STIHL BR 400 Won't Start - Carburetor Leaking Fuel, Engine Flooded, Backfiring (FIXED)

[@FarmCraft101]

Haha, lost the keys twice! I bet there were some 4 letter words involved in that fiasco! Great troubleshooting Jim, thumbs up.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Jon. It was definitely a roller coaster of emotions. It took a week to get the part. I was beside myself the first time they went missing never mind the second time.

[@bradh74]

@@jcondon1 That was great that the Dog really tried to eat your homework! Your Dog is the reason why that excuse exists! Great video, I enjoy watching both You and Jon systematically fix all the issues after explaining/ figuring out how it works, then the call is it worth it, and making it run again. Hope both of you have years of success on youtube!

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

I constantly lose things. The other day I wanted to cut some pieces of insulation so I went to a drawer where I thought I had a tape measure but I couldn't find it. I looked in several other places then came back to the drawer and it was right where I thought it should have been the first time I looked. I live alone and nobody else was around. I had to have looked right at it but didn't see it. When I started cutting the pieces, I lost it again on the table and it took me 5 minutes to find it on the table. I wish I had a wife, kids or dogs to blame, but it's just me. They say you find things in the last place you look but I all too often find them in the first place I looked after going back a second or third time.

[@jpkellyburbank]

Reminds me of an old joke: what do you get when you play a country and western record backwards? You get your wife an dog back! Nice video.

[@stressmasterbk4294]

lol i just watched you doser cylinder repair. love both of your content

[@goofe.washington953]

The diagnosis using the screw, to indicate that the magnets were off, was excellent. Common sense, but I never would’ve thought of using that method. Just excellent.

[@YukonHawk1]

I agree 100%.

[@einfelder8262]

The backfire on a 2 stroke is dead giveaway that the timing is out.

[@YukonHawk1]

I love that your wife and dog tried to help you.😅😅😅

[@volvogt21]

Nice to see another blower. Nice change from generators.

[@AW-Services]

I love Thursdays, especially when another video appears. Another one saved another fine fix

[@bertgrau3934]

Another extremely good video, I didnt think about the screw to find the position of the magnet, I would have just taken it apart if i thought it was the timing. A great tip for sure. 😊

[@MrRmh3481]

The port in the housing is to make the machine a sprayer for plants. Different fertilizers and so on. I get a kick out of you with that torque wrench! Good Job!

[@pilatus421]

I'm pretty sure with the carb issues this engine got flooded and hydro locked and that's how the key broke. Thanks again for a great video.

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

I had the timing wander on my pressure washer recently. It got harder and harder to start over time. The keyway was cast into the flywheel, but had sheared. A bit of filing and a new key and all good.

[@kaboom4679]

It is easy to overlook timing on these engines as very few folks know or think to check for a sheared key or wallowed out keyway . I had one , many years ago , that was a trash pile pick . I cannot remember much except it would almost start and everything else was perfect and it was an old Briggs horizontal shaft motor that looked almost new . So , I finally decided to tear it completely apart . It was NOT a sheared key , but , something way more bizarre . The flywheel , which was otherwise the correct part , had no fewer than SIX different keyways machined in it . 4 of them were not the correct size , and , of course , only one was in the correct spot , and it was not the one the flywheel was installed on . I don't know if this was some disgruntled / diabolical factory machinists prank , or , if this was a previous owners doing . I kept that flywheel around for years as a trophy and a reminder to check EVERYTHING before you start throwing parts at a repair .

[@tauncfester3022]

I had bought an ancient German made blower mostly made of cast aluminum with a 73 cc engine and it turned out the white powder that was the inside of the blower assembly was DDT, there were a few of these floating around that were used in a USDA mosquito eradication program. I wanted the engine off of it, but it was a toxic waste hazard and I triple bagged it up and sent it to our local waste disposal site during one of their toxic waste disposal days. The engine was a strong runner.

[@DanKoning777]

First, it's sad to have to admit this but with fraud/corruption being the norm today, I usually doubt those who say they're trying to help/benefit me in some way. After being burned so many times I'm always looking for the catch, so it's hard to trust people like before-but every now/then I do. I can say w/o reservation, I believe that James and the words he closes with each time are genuine: *"I hope this video helps someone."* I have no doubt that both are true. 👍 as always. God bless.

