Can We Save This Junked BackPack Leaf Blower ?

[@SmallGrayBox]

Hi Mustie1 Once again another Sunday made more interesting. You've become my Sunday morning routine I always look forward to 😊👌

[@Popashistory]

Looks to me like someone put in a spark plug that was too long, it hit the edge of the piston and that did it in. Mystery part might be a compression release for starting. Thanks for the video.

[@danielhowiesr.2593]

Enjoyed the teardown, Mustie! Always interesting to watch you do the "play by play" in your repairs!

[@fair2middlin]

Thanks for letting us in your shop again Darren!

[@deckgun31]

Even if the outcome is not what the viewer may be looking for, someone can always learn from your videos. I appreciate all of your time and effort to educate us “garage mechanics.” Thanks Mustie1. Always enjoy wrenching with you.

[@yvesbeauchamp2166]

Ahhhh, my Sunday morning is complete! Thanks again for for sharing these videos!

[@steveharleyfan]

Torx and Loctite. What a nightmare. Edit to add: My bet it was laid on its side running while the user was trying to assemble the parachute harness to put it on his back. Running on its side without the oil dipper means there is very little getting splash lubed, and the side of the piston that gave way would have been the unlubed side.

[@meesau2112]

I bet your right most of them are 2 strokes where it wouldn't matter. Good point

[@havinfun1911]

That looks like a tb4bp ec. I bought 2 when I started my lawn care business, I found them on clearance at Lowe's for $100. One crapped out straight away but I still have the 2nd and it still runs great. Although they do have serious issues with the carbs. Love the videos keep them coming, I have learned a lot about small engine repairs from watching your channel.

[@skauldin_hotte]

a little trick I learned working on firearms and laser sights, when encountering loctite screws, especially them little bitty ones that are hex or torx, put your driver in the screw head and using a pocket torch, heat the shaft of the driver till it's really hot. that will usually break the loctite loose and you aren't putting heat directly on the part that might damage surrounding parts and pieces. the heat transferes down the driver to the screw

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

That destroys the torx bit, you had better have a disposable set.

[@vthokiebrewer]

"I decided to man up and hit it with my purse." Classic!🤣

[@1pcfred]

Just hit it with your purse was an often used comment on the job sites.

[@SixWheelsDown]

@@1pcfred well, im glad he said it bc that was funny and i would've never heard it

[@1pcfred]

@@SixWheelsDown it's a very common job site expression. There's a bunch of them I suppose. If someone's a slob you remind them that, Your mother doesn't work here. Sometimes we don't feel very quality oriented so we're apt to say, You can't see it from my house. When you're butchering something just to get it done. Or if you're contemplating butchering something one may say, See all the concern in my eye? You usually pull on your lower eyelid then too so they can see all that concern. Yeah there's none there. That's the gag.

[@nemesismcc]

When I saw the spark plug come out, my first thoughts were the piston had come off the conrod, and slammed into the head, but the valves were moving, so that ruled that out, Over the years as a motorbike racer, I have had many high revving 2 and 4 stroke engines drop a skirt from the piston, usual cause is a heat seize, that weakens the skirt, or a flaw in the machining of the piston, either way, once the skirt breaks away parts of it usually end up in the crank carrier bearings, and even if you rebuild it the bearings become the weak point and fail, great video as usual @Mustie 1.

[@KayakKingdom]

just want to thank you for all the knowledge. I don't have a lot of money. came upon a free curbside troybilt with a Honda motor. air/fuel/spark. cleaned all three, carb/air filter/spark plug. now it turns on with a single pull!!

[@general5104]

ALWAYS THE BEST !!! You always make me feel like I'm right there with you.

[@ToddRyan1]

I trash-picked this exact same model last summer. It ran but wouldn't rev. Thought I had a quick fix with a cheap new carb. Turned out the piston and wall were chowdered. I had a hunch you'd find something similar. Just glad I didn't pay good money for this piece of junk. It was fun to watch you tear down the same machine. Thanks!

