sticker clearly stamped as 701 and they should have been 711. It took some research to find that out. I just ordered a carb for this chainsaw with all the extras for $19+ delivered and yes they are plug and play.

I found your blower carb rebuild kit listed as a Walbro K10-WAT but couldn't find an aftermarket carb listed anywhere. It's out there and would be faster to ask one of the big carb sellers for a matching carb that fits.

 

[branimal]

Yep, some cm model numbers don't show up, even on the sears parts site. My cm chainsaw had the last three model numbers on the sticker clearly stamped as 701 and they should have been 711. It took some research to find that out. I just ordered a carb for this chainsaw with all the extras for $19+ delivered and yes they are plug and play.

I found your blower carb rebuild kit listed as a Walbro K10-WAT but couldn't find an aftermarket carb listed anywhere. It's out there and would be faster to ask one of the big carb sellers for a matching carb that fits.

Searching Walbro K10-WAT I see what looks like carb rebuild parts at Amazon, etc. for $10. They don't sell the actual carb and extras. I'll call the carb sellers.

Thank you!!

Btw, how the heck did you figure that out?

 

[bpjr]

Searching Walbro K10-WAT I see what looks like carb rebuild parts at Amazon, etc. for $10. They don't sell the actual carb and extras. I'll call the carb sellers.

Thank you!!

Btw, how the heck did you figure that out?

I searched ebay and used various generic terms like sears blower carb, etc. Other models came up but some had a long list in the ad of models that fit. Yours was in the description as a fit. Husqvarna had a $59 carb that showed a match too but I couldn't cross reference it to a $15-20 clone. You have to keep searching to see what other brands/models are the same carb until you find it. I also noticed the same carb is speced for 25cc, 28cc and 31cc cm blowers.

I haven't been on the Walbro site in yrs but they used to have info that helped ID carbs. They may know what carb fits if you ask.

 

[redmondjp]

Pro tip: find the ID on the carburetor, which can be very hard to see - sometimes you have to use a flashlight and get just the right lighting angle in order to read the numbers. Then google that number and find a replacement carb. or carb. kit.

I don't even bother trying to look up carb parts by the overall machine model number in most cases.

Oh, and only use alcohol-free fuel in your fuel mix. I keep trying to convince my neighbors of this - I have had to clean out the fuel systems on their push mower, brand-new string trimmer, and riding mower this year because they don't take my advice and go a few miles out of their way to buy alcohol-free gas. Next year I may tell them that unless they switch, I'm not going to help them any more.

 

[branimal]

Pro tip: find the ID on the carburetor, which can be very hard to see - sometimes you have to use a flashlight and get just the right lighting angle in order to read the numbers. Then google that number and find a replacement carb. or carb. kit.

I don't even bother trying to look up carb parts by the overall machine model number in most cases.

Oh, and only use alcohol-free fuel in your fuel mix. I keep trying to convince my neighbors of this - I have had to clean out the fuel systems on their push mower, brand-new string trimmer, and riding mower this year because they don't take my advice and go a few miles out of their way to buy alcohol-free gas. Next year I may tell them that unless they switch, I'm not going to help them any more.

Yep I called Walbro tech support and that's exactly what the tech told me. Get the carb model #.

 

[wayne55]

I have that black Craftsman 32cc blower I bought in 1992. The whole carb kit is K10-WAT. Just the diaphragms and gaskets is D10-WAT. You can find on Ebay for probably the cheapest price.

 

[bpjr]

Did you figure it out yet? The clone carb I ordered by model number for my cman chainsaw came in and I installed it yesterday. The original was a ZAMA...and rebuilt 5-6 yrs ago with the Walbro K10-WAT kit. Faded memory made me think it was a Walbro carb before taking it off. I also checked my two other cman chainsaws and both of them are ZAMA. I suppose that's why Walbro doesn't list cman on their web site. So yours is probably a ZAMA carb. The model numbers are small and ZAMA has a utube on how to ID them.

 

[bczygan]

Rebuild or replace the carb.

Bill

 

[branimal]

Did you figure it out yet? The clone carb I ordered by model number for my cman chainsaw came in and I installed it yesterday. The original was a ZAMA...and rebuilt 5-6 yrs ago with the Walbro K10-WAT kit. Faded memory made me think it was a Walbro carb before taking it off. I also checked my two other cman chainsaws and both of them are ZAMA. I suppose that's why Walbro doesn't list cman on their web site. So yours is probably a ZAMA carb. The model numbers are small and ZAMA has a utube on how to ID them.

At my parent's place this weekend. Got the model number. It's a Walbro WT141 - C3. Going to contact walbro tomorrow.

Thanks for following up!!

 

[Indexmill]

Throw the blower away and buy a new one.

 

[DenisG]

Just replace the fuel metering diaphram in the carburetor. When people leave fuel in those carburetors, the metering diaphram permanently distorts by swelling towards the fuel metering lever, so the carb always floods the engine. You can buy the metering diaphrams on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078RKJ2K2/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Here's an overview of the carb:
https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=326599

 

[pelletman]

Just get a cordless blower for a 20' x 20' space. I have a 10,000 sq ft yard and I use a B&D 20V cordless blower all the time.

I got rid of my gas string trimmer because I got tired of dealing with the issues that you are. The Mechanic is a Bottle DOES work, though. I still have a gas mower, so I use it on that and have had no trouble. I also have a gas blower too, but don't use it much. However, I use the TrueFuel premixed gas, along with the Mechanic in a Bottle and the Stabil fuel stabilizer and that keeps everything running.

BTW, if you live where they put ethanol in the gas, that could clog it up as well.

This. Go cordless, I have a Milwaukee blower I use all the time, it is great. I am hating things with carbs lately

 

[pelletman]

Pro tip: find the ID on the carburetor, which can be very hard to see - sometimes you have to use a flashlight and get just the right lighting angle in order to read the numbers. Then google that number and find a replacement carb. or carb. kit.

I don't even bother trying to look up carb parts by the overall machine model number in most cases.

Oh, and only use alcohol-free fuel in your fuel mix. I keep trying to convince my neighbors of this - I have had to clean out the fuel systems on their push mower, brand-new string trimmer, and riding mower this year because they don't take my advice and go a few miles out of their way to buy alcohol-free gas. Next year I may tell them that unless they switch, I'm not going to help them any more.

You should have told them that this year

 

[bpjr]

I think the days of rebuilding these carbs is over. It too much hassle compared to buying a new $12-$15 carb and swapping it out.

 

[timdgsr]

I think the days of rebuilding these carbs is over. It too much hassle compared to buying a new $12-$15 carb and swapping it out.

For a lot of tools, this is correct. For a lot of blowers and trimmers, its cheaper to buy a china carb than it is to buy replacement diaphragms for the oem ones. If the carb isn’t that old and is just gummed up from crappy gas, I’ve had decent luck at rebuilding them without new parts/kit, just using the old gasket/parts.

On larger motors, the carbs arent as readily available and the value isn’t as good when you can find them. That’s been my experience at least.

 

[branimal]

I ordered a replacement carb from amazon. $20 for the kit. Going to swap out the old carb for the new one on Saturday. Will report back if I can get this old blower running.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JLSP4S2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[bpjr]

I ordered a replacement carb from amazon. $20 for the kit. Going to swap out the old carb for the new one on Saturday. Will report back if I can get this old blower running

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JLSP4S2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

That's cool. Be sure to change the fuel lines and primer bulb.