[@BruceBoschek]

I don't consider the content provider's attitude to be my business. If I profit by watching the video I am grateful and I express my gratitude. My grandpa taught me almost 80 years ago, "If you want to be happy, mind your own business and always be kind."

[@daveruzius]

These videos are not only instructive, VEEEERY relaxing (I watch these as slowTV instead of fish tank or fireplace vids) but also sometimes very funny (losing the keys to your wife / dog). Loving it. Thx so much!

[@TheLawnmowerLady]

"Ran when parked" That's what they all say. Glad you got it sorted out.

[@richb419]

HI James, the way I have taken off the flywheels is cut two wood wedges and lightly tap them in between the case ( not too tight just enough to apply tension) and flywheel then with the nut loose tap with a brass hammer, they usually come off in one hit. then to remove the key, with a pair of side cutters grab the key and leverage out Rich

[@robertpeters9438]

Tapping hard can reduce the field of a magnet.

[@paulsullivan6392]

Well truly...the dog almost did eat your homework. Once again your high skill level was on full display. Well done sir.

[@markyoung7470]

We now are calling you the Blower man /Generator guru Nice job Jim 2 thumbs up 👍👍

[@josephpuchel6497]

Hey James excellent tutorial. Sometimes it’s hard to get parts because of them being discontinued.

[@thomasstewart9368]

Thanks for posting this video. Lately I've become discouraged diagnosing small handheld equipment. I'm finding the more difficult problems to diagnose. Frustrated having to take them completely apart & repair the problem. Finding myself at the point of no return often. Frustrated 👍

[@GNX157]

James, get this, my parents had a motobecane moped way back in the late 70’s or so, that had a flywheel magneto and crankshaft with NO woodruff key. The only way to have it installed and right was to have the flywheel timed and pressed on the tapered crankshaft then the bolt tightened, at the moped dealer shop, and my recollection was that we had to have this done several times over the course of its life, till they finally got rid of it.

[@ericvaughn1126]

She's a runner! Those BR 400s are great. VERY unusual, as you said, to aee a sheared flywheel key on a blower. I've never seen that happen myself. Backfiring though the intake was a strong clue for sure and nifty trick tracking the flywheel magnets BEFORE disassembling it to confirm your theory. 👍👍💨

[@watermanone7567]

Excellent job James: I don't think I have ever seen a broken flywheel key in a blower. Great video to remember to look for this. Thanks

[@RandyGriffin-jx7uy]

Great video Jim , just did the very same thing but bought mine from a guy at a yard sale for 20 dollars he was just sick of it , but the bad thing about this one was the guy did not know much about small engines and messed with just about everything lol , but it was clean and already had the parts easy fix . Gave it to my favorite brother-n-law for his birthday. But I also got a Troy bilt super bronco rotor tiller with an eight hp Honda that had set in his shop for two years with the same gas in it . Put a kit in carburetor, cleaned gas tank new air filter, spark plug and it ran like new just sold it for 3 hundred great day , great video gave you a sub keep them coming and be safe

[@martin4787]

The clone carb is working perfectly. While you had the plastics off, I would have re-torqued the cylinder, after what had happened to the previous one James. Keep em coming James🙂👍

[@jcondon1]

I did double check off camera. Everything was nice and tight.

[@martin4787]

@@jcondon1 👍🙂

[@paulravitsky2898]

What a coincidence, I recently ordered a part from the same seller that also took the long way around. I've ordered from him before without incident. He's also about 45 miles from me. I noticed there were arrows on the starter cup pointing to loosen....;) Good call on the sheared flywheel key, Never would have guessed that on a blower.....

[@MrTonyPiscatelle]

Nice job James, it is sure running well now. I have a similar machine , a few years newer yet. But I learned quite a bit from these Stihl blower videos.

[@lot27a]

These last two videos were really informative James. I have the BR600. These are really well made machines. I've done simple maintenance on it. Filters, plug, etc. I'm glad mine doesn't have that funky spark arrester. Much easier now on the newer models to service that part. The machine even came with a t-handle torx wrench for the plug and most of the fasteners. I'm gaining confidence every time I watch your videos. I've heard just replacing the primer bulb on these can be a bear....we'll see. Thanks again for the real world content!

