# Craftsman Blower Engine/Fan Jambed/Seized



## darrellmak (Apr 10, 2006)

I inherited a fairly new (maybe a couple year old) Craftsman blower. I was told that it wouldn't start but provided no other details. First, I was not able to pull the cord to turn the engine. When I tried to disassemble the blower fan to see what the problem might be, it looks I turned the screw hard enough to unjamb whatever was stuck. It now feels normal (the pull cord now operates fine, the blower fan turns, I can see the cylinder going back and forth, and can feel compression at the spark plug outlet), but the blower still won't start. 

I sprayed fuel directly into the carb, but no improvement (so probably not a carb issue). I checked for spark with a spark tester, and can see a light spark (although I'm not sure how strong the spark should appear).

I'm now wondering whether the initially seized engine may be indicative of some type of problem. Does anyone know what it means when an engine won't turn? Was it just a little rusty, or is it because of some other problem?

THANKS!


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## hankster (Jan 1, 1998)

Pull the muffler and look for scoring on the piston/cylinder.


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## oscaryu1 (Mar 25, 2007)

spark issue: maybe get a new plug, clean inbetween the plug gaps, and make sure its contacts are clean. if you can see a orange/red spark, its OK , if you see a blue one, its good, and if you get a blue spark with a sizzling sound, awesome. PS you may not have enough compresssion. check that with a compression tester, or if u dont have one theres alot on ebay


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## madmanmoose (Aug 26, 2006)

I agree with hank pull the muffler check for scoring this unit may have been ran on straight gas no mix and you might not be getting enough compession to run the engine


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## darrellmak (Apr 10, 2006)

Great, thanks for the feedback.

I pulled the muffler off and looked at the piston. What does scoring on the piston look like? I see a hairline on the piston (is that normal)? The piston appears to move back and forth normally, and when it closes, it makes a small bubble out of the gas vapor.

Maybe I should still check for proper compression, but what should the compression reading be?

THANKS AGAIN!


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## tommyj3 (Sep 16, 2006)

Should have a compression reading of 120 or higher.


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