How do I remove fuel varnish from blower?

[Jack Rabbit]

I'm starting with almost no money so I'm borrowing everything I can until I can get my own tools. My nephew gave me a blower but the fuel was left in it and turned to varnish. How can I clean that?

[jklawncare]

Lawn care business tips

If its varnished you might have to take it into a small engine repair shop if your uncomfortable doing it yourself because it wont just be in the tank it will be stuck in the gas lines and the entire engine.. So unless you took a small mechanics class in highschool and learned that like me or you are comfortable trying it yourself id recomend paying a little bit out of your pocket to get it fixed..it shouldnt cost much.. If you are comfortable doing it yourself and your not gonna mess it up and be forced to take it into a repair shop and be charged more for what you did then just reply saying you are and ill help guide you through it.. I dont reccomend it though..but thats just me..

[Jack Rabbit]

Thanks jklawncare.

Given that, I'll probably get a new economical one. Getting the old one fixed would probably cost good chunk of the price anyway. Later I can try to fix this one or get it fixed.

Unless ... he said it has varnish but I haven't examined it yet. I'll do that and report what I find.

[Steve]

Can you take a pic of the carb? I bet you could unscrew a couple of parts like the fuel bowl and spray it with some gum out?

[jklawncare]

Yeah id take a look at it first
There are some chemical ways to fix it but its not promises

Try paint stripper and rince with acetone or water
or
carburetor fluid works well too...i really wouldnt recomend it though unless you know if you mess it up you wont need it...

Just make sure at the end of the season to drain your tanks..it helps alot..most people dont do that but it makes your engine more efficiant and run longer

Originally Posted by jklawncare

Yeah id take a look at it first
There are some chemical ways to fix it but its not promises

Try paint stripper and rince with acetone or water
or
carburetor fluid works well too...i really wouldnt recomend it though unless you know if you mess it up you wont need it...

Just make sure at the end of the season to drain your tanks..it helps alot..most people dont do that but it makes your engine more efficiant and run longer

jklawncare,

No offense, but your small engine class in high school may help you understand engines but when it comes to carburetors, it will no way prepare you to properly disassemble, clean, inspect, repair, and reassemble with new parts, gaskets, and diaphragms that may be needed.


Jack Rabbit,

As far as the highlighted part, DO NOT TRY THAT!!!!! I have over 15 years experience working on engines and let me tell you, that is NOT a way to do it.

If the trimmer is one of the following brands, do yourself a favor and throw it away:

-Homelite
-WeedEater
-Craftsman
-Ryobi
-McCulloch,
-Any other brand that is inexpensive to replace.

From my numerous years of experience, let me tell you, if it has been sitting for any time period with gas in it, the carburetor will be gummed up, will need EXTENSIVE cleaning, and will absolutely need new gaskets and diaphragms. This is something that, unless you have training, you should not attempt. Consider that in the small 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" carburetor on your blower, there are probably up to 20-30 small pieces the size of a pencil lead and each of these:

-are important
-are easily dropped, lost, and/or misplaced(trust me, I still do it after 15+ years)
-are delicate
-need to be properly adjusted
-need to be properly cleaned

Your blower will likely need this at the very least just to get it running on its own:

Carburetor cleaned,
Complete carburetor rebuild kit (professionally installed),
Fuel line REPLACED (not cleaned),
Fuel Filter replaced,
Spark plug.

The reason I would highly suggest not trying this on your own unless you have had proper training is that the gaskets and diaphragms need to be installed in the correct sequence and facing the correct direction. The internal parts of the carburetor need to be cleaned properly and inspected for wear and damage. Then new parts need to be properly installed and adjusted. The entire carburetor needs to have been cleaned most likely and to do this you need to know what you can and can not take apart. For this you need to understand operation theory, otherwise its a wild guess.

Let me know if I can do anything to help you.

Good luck,
Eli

[jklawncare]

Thanks superiorpower

Like i said i wouldnt recomend that but some people have done it and said it works..

and the chemical would only be used to clean out the tank itself not the engine.

and idk about your hs but i took two levels of small engine repair and it tought me how to take apart engines and clean them and put them back together..even with new parts

Im truly sorry if i gave some bad information
but like i said i wouldnt recomend it

One of the reasons I would not recommend using it is because of the extreme fire hazard (if I understand correctly anyway). A second reason is the rather horrendous health risks... I really don't want to see anyone get hurt.

I didn't take the classes in HS. I took them before. My dad has being running his own small engine shop for over 40 years. So I went to school and went home to school!! lol I still call him every once in a while. I called him once or twice this week alone.....

[Jack Rabbit]

I still haven't had time to examine the blower but I will. Then I'll get those photos and try gumout.

So far, I've been able to borrow almost everything I need for bare bones basics to get started.

I had a small engine class in mid high (10th grade). Yes I remember it so clearly, the tribe had just carved the first wheel from stone, ...

[jklawncare]

I saw an infomercial for this stuff last night but i was too tired to watch..

I know im digging up this old thread but im sure alot of people have this problem starting out.

its called start your engines.

I imagine it would work fairly well..depending on how long the gas as been settled in there..