[@chesterlauck734]

Love my Sunday mornings watching Mustie working on someone else's junk. One of the few times that it "didn't" run, but still a great morning video before I head to the shop to weld some metal on my beetle. Thanks Mustie

[@wes11bravo]

My vision is rapidly deteriorating. I read one of your sentences as "...off to the shop to weld some metal onto my beagle." And I thought, hmm, my fellow subscriber is making a suit of armor for his dog - that's actually pretty badass...

[@paullewis9490]

@@wes11bravo lol, a suit of armor for his beagle ain't so tough, but watch out for his dog! Any one of "man's best friend" that wears armor is one dauntless canine! I think I'm going to have the meantal image of an armor-wearing beagle in my head for the rest of this day!

[@patapouf75]

yesser... another awesome sunday morning show... Tanks a lot

[@bobcooke6346]

Thanks again, for taking us along for the ride, very enjoyable 👍🙂

[@greyone40]

I learn a lot about taking these things apart and fixing bits. Even more important for me, I have learned a lot of good maintenance tips so that I will never have to tear things apart and repair them in the first place. This is some of the best entertainment and education I get!

[@OutBoardTink62]

I went thru 3 Poulan leaf blowers manufacturer guarantees them to stay together for 50 hours of run time on average which in most cases will surpass their warranty time and usually takes years to reach. Anything after that is a Gods Send, HA! with usage. The 50 hours guaranteed runtime is probably the same for these and wear and tear just destroys them eventually.Eight years isnt bad actually probably landscaper may have used it alot. Should be an easy fix like always its all labor and many cant be bothered and put it at the curb, thats the American way. Hey its good for the economy buy another one,LOL! Great Video as always....

[@dozerman53111]

that was a great autopsy. Enjoyed the disassembly on that. Never hade one apart that far. Thanks

[@matthewchilton7124]

Back in the day use to put screw driver handles in a deep well socket for more torc . Plug socket to manual impact and hit with a hammer. Screws broke loose 90% of the time.

[@SMKreitzer1968]

Thanks Mustie1! Great shop time this week, thanks for having us over.

[@TheMaddogT]

You are the doctor Frankenstein of dead motors. I would have bet money on hearing this one run again. A rare autopsy but fun to watch.

[@marksmithson1414]

Love the way you take the time to put thingd into terms that everyone can understand

[@cynturner906]

You always give it your best shot. Thanks for another great video. I always learn something. Thanks

[@kcraig51]

The failure was directly related to it being designed to sell for $179 at WalMart.

[@BAZZAROU812]

$99 fathers day sale.. Lol

[@BAZZAROU812]

@Les We all know that thing is going to last one season.. It's worth every penny.. Lol

[@kcraig51]

@Les TRUTH

[@paulcopeland9035]

@@BAZZAROU812 Those machines are surprisingly good and will work for quite a few years if not abused! My daughter left one running on its side and "away" it went! I never took it apart, but my guess is internally, it had a strong resemblance to Mustie's!!

[@edpoints1127]

@Les regardless... It's total BS that a good name company would "downbuild" something to sell at a big box store. John Deere at Homeysdepot I believe is the same way. Not certain... I've heard. Either way, people have come to respect certain brands without knowing that company has made a 🤔 less engineered (? to try to be politically correct) model. Look into Traeger. Kinda different circumstances, good name and reputation - sold out to.... 🙄. People still purchase them because of the reputation... It's not the same. SMH

[@kensherwood4866]

Well you certainly had some chasing to do to fully discover the fate of that little engine. My theory is poor/cheap casting on the piston which failed. The vast majority don't so but the odd ones that do Meh they'll just buy a new one, never know what killed it. If the orig owner deleted the filter and rigged the netting, they may even blame themselves for the failure. Looking forward to free pile season!

[@zodwraith5745]

Oh, cmon, these modern Chinese engines are super high quality that would never fail. /s None of this stuff is built with any quality anymore even if you buy the big names.

[@shanemcdonald4956]

I really enjoyed watching you breaking that engine down.They are very simple but yet interesting with webbing for reinforcement and the oiling symptoms.Another great video on the books.

