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Why does my leaf blower run roughly?

less than a minute readMay 26Lyle Weischwill
image of gas-leaf-blower

If your leaf blower runs rough, first make sure there's fresh gas in the tank—old gas accumulates water and burns poorly. Replace the gas in the tank if it’s older than 3 months. Add fuel stabilizer to the tank to help keep the fuel fresh.

Perform preventive maintenance on the leaf blower. Preventive maintenance includes cleaning or replacing the air filter and spark plug. A dirty air filter will starve the engine of air so it will run rough. Oil and carbon deposits on the spark plug electrode can interfere with fuel ignition inside the cylinder—causing the engine to run rough. Cleaning the air filter and replacing the spark plug will help the engine run smoothly.

Cracks in fuel lines will cause the engine to sputter and run rough because the damaged fuel lines won’t be able to supply enough fuel to the carburetor. Check the fuel lines and replace them if you find cracks in the lines.

Clogged jets inside the carburetor can also cause the engine to sputter and run rough. If the engine still runs rough after doing preventive maintenance and the fuel lines are okay, then you may need to rebuild or replace the carburetor.


These repairs may help solve your gas-leaf-blower problem

JC-LB-Replace-the-leaf-blower-carburetor

Replace the leaf blower carburetor

The leaf blower's carburetor mixes air and gasoline in the proper proportions to create a combustible gas. If the engine starts and then sputters, or doesn't start at all due to lack of fuel, you might need to replace carburetor. It's often more cost effective and practical to replace the carburetor rather than rebuild it.

Leaf blower carburetor

Find the required part specific to your product.
Aug 01
How to replace a leaf blower carburetor

Is your leaf blower not starting even though there's gas in the tank? It could be a problem with the…

Repair time and Difficulty

 15 minutes or less
JC-LB-Rebuild-the-leaf-blower-carburetor

Rebuild the leaf blower carburetor

The leaf blower carburetor mixes air and gasoline in the proper proportions to create a combustible gas. If the engine starts and then sputters, or doesn't start at all due to lack of fuel, you can rebuild the carburetor. Rebuild kits are available for most carburetors and contain essential components for rebuilding a leaf blower carburetor, such as diaphragms, seals and gaskets. You can sometimes fix a fuel supply problem by dismantling and cleaning a carburetor. Use the kit to rebuild the carburetor after cleaning it.

Rebuild the leaf blower carburetor

Find the required part specific to your product.
Aug 01
How to rebuild a leaf blower carburetor

When a leaf blower won't start even when there's gas in the fuel tank, the problem could be the carb…

Repair time and Difficulty

 60 minutes or less
JC-LB-Do-leaf-blower-preventive-maintenance

Do leaf blower preventive maintenance

Proper maintenance ensures that your leaf blower runs smoothly and works properly. Refer to your owner's manual for guidance in maintaining the leaf blower. Replace parts such as the air filter, fuel filter and spark plug.

Do leaf blower preventive maintenance

Find the required part specific to your product.
JC-LB-Replace-the-leaf-blower-fuel-lines

Replace the leaf blower fuel lines

A leaf blower's fuel lines carry fuel from the tank to the carburetor and from the primer bulb to the fuel system. Fuel lines become brittle over time and can crack or break. Replace a fuel line that's brittle or damaged. Be careful to install new fuel lines on the engine the same way the original fuel lines were configured.

Leaf blower fuel lines

Find the required part specific to your product.
Aug 01
How to replace leaf blower fuel lines

If your leaf blower won't start, it could be that a clogged or cracked fuel line isn't letting gas i…

Repair time and Difficulty

 60 minutes or less