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Echo PB-413H Leaf Blower – Gas leak into Air Filter

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My Echo PB-413h backpack leaf blower has always generated strong gush of air over 8 years of ownership. So I was perplexed when one fall day, the engine sounded like it was struggling to breath and could not generate sufficient power like it normally did. It did however, respond to varying throttle settings (high, medium, low, etc.).

SYMPTOMS

  • Upon going through maintenance steps outlined in the Basic Maintenance post, I found the air filter + air filter housing were soaked with fuel mixture;
  • The air filter was fairly wet with oil stains (2-cycle engine oil is mixed with gas) and the filter housing was literally dripping;
  • Temporarily removing the air filter (but put the cover back on) restored my backpack leaf blower to its maximum performance;

REQUIRED PARTS

OPTIONAL PARTS

When starting out a repair project like this, I like to have spare parts on hand in case I cannot repair whatever I am working on.

With a new carburetor less than 35 bucks, I decided to have buy and keep a new Zama carburetor as a spare before beginning with the project. You could return it if you end up not using it but this carburetor has rather popular so the availability might be limited just when you want it.

REQUIRED TOOLS

  • Old toothbrush
  • Q-tips
  • Latex gloves
  • Phillips and Flat-head screwdrivers
  • Paper towel
  • HEX keys
  • Deep socket + ratchet (to remove spark plug)

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS

  • Perform all basic maintenance tasks found in the Basic Maintenance post;
  • If your new air filter is wet again after few times, we need to dig deeper;
  • Check to make sure that spark arrestor screen and muffler are free of carbon deposits;
  • Remove old fuel mixture and replace it with new, 89 or higher octane gasoline mixed with 2 cycle oil (50:1 ratio);
  • Run through the normal carburetor adjustment cycles (you can read on how to do it in the Zama C1M-K77 Carburetor Adjustment post);
  • If the problem is not resolved, you will have to replace the fuel diaphragm;
  • Make sure you buy a carb rebuild kit (see above for the link) and read my post, Zama C1M-K77 Carburetor Rebuild;

WRAP UP

Hopefully steps outlined in this post helped you to resolve your problem. In that case, can you do me a favor and sign up for my free newsletter? A signup for is found on the upper right corner of the screen.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Thanks and good luck with your DIY project!