Craftsman/Husqvarna leaf blower trouble

[kevm14]

The bolts are way too expensive. So I just bought 2 used ones from eBay.

[kevm14]

Happened again. This time just one screw but it backed into the flywheel and almost stopped the engine. Fortunately I knew what to do. So I removed the bolt, cleaned it and the hole, and installed it with blue Loctite. I need to order 5 new bolts because there is oil leaking probably because these bolts hold the crankcase together? Anyway apparently it needs all 5. Imagine that.

[kevm14]

Got my 2 screws. Took it apart and found one of the missing ones loose inside a nook/cranny of the block. Then I realized that two of the bolts that hold this adapter to the cylinder were totally loose!! That's why the entire carb/air filter has been loose for YEARS. Had to literally just about take the engine completely out but I was able to tighten them. When I removed the impeller, I found a broken bolt that holds the block to the plastic housing. Geez. This is actually the first broken bolts. The ones on the flywheel side just fell out.

Finally got it all back together and it did the thing where it doesn't prime. This time it was worse. The prime bulb was actually getting stuck. I read this as a fuel restriction. I think the fuel pump diaphragm has called it quits finally. It runs on brake clean but starves of fuel pretty quickly.

Soooooooo.....ordered an OEM carb.

https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model/ ... ower-parts
https://www.searspartsdirect.com/produc ... -545081811

It actually comes up as a "rebuild kit" which is hilarious. Found it on eBay for $31 shipped. Hopefully this is the last issue for a while!!!

I may want to drill out that last stuck bolt and replace it. Fortunately it's on the impeller side and should be fairly easy assuming I don't need more clearance (taking the engine out, again).
https://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-Part-N ... B013TETXGU

[kevm14]

The carb got lost in the mail. I reported it and the seller issued a refund. So I ordered one from another eBay seller. I received that. And then I received the first carb. So now I have two for the price of one. That doesn't really help unless I want to resell I guess. It's eBay so I don't think I will be able to return the second one for no reason. That's ok. We're talking about $30 here.

[kevm14]

Got the new carb on with ease. The fuel lines took a set on the carb nipples but still seem soft. I was able to remove them and slip them onto the new carb. That part was pretty easy.

And it immediately primed better than the old carb which does seem to confirm my fuel pump diagnosis.

The hard part was starting the engine. It. Just. Would. Not. Start. I took it apart several times. Checked for spark. Set the coil gap. Tried brake cleaned. Nothing was working. Eventually I got it to kick like once on a random choke setting. Eventually it began sputtering and I had to tune the high and low jets accordingly. I THINK the issue was it was just not tuned right out of the box. But I have it running pretty good now. I was about to give up and try the second carb!!

[kevm14]

The parts list says the carb has been superseded and I think it actually works differently. The priming doesn't just purge air through the fuel system, but it actually squirts fuel through the jet, like a 4 stroke priming system. The starting instructions on the machine say prime 10x but that would completely flood this new carb. I tried priming twice (and it felt like it held the prime overnight) and even that may have been too much. I will experiment to figure out the best starting procedure with the new carb. Pretty weird. It might be something like, prime until the bulb gets firm (most air purged) and then start. No additional primes, because that will probably flood it.