[@tarstarkusz]

I think you should buy the rebuild kit for the OEM carb. The OEM is just going to be much higher quality and as long as there is no physical damage, it's well worth rebuilding.

[@ezinatx]

I would like to see a video of the rebuild.

[@alunjones4427]

Had to look twice nearly dismissed this video thinking it was last weeks. 😂 Good job I realised excellent video well done.

[@boomerdrillman]

James, your videos are always on point. The way you work through the diagnosis is spot on. I dabble in small engine rebuild and repair, but you are a real pro! Thanks for the videos!!!!

[@michaelkennedy2528]

Love it!! Nice coffee and a James Condon video on the "cold" 38 degree morning here in Florida. We had " Florida snow" here this morning (frost) so this is a welcomed video..

[@leonardcrum6896]

31 degrees on this North Florida morning!

[@martyb3783]

I wish all mechanics were as conscientious as you. Great video as always!

[@davidblake6889]

"The dog ate my homework, sir." I seem to remember that from a very long time ago. Nice save there, James. I really hate working on two stroke engines. Whatever I do to them seems to make them worse. You seem to have the magic touch, my friend. You really do. Though I did think that burning off the old oil and fuel from the spark plug with a blowtorch right next to a flooded engine was a bit sketchy. Great video as always. Many thanks for all you do.

[@chrisbolton4900]

I've got a BR420 with the exact same no start problem. Just took it apart and sure enough a sheared key. I know what caused this though. I found the blower laying face down in the shed one day and righted it. Went about my business and didn't thing about it. A few weeks later I went to start it and it was hydro locked. It doesn't take a whole lot of pulling for that tiny key to shear. I had another blower so I set this one aside and haven't thought about it until this video popped up.

[@swallowinn4410]

Hello James: Good diagnosis great video. A suggestion for the plastic tube and straightening the (PLASTIC SET) in the tube. Time and weights are your ally's in straightening the tube. I use some transmission fluid to coat the inside of the couragations. (WD40 would probably work) Then attach some weight to the end of the tube. I have a tin can full of old nails it weighs about 3lbs. Hang the tube somewhere it can stay out of the way for a long period of time (a couple of months) with weight pulling it down. Use a heat gun or blow dryer to soften plastic and straighten the bend.Do this slowly or plastic will stetch beyond desired shape. Let sit for days.repeat the warming with heat gun. I stress warming not overheating.think a relaxing sauna not a sun burn. After 3 or 4 warmings an waiting a while with the weight attached, the plastic will reshape much straighter and probably be slightly more flexible. This is a "ready for next season" type repair not, I need it next week. I hope you give it a chance on the bent tube you wanted to straighten.I think you will end up with a useable spare.

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

When you said it was popping back through the carburetor, I wondered how it got past whatever one way valve they use on the intake. When you found the flywheel to be out of time, I wondered how that could happen on a leaf blowerer. As you said, there is seemingly nothing to abruptly stop the flywheel. That got even more puzzling when you removed the nut on the flywheel and it took considerable force on the puller to remove the flywheel. My experience with sheared flywheel keys on Briggs engines is that the flywheel practically falls off when the key has sheared. This flywheel seemed to be on tight enough that it would have stayed in place without a key to hold it. You didn't show taking the sheared piece out of the flywheel keyway which made me wonder if there was a piece in it. I also noticed that there was a repair tag attached to the blower leading me to think it might have been worked on before. Is it possible that someone took it apart before, possibly to replace the crankshaft seals and didn't get the flywheel aligned with the keyway and cut the key off as it was tightened down?

[@jcondon1]

The piece was in the flywheel. It actually fell out when I removed the flywheel and I did not find it until days later. It’s also a tapered shaft if properly torqued a key is not really necessary.

[@BruceBoschek]

Excellent call on the culprit! Good thing it was a Woodruff key or it might have been difficult to remove the remains. Thanks for another very informative and entertaining video!

[@PaulMack1249]

With all this experience fixing leaf blowers, my 2 “basket cases” will be a cinch for you. Nice job, Jim, although we were hoping to see Shane do the outdoor testing, since he did such a good job in the last video.