[@kanebenoit8987]

Always love your videos very entertaining and very educational, learning a lot!!!! Please keep going!!

[@TheCelltek]

Could be a counter balance. Love your channel and I learn a lot about small engines.

[@klusterskhaos8458]

I found it amusing when the valve cover screw was thrown into the magnetic tray and stood straight up.

[@jenksify]

And it was persistent in wanting to stay standing upright even after more screws were thrown in.

[@thomengel9720]

At least we know how to take one apart now. Good stuff!

[@donaldhalls2189]

It was fun to see it being pulled down thanks for the video all the best to you and all your loved ones

[@tolbaszy8067]

You make exceptional videos! What you work on is interesting, but your methods and camera sense are mesmerizing! Thanks for sharing! (I think the mystery component is for start up compression relief)

[@dougmilley2480]

The decompression setup is missing a piece. I think it came apart and took the piston with it. That would also explain the banged up screws.

[@langgbob]

You Got It Bob 👍

[@silasmarner7586]

Interesting and insightful. Hmmmm I think you might be right!

[@donavonlewis1039]

Hey Doug What is the decompression setup?

[@dougmilley2480]

@@donavonlewis1039 There's supposed to be a tab connected to the ring Mustie was taking off the cam gear. It holds the intake valve open longer to make the engine easier to pull start. It's only active below idle speed.

[@nhart6046]

Thank you for all the great videos, after watching them it gave me the confidence to do some of my own vehicle repairs.

[@dionpeek4339]

There’s a lot to learn by watching these programs

[@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059]

Ya Think?

[@dionpeek4339]

@@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059 Smart ass🤮

[@matthewshivers9235]

I figured it was the top of the piston that broke up, but the shattered bottom piston skirt was a surprise. No giggle of success on this one. 😁 Cool teardown!

[@AlexanderBurgers]

The cam gear spring thingy looks to be a decompression mechanism, although it appears to be missing the bit that pokes out to do the actual decompressing. Odd.

[@timk.1395]

It's always a good time watching you work on stuff. 😄

[@terrencebuller7676]

Good morning Mustie, always look forward to Sunday morning with Mustie 1. My guess was debris came in the air passage. Take care and be safe. 👍

[@billphilip9356]

Even though sometimes one of them doesn’t come back to life, you always teach us something. Love your vids. Keep it up. (No pun intended).

[@Iowa599]

I really like this headless style, no head gaskets!

[@MasterQuizzer]

I use Torx keys - like Allen keys, but with a Torx end - haveing the 90 degree bend means you can get much more leverage than you can get with the screwdriver handled ones

[@fredwilson635]

love the programs, learned a lot, saved a few dollars by watching the videos first. Keep them coming, I try hard to not miss an episode.

[@TestECull]

25:17 It's common in super small engines to have a full floating wrist pin retained by a pair of teflon buttons. All of my RC 4-strokes are built this way as are some of my 2-strokes.

[@agtrestorer8438]

It was a valiant attempt Mustie, you can't save them all. It was a good educational video.

[@Clearanceman2]

I almost skipped this because I was thinking who cares, but you made it fun and interesting anyway. I don't know what you did for a career but you would have been a good shop teacher.

[@wallingj68]

Eric O's torque multiplier noise is "C'mon Baby!" RIPs leaf blower.

[@alandunphy2445]

That is the model that cured me from buying gas powered small yard machines. Used one season and nothing but problems after that. Took it to troy built authorized repairman several times, could not get it to start properly. the first time he adjusted the valves with very little effect after that he said nothing was wrong with it. The electric starter does not spin the engine fast enough to get it going. I still have it in the back of the garage if you want it at 04967. All battery powered for me now.

[@CreativeMerits]

Here is a tip, Take some of your more common hand drivers cut them off long grind the shank to a Squair so they will lock into your drill/ impact chuck. Love the channel Good Job!

