DIYbanter - View Single Post - Black and Decker electric leaf/yard air blower stopped

Peter[_14_]

On 7/31/2017 9:20 PM, wrote:
I have an approximately 10 year old hand-held electric leaf/yard
blower that has seen a fair amount of use. Today as I was finishing
up blowing the crick-crack and twiglets off my driveway, the motor
sputtered and stopped after about 5 seconds. I shook the machine and
it started up again fitfully, never getting up to full speed.
Depending upon the position I held it in, it would run fitfully or
not at all. Banging on the case produced more fitful operation.

I am suspecting the brushes on the motor are worn out, but haven't
been able to get the unit opened yet. There are about 11 screws
holding the two halves of the case together. About 8 of the screws
are deeply set into the case, and of course they are filled with 10+
years of accumulated dirt and debris. I have been using a giant
needle to clean out the dirt and debris so I can use an allen wrench
to remove the screws and see what gives. Hopefully just brush
replacement will be needed.

My question here is: Has anyone else experienced a similar problem
and what did they find and how did they fix their machine?

Polite responses appreciated.

Lots of possible reasons for your problem. Easiest to diagnose requires
no screw removal. Perhaps you've developed an intermittent open in one
of the wires, inside the insulation where the power cord penetrates the
case. Try connecting a reliable source of power, turning on the leaf
blower's switch, and systematically pull the cord in each of the 12
directions as if the penetration into the case were the face of a clock.
Each time, pull the cord until the outside of the cord touches the
case, then while holding it in that location, try to push the cord as if
you were trying to feed it into the penetration. If any of these
maneuvers cause the blower motor to start, stop, or sputter, you've
probably got an intermittent open wire within an inch or so of where the
power cord penetrates the case. The solution is to get the case open
and either shorten or entirely replace the power cord to remove the
offending section of power cord. If the maneuvers don't affect the
behavior of the blower motor, the problem is likely to be something
else. Good luck!