[@jcondon1]

I was just thinking about that basket case this morning. Thinking I missed leaf season and wondering what the odds are all the pieces are there and also wondering what was wrong with it that resulted in a complete tear down. Also have a couple a chainsaws I need to fix.

[@billhenry7833]

Red flag! Block!

[@robsteinhaur221]

Hi James, I can't tell you how much I enjoy your videos. I look forward to them every week. Thanks for sharing.

[@additudeobx]

Nice save for that 400... great job !!! I wonder what cause sheared that key... A great way to detect small leaks is with Brown paper towel. Like the kind used in restrooms. Any liquid that touches the paper towel turns it dark brown. Easy to spot....

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Used to do yards and had to hand pick leaves out of prickly bushes. LOVED the 1st 400 the outfit bought. SUPER blower and no more hand picking. All old Stihl's are TOUGH! Can't figure out how the key got broke because the fan didn't show anything. The vacuum kit I got for my old 85 handheld has a steel 3-tooth spinner/grinder that goes on the end of the crank and also a reinforced snail blower housing but works fine on old dead stuff but not green. Great for blown leaves. Good fix and the cap is for hooking up a backpack sprayer off of I believe.

[@daveschroedersworkshop4479]

Nice fix Jim. Loved how you identified the sheared key. Great video as always!

[@Farm_fab]

Jim, a number of years ago, I had a Craftsman line trimmer, and it was a strange critter. It was made to pull the recoil a few times, then push a button to spin the engine. I'm not sure who designed that, but it sheered several keys off until I got tired of it, and it went away. Haha. Previous to that both my mechanic and I had never seen one like that, and he wasn't impressed. He hoped to not deal with them again. Aside from that, it ran better than earlier models with vibration issues.

[@larrykelly2838]

Great diagnostic learning video Doc.

[@AZVIDS]

Very informative. Learned quite a bit from this video👍👍👍

[@gregorypierce6703]

Great complete video! Your thoroughly detailed video is helping folks better understand the equipment.

[@larryfarquhar8211]

Really good video James! Just a thought for you. My Dad used to use dish washing soap to install the rubber grommets, or bushings, or when pulling fuel lines through the tanks. It’s really slick, but will dry out and form a good seal and makes easy when dry to detect any leaks! Just a thought.

[@gregorypierce6703]

The soap is how I learned to install rubber bushings! I always had a couple of travel size bars in my tool kit

[@gregb76]

Great job Jim that will come in handy for you and your son.

[@generessler6282]

Great session. I love these sleuthing episodes. Sure you thought of this... Maybe the carb needle stuck open and flooded things so there was a righteous backfire that broke the key.

[@tmcgaffigan]

Excellent video! Your knowledge and skills are unmatched. I really like that you have such a calming voice.

[@eamonmcdonnell8275]

I dont blame you for getting the woodruf key in a safe place. As John says "Thumbs Up"

[@shoptalkwithbrett6572]

James, I believe that rubber cap you were showing on top of the fan chamber is for a duster accessory Stihl made for that blower for applying fertilizers and the sort.

[@grahameida7163]

thinking of the forces involved to shear that key !

[@seastacker8582]

Nice diagnosis and fix! Hard to use anything else once you’ve used a nice backpack blower. I run mostly stihl stuff, but my backpack is a redmax which is also excellent.

[@davidslater7917]

Brilliant in depth vid, so helpful and informative. Many thanks for sharing this with us

[@dennisharrison1920]

I believe that cap on the fan housing was put on there for the BR400 to be used for applying class a foam for brush / forest firefighting.

[@JohnnyCab]

I like how you torque almost everything down to specs. And I see you use WD 40 as a cleaner protector also, nice work.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks.

[@bluesfan51]

Thanks a lot, your videos make me much more confident about working on my own small engines.

[@davidpawson7393]

20 years ago I was working part time at a local garage and traded a car stereo for a Honda three door DX with a blown engine. Long story short after many failed at diagnosis I found that the distributor shaft bushing had started seizing which melted the rotor just enough that the screw holding the rotor had melted a slot about 40 degrees into the rotor as the shaft was round with only the screw and screw hole being the mechanism of proper timing location. One reman distributor later I had my girlfriend exactly what she needed to start her housekeeping business. The shop later shut down which needs no diagnosis.