[@johnobiro5202]

Another great one Mustie. 👍🇬🇧🔧

[@charlesmasten8026]

ok mustie did you see what I just saw you do ???? when you threw that last bolt into the pan it landed right on it,s end standing strait up !! ! good toss my man !!! 1 in a million !!!!!

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed 👍👀

[@Zeke___Marsh]

Your content blows me away 😂

[@kanadianken5673]

Again / fantastic content. Always learning when I watch your work. 👍

[@jdmccorful]

Good learning session. Thanks for the look! Enjoyed.

[@paullewis9490]

After reading the comments posted here by "Mustie's Peanut Gallery", (of which I too am a proud member), I have refined down to one sentence the lesson to be learnt from this machine, to wit: "Never blow leaves farther than your blower has extension cords." Okay, that's cheating, but I've never had to add oil, (or gas for that matter), to any of my electric leaf blowers. I've found that any leaf that falls farther out than I can reach with my electrics can damned well stay there! Thanks to Mustie1, and thanks again to our infamous Peanut Gallery! You guys have a great day!

[@thomasramsay4286]

Nothing a little JB Weld can't fix!

[@SixWheelsDown]

i remember Troy-Bilt being the lawnmowers i'd see advertised on tv in the 90s when i was a kid.

[@paulcooper2897]

Top of that piston looked oddly colored .. my guess is water without the air filter, and that froze and broke the piston ... first startup in spring would finish the job ... Ran fine last year!! Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

[@stazeII]

When he was shaking the block to get parts out I did see some water splash/drip out…

[@zman4150]

Whatever it is Mustie1 I think it's a common fail point - I trash picked my same exact machine with the same exact crushed spark plug about 2 or 3 years ago. I remember watching your videos & checked some of the basics, set the gap & she's been running fine ever since without ever looking down the plug hole. I know what I'll see now! LoL... When she does finally blow up do you want it? I could use the blower nozzle in the meantime... Thats what she said!

[@TWmOrfar]

I've crushed the handle off screwdrivers to get a long reach "bit" to put in a drill chuck.

[@luckyedwards4870]

Not to diminish the quality and entertainment value of ur show, but considering how interesting it was when u explored and repaired the unique items like the welder and the car jump battery pack, I was hoping u'd do more of those shows. I found them uniquely interesting. Still tho, ur always a thumbs up!

[@johnmorrison1180]

Mustie you are forgetting that age old trick of a few sharp wacks with a hammer on the end of the screwdriver to free up those stuck fasteners. Never the less you got them in the end, good show.

[@Bigninjon]

Shaking it like it's the last quarter in the piggy bank! Lol

[@anytractorman]

Well, you did get a nice selection of screws!

[@abigor315]

I love these small engine repairs!

[@loumencken9644]

Me too, even when the small engine turns out to be beyond repair.

[@AraCarrano]

You so need the $80 dual camera borescope that Eric. O just previewed on SMA.

[@kpdvw]

There comes that time " if in doubt throw it out"...nice autopsy in any event Dr. Mustie!

[@buddyweiser8508]

If you didn’t live so far away I’d swear you were working on my Troy-built blower that blew up under warranty. I didn’t have tear it nearly as far apart though. I took a bore scope and just looked through the spark plug hole. Mine the whole piston was in the lower case. The only thing in the cylinder was the rod and wrist pin. Troy built replaced under warranty, but it was a bit of a pain.

[@ericroadking7564]

Just a oddity of natureLOL a lemmon those things are usually bulletproof!! Good job brother!!

[@stu12ish]

I love your videos, I've been a mechanic all my life. But I always learn something from you Thank you for your awesome content best guy on youtube, Rock on. P.s I thought the ring had broken :)

[@piotrassliwa]

Well, you don't always win ... The most important thing is that you did your best.

[@perryturpin766]

“It’s getting smaller……………… that’s what she said” Had me cracking up!!!!

[@franktaylor7617]

😎👍 Keeping me company while I work on my Mini. 😁

[@BubbasWorkshop]

I believe that cam gear cover is a simple oil pump that grabs oil and then slings it up through the hole right next to the teeth on the cam gear ...if you look at the cam gear there's a hole on it and it can build pressure but can only let the oil out when the hole is facing upwards towards the push rods and rockers.

