Problems with Ryobi 280r Blower

[Scooby074]

I have a ryobi 280R blower (yeah i know its not the best make) that wont run.

Ive rebuilt the carb and changed plugs. Ive also checked out the keyway and flywheel and all are ok so i doubt its a timing issue.

The engine wont kick even if i put gas directly in the cylinder.

I have lots of spark.

Compression is around 110 PSI

Now heres where it gets interesting.This may be a little hard to describe but here goes. I removed the muffler thinking that there may be a blockage in there. When i pull the engine over and the piston comes up on compression, i get gasoline bubbles in the cylinder caused blow by past the ring. Almost like you put soapy water on a leak in a tire.

Now with this much blowby why is my compression so good? Looking in the exhaust port at the cyllinder walls i dont see much scratching. Could i have a stuck ring?

I dont want to put any more into this blower. I already have almost 40 into it. Just not really worth it considering the brand. Blower was a "Gift" to me from a neighbor so who knows how long it was sitting in his garage

I suppose i could pull the cylinder and have a look. Im going to cobble together a leakdown tester and give that a try as well.Any other ideas?

 

[Scooby074]

Bought a leakdown tester, looks like i have about 15% leakage. Which is still in the bottom quarter of the "good" area of the gage.

So i pulled the cylinder off. Cylinder walls looked pretty good, minor scuffing, but no gouges.

However, the ring was stuck. Pried out the ring and cleaned the groove and reassembled.

Ran the tests again, 110psi compression and 12-15% leakdown. So pretty much the same. Usually i would change the ring and hone the cyl, but I dont really want to spend the cash on this ryobi. ANd the test results really arent that bad.

Tried putting some gas in the cyl and pulled it over hoping for some life... but nothing

Any ideas why? Or things i should try?

It has a new sparkplug and theres spark there.

 

[lightninboy]

I own a Ryobi 290r blower. As I recall it was like a $100 unit but it works pretty good when I get it started. Are you sure yours isn't just worn out? I would only get about 4 or 5 years out of a cheap weedeater and then the engine or the bottom end would go bad.

 

[Scooby074]

Yeah i think its just plain worn out. Even though the tests say otherwise, its not worth much more parts and time. Ive put it on the back burner for now, i may go back to it , but itll likely end up in the trash.

 

[lightninboy]

My Ryobi blower got so it wouldn't run and nothing like Sea Foam seemed to get it working and I took the carb apart and it wouldn't run and I junked it. It seems like a rather well-built machine, and I suspect the problem was a stuck flap in the carburetor or fuel-related somehow.

A new similar blower (Weedeater brand) can cost $60-$100, a good used one starting at $15. A dealership basically won't look at a machine for less than $30. A replacement carburetor if you find one and if you really need one might cost at least $30. So junking is often the best option, although you shouldn't be afraid to examine the carburetor thoroughly first, as what have you got to lose at this point? If you get more than four or five years out of a cheap two-cycle engine, you're doing pretty good and starting to live on borrowed time.

 

[Scooby074]

blower went into the trash. Not worth any more parts. A basic Stihl can be had for <$200. Thats the route im going when the need arises for a blower

 

[lightninboy]

My Weedeater blower wouldn't start this year. The primer fuel line was cracked. I put in a new primer fuel line and a new fuel intake line and it runs fine now.