[@keithaustin2917]

I don't know if you did .but I would have checked the head bolt as well for tightness as it is quite an old machine .lovely job ..

[@jcondon1]

I actually did off camera and all were properly torqued.

[@brad9529]

The engines run beautifully on those.

[@jcondon1]

I agree very crispy great response

[@abrdds]

You are good, no nonsense know how… love it. I have never thought to use flames to dry out a spark plug… genius. Touche’

[@Ram14250]

James, you can boil hose tubes/ plastics in water to make them flex. That is a trick.

[@jcondon1]

Yes, also a heat gun on low works well.

[@bubashalom8274]

You've got it!

[@twofeathers6540]

thanks all ways great job have fun

[@2packs4sure]

That whole flywheel key debacle was so of MY life.. lol Welcome to my world !!!

[@andrewgrace4410]

Great fix James 😊

[@dinosaur6756]

If it's popping out of the carb/intake, you've got a broken woodruff key, and the timing is off. It's time to tear that sucker apart. Yay for us!!

[@jcondon1]

I was hoping for a simple carb clean

[@jameslarson6555]

You need a nice bench top parts washer! Love mine, makes life much easier.

[@nickflopper]

Your flywheel side crank bearing is going out. That is what caused the key to shear. The flywheel has been making contact with the coil (made evident by the witness marks on the flywheel, and the wear and metal dust on the coil) which can only happen due to play from a bad bearing. Also when the flywheel was off you can see a small gap around the seal and crankshaft, which is typical because as a bearing goes bad it takes out the seal as well from being out of round. The same problem will eventually reoccur

[@satin227]

That plug identified as a birthday candle for a moment like quick make a wish before i go out

[@tombauer7330]

James, that lost key story was hilarious!

[@John-cb6wn]

Excellent video and tutorial

[@PilotMcbride]

My guess of cause & effect would be carby leakage -> crank & cylinder flooding -> hydraulic lock -> key snap. Glab to see your postal service as efficient as ours 😂😂. I have had a couple of parcels go for round Australia trips 😂😂. Ah technology is such a wonderful benefit to us all.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

17:36 That's for the optional glitter injection port accessory. Great for New Years Eve celebrations and Sweet 16 Birthday Parties.

[@rayvoorhies7180]

Interesting fix. I didn't expect a leaf blow to shear a key. That muffler with fuel oil would create one big backfire. 😅 Draining the muffler was a good call. I'm curious why James doesn't use a Tach to set the idle speed?

[@fredrickvoncold]

thats good detective work.

[@tarstarkusz]

31:06 You should clean that fan blade. The smallest amount of dirt in a fan dramatically lowers the air flow. I am always amazed at what a big difference even a small amount of dirt makes.

[@PeterDurrant]

Another great video. Thanks James. Lots of useful tips and tricks as usual. 👍👍

[@oldodger]

Pretty fancy brass hammer...I like it !!

[@krg038]

Great video. Wish I would have had a blower as a boy doing our yard leaves but I wouldn't have earned 50 cents per week raking a huge yard. 😂

[@robertmailhos8159]

That is a great question of what that plastic Cap is for when you were taking it apart to fix the timing issue

[@dalestanley506]

You can add a system that sprays pesticides etc with the blower

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@dalestanley506 thank you for the info on this Cap.

[@rovhalgrencparselstedt8343]

If i was to guess, prolly an alternate air takeoff point for cooling the engine on some models, or maybe theres an AC addon for the backpack part to cool your back so you don't get all sweaty wearing it all day. If neither of those, maybe it has to do with the same blower housing beeing used on leaf vacuums to bleed off excess air pressure as to not kill all suction from the restriction the bag adds. These are just guesses, it may even just be an artifact of the molding stem or such.