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

Even when it doesn't come back to life you have cool videos.

[@matthewggreen]

Been there with a free $450 blower, still in a million pieces. Always enjoy watching!

[@fanofoldfans9238]

I'm going to say that piece on the cam is a centrifugal compression release and the piston failed because it's made out of pot metal slag. Not to mention no air filter and water in the dirty oil. When those small 4 strokes came out I thought they were really cool but, not anymore... I really enjoy your videos!

[@rickwalling1148]

Now is when my wife says “ Whatta you going to do now” LOL LOL a great video

[@benrandomly2016]

The sheet metal plate is what helps oil the top end. It catches oil and slings it up the push rod holes.

[@TerryLawrence001]

Just enough chaos going on to get my ADD going. My bench always ends up like your bench in this video. I love it! You could always build a big jig saw or filing machine. ;-)

[@Dr_V]

You need a long bits set and/or a narrow bit extender. For a long bits set there are plenty of options, from the ones available here in Europe I'd say Bosch offers the best price/quality ratio. The best narrow bit extender I've ever used is made by Yato, but I'm not sure if it's available in the US.

[@u.p.tinkering]

Can't win em all!!! Sometimes they are just destroyed and sometimes ya get lucky! Love the videos Mustie!

[@M.TTT.]

13:00 I use the 1/4" hex bits and extensions with the impact to reach those hard to get to fasteners/bolts.

[@ionracer24]

Same, those are life savers

[@donnie2533]

Great video glad you posted keep them coming thanks

[@patprop74]

Now we know why these get thrown out, you can't take it to a repair shop, by the time they get it apart to service it the bill is already 2 times what a new one costs, and that not counting parts and reassembly, What you could have tried is converting it to electric battery-powered lol

[@xcalibre222]

Some people were just not meant to own tools, lol. Great Vid as always Mustie1. Thanks :)

[@BAZZAROU812]

Harbor Freight has entered the room..

[@andrewmain3572]

Pist'n'broke- the story of many peoples lives!

[@theodoredugranrut8201]

Thanks Mustie1, we enjoy these autopsies

[@radicalrepairs3888]

they make them all different , good luck finding used parts.

[@Fraggi77]

Cute little engine, perhaps for a kids bike build?

[@vincejamison8078]

Finally, a Sunday morning show to replace Jimmy Houston fishing. 😁

[@TheStig1961]

Hello, If a screw, nut or bolt is tight. You need a "magic code word. Use the finnish word" PERKELE. If it don't open, just add some extra "R". Thank you for your informative video. Regards Stig Österberg from Dalsbruk in Finland.

[@toddrouch7526]

Awesomeness!! I love these videos that you make.

[@bentboybbz]

I wonder if the wrist pin seized for just a moment and as the crankshaft continued around it tried to yank or push the piston sideways in the bore breaking the piston skirt off. Probably not but I've always been curious if that can happen. Thanks for reading! If you are still with me I Hope You Are Having A Great Day ! And I Hope You And Your Loved Ones Are Safe, Healthy And Happy!!

[@benkanobe7500]

Small Vice Grips on the head of a screw like the ones holding down the cylinder can easily break the torque without damage and then you can use your hand tool to unscrew it. Works great on old Carbs too.

[@jsimm4587]

Alright !!!! I’m workin on a sears blower hand held now too !! Carbon built up under the ring and stuck it ! Of course I broke the ring getting it off so I’m lookin through the junk around here to find a used piston and ring ! The cylinder is not scratch but you can see some scarring in it . What am I out of if it don’t run nothin but my time ! If it works good for me !! Love these videos !

[@chevyv20]

That's exactly why when I decided to purchase a backpack leaf blower. I spent a little more, but I bought a Stihl, and the most powerful one at the time. I bought it off season, and if I remember correctly I spent about $480. That being said, I 12 years the only thing I have had to do is tune it up once about 2 years ago. She still fires up every time easily, and runs as strong as she did the day I bought her.