Stihl Leaf Blower Won’t Start. It’s a common story and one you may have experienced yourself but with a lawnmower instead of a leaf blower.
You watch as the grass grows taller and greener before your very eyes in anticipation of fall, knowing that once the leaves begin to drop, you can turn to your trusty lawnmower to power through the work when the time comes.
Except when the time does come and you try to start up your lawnmower for the first time after spending most of the season packed away in the shed, nothing happens.
The good news is, in many cases, the problem isn’t anything too serious.
Stihl Leaf Blower Won’t Start
Sometimes after filling fuel into the tank of your Stihl leaf blower, the blower may not start. If you just refilled the tank, then use the fuel pump bulb to press out excess air from the fuel line 5 times.
Using any other type or brand of fuel may cause your blower to malfunction when you try to start it again.
Here, we give you some quick tips about how to troubleshoot a lawnmower that won’t start.
Ignition Coil Problem
The ignition coil of your lawnmower sends a charge to the spark plug. If your lawnmower ignition coil is faulty, your engine will not ignite.
To make sure that coils are working and are not the problem, test to see whether or not the spark plug ignites.
If it does not work, you may find that there is a problem with the timing belt or other parts that control the flow of voltage to the spark plugs.
Spark Arrestor Issue
A spark arrestor is a small screen in your engine that prevents the engine from emitting sparks.
Over time, the spark arrestor can become clogged with soot, which can cause the engine to not start. To fix this, you need to clean off the spark arrestor with a wire brush or replace it altogether.
Fuel Filter Fault
The fuel filter might be clogged. A clogged fuel filter may be caused by leaving fuel in the leaf blower for too long.
Where some of the ingredients in the fuel may evaporate causing a thicker substance that becomes stickier over time, or perhaps letting it sit too long because once you jet off, you don’t come back until you see a sign of it being needed again.
If old fuel was left in the leaf blower and you’re sure there are no signs of any toxic materials, like tar more than likely, then drain the leaf blower and replace this thing.
Rewind Spring Malfunction
The rewind spring might be broken. When the starter rope is pulled, the rewind spring needs to recoil and wrap around a pulley.
If it can’t recoil like this, then the starter won’t work right and the chainsaw engine won’t be able to start up properly.
If this issue happens with your machine, then you should check if the rewind spring is broken or whether it just needs to be cleaned up a bit.
There are many things that could go wrong with any given system such as yours, but there are often simple solutions.
Checking for broken parts like your spring, and sometimes they can even be ordered separately so you don’t have to replace huge chunks of your machine too easily.
Defective Recoil Starter
The recoil starter assembly turns the crankshaft the part with spokes that sits in front of the flywheel so the engine will start.
If you have a leaf blower whose starter assembly is seized, then it never turns over.
You have to remove and check whether or not the reel inside is moving freely if you have a tool that does it for you.
If it isn’t working, then you probably have to go and buy another one altogether.
Carburetor Failure
The carburetor might be clogged. A clogged carburetor is most commonly caused by leaving fuel in the leaf blower for a long period of time.
Over time, some of the ingredients in the fuel may evaporate, leaving behind a thicker, stickier substance. This sticky fuel can clog up the carburetor and prevent the engine from starting.
If your engine isn’t starting after you figured out that the carburetor is clogged, clean it out with a water-dissolved mixture containing parts from a spray bottle filled with gas. If cleaning the carburetor doesn’t work, replace or rebuild it.
Error in Spark Plug
Check the spark plug. If the porcelain insulator is cracked or damaged, the electrode has been chipped away, or if there’s a buildup of heavy carbon at its tip, it should be replaced.
To test to see whether or not your spark plugs are working properly, you can use a multi-tester.
Simply connect by turning on the ignition and cranking the engine yourself.
Your multi-tester should then indicate a positive test between its terminals in order to show that testing was successful and that your spark plugs are working properly.
Stihl Leaf Blower Won’t Start
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