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@rovhalgrencparselstedt8343 thanks for the info on the Cap only sthii know s what it's for

[@williambrownjr2346]

I have a Husqvarna 125B leaf blower and several weeks ago it just stopped running. It's only a year or so old. It had spark, fuel and thought it had low compression so I replaced the piston and ring to no avail. It still wouldn't start. Thinking back to when it stopped starting, it had something loose internally that was making a strange sound and the rope hard to pull. Come to find out the reverse threaded nut that holds the impeller on had loosened which caused the strange sound and the rope to hang up. Mine too was a timing issue all along. I'm waiting on the new part, a new flywheel. Rather than a key way, the Husqvarna flywheel has it built into the part. The "key way" was partially sheared which can only be seen from the back side of the flywheel. The timing issue with mine was caused by the impeller loosening and partially shearing the flywheel "key way". Thanks for all your videos.

[@DeadKoby]

I asked the same question you did.... How does one shear the key on a leaf blower???

[@cndream1]

Do you use a specific vendor on Amazon for buying the carburetors on all of the 2 cycle machines ?

[@colin8532]

Very nice work sir, and a heck of a score on a nice machine like that!

[@jimbrewer2893]

When I heard it pop I thought bad plug or timing. I really would like to know how that key sheared. As you said, very rare on a blower. Then there's that guy Murphy.

[@oldguysoldbikes]

Like you, I was wondering what might have happened to cause it to shear that key.

[@philliphall5198]

Seems to be a common thing because we’re had 3 ion last couple of years, cheap materials?

[@oldguysoldbikes]

Definitely a possibility. Could also be either a incorrect torque spec or torquing procedure on the line I guess. @@philliphall5198

[@jackd23]

22:13 Haha... I had gotten myself the same puller, same issues with the screws. The diameters are a mix of imperial and metric, and the thread pitch also varies, some are imperial and others are metric as well.

[@BMP8888]

Are you going to rebuild the OEM carb? This machine deserves it. Great job saving the STIHL.

[@jcondon1]

Yes

[@loucinci3922]

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing

[@dalestanley506]

I would bet the carb started leaking first, caused partial hydrolock and the key snapped on startup. The rubber plug is for a chemical spray system, can be added on.

[@98ChevyK1500Z71]

Never touches a leaf blower, fixes two, then seeks out another one! Excellent videos on both. Found your channel researching generators and repair. Excited to now see an expanded topic that I hope continues and brings more (good) work to your door.

[@Baileys.small.engine.repair]

Just outta curiosity which of the following is the most common cause of push lawn mower vibration in your experience? I would love to hear your answer and others: 1. Damaged blade 2. Loose blade/blade bolt 3. Unbalanced blade 4. Bent crankshaft

[@jcondon1]

1 and 3 kind of related.

[@Baileys.small.engine.repair]

@@jcondon1 thank you for voting!!😊

[@cbauer72]

Someone seems to have enjoyed testing the previous blowers a little too much and had to get one for himself. Heh.

[@williamfoote2888]

There is SO much great stuff on FB Marketplace.

[@jesterr7133]

I just had a postal service odyssey myself. About six months ago I ordered the kill cable and the knobs that go on the middle of the handle on a old Craftsman push mower that I have. I ordered them from Sears, and despite ordering them together, they were shipped in separate packages. The cable came in on schedule, but the knobs didn't. I requested a refund and attempted to order them again, only to find out that they are out of stock indefinitely. I couldn't find the knobs from any aftermarket sources, and eventually gave up looking. They showed up in my mailbox about a week ago, lol. They were lost in the mail for 6 months, smh.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

As usual. Great job!!!! Thanks Jim!

[@joncooke2450]

Hi James, another great video thank you👍 One question: Did you leave the clone carb in, or did you clean and reinstall the OEM one??

[@neutralmind6047]

That’s what I was going to ask lol Jim did say that he wanted to rebuild the carburetor I either missed it or it was put on at a different time

[@brucejones2354]

He left the clone carb on. He will probably rebuild the OEM carb later.

[@brucejones2354]

He left the clone carb on. He will probably rebuild the OEM carb later.

[@jcondon1]

Left the clone in. Still need to order a rebuild kit for the oem carb.

[@somerandomguy3868]

Nice machine

[@austrebertojimenez8393]

very good job, am watching you all videos👍👍

[@jeffreyandreas7514]

Great video, very interesting and informative!

[@loucinci3922]

Enjoyed video. Thanks for sharing