How old was the gas that was in it? Has it been stored in an area with changing temps?

Gas was new. An I had just used it a couple of days before. Any way, I brought it to the "Authorized Repair Center" for Poulan (a local lawnmower shop) and the very helpful person there told me that indeed, the life expectancy on these things is just what the label says. "Those things are basically disposable", he said. I'm just naive I guess in thinking a machine ought to last longer than that. I'm going to buy a Stihl and hopefully it lasts longer. I really don't expect Electrolux will repair my old one.

Wow. The same stuff just happened to me today.
I bought this unit 2+ years ago. Used it fairly steady for
cleaning up grass clippings and of course leaf blowing.
It worked flawlessly til today. I finished a tank of fuel,
filled up and never got it started since. New spark plug,
clean air filter, checked for spark, have compression, put
fuel manually in carb throat...nothing. And I just went to
the shed to read the label, Emission: durability 50 hours.
Incredible.
I'm with you: Stihl here I come.

Just as a follow up, I found this from a Briggs & Stratton document:
"The Emissions Durability Period describes the number of hours of actual running time for which the engine is certified to be emissions
compliant, assuming proper maintenance in accordance with the Operating & Maintenance Instructions."

So hopefully this leaf blower isn't done yet.

O.k. That makes a little more sense. But I am hearing more sad stories of cheap blowers going DOA. I'll update this when I hear from the repair shop.

Check to see that the cylinder to crankcase bolts are tight. Poulan/Weedeater has been using this same basic blower design for several years now, and I have come across a couple that have quit because the cylinder bolts have backed off.

The 50 hour rating is for emissions compliance, they can run a lot longer if cared for properly. Personally, I run a 32:1 mix instead of the 40 or 50:1 that is recommended. I use Mobil 1 MX2T synthetic - no smoke! I also adjust the mixture to match the weather conditions (air density). I adjust a little leaner in the summer to achieve higher RPM's - and richer in the cold weather so the engine doesn't overheat and lock up when blowing snow off the porch. (You can buy replacement limiter caps at a power equipment shop)

Good Luck!

oops - forgot to mention checking the carb bolts too.
I have a 1998 Poulan/Weedeater BV1650 that I re-ringed last year (well over 150+ hours of use) and a PBV-200 purchased last year that has about 25 hours on it. They are almost identical except for the color of the housing, and minor engine/carb revisions, and I have no complaints with either.
When using as a vacuum, I use a bag from a Toro blower vac because it is easier to empty than the original.

arceeguy,
I just fixed a Poulan blower for my son-in law, and it was exactly as you described. The bolts on the bottom of the jug had backed out, and there was a visible gap on the one side. Unfortunately, I had checked compression and was getting 90 PSI, so I didn't immediately see the problem due to the plastic shroud. After cleaning the carb and checking for spark, it still wouldn't run inless I poured some gas directly into the carb, and then only for about 3 seconds. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that the carb wasn't delivering any gas because it wasn't getting any pulse from the crankcase. DUH!!!. After tightening the 2 bottom bolts, it fired right up.
Must be a fairly common problem with those units.

The ones I fixed made a peculiar "wheezing" sound when you pulled the recoil starter as the crankcase pressure was being forced out of the loose jug. So far, the new(ish) PBV200 hasn't had any loose fastener issues.

Thanks for the suggestions. But the blower is at the repair shop for now (they had a 30 day backlog on warranty stuff). I've since bought a Stihl BG85, and couldn't be happier. If they agree to fix my Poulan, I'll just use it for it's vacuum attachment. I should hear from them any day....

Well, I just picked it up today, and guess what? They fixed it no charge!! Brand new short block. So now I'm happy, and Elecrtolux is king. Now I have two handheld blowers. One for each hand!!

Thanks to all who replied.

I've got one of these units and it has also died. I don't have a spark through the plug. Is there a way I can check the Ignition Module for correct operation? Also what is the gap sopposed to be between the IM and the flywheel?
Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark,
That cdi air gap is .012 inch. I use a plain business card as a guide. Rotate the flywheel to bring the magnets of the flywheel up to the cdi. Loosen the mounting bolts on the ignition, put the card between the flwheel magnets and the cdi and tap the cdi toward the magnets. The magnetic force helps position the cdi. Retighten the cdi bolts with the card in place. Now remove the card and fire it up. Check the cylinder to crankcase bolts while you have it apart, if they are loose add lockwashers.

Best wishes,
Bob.

Can someone tell me where to find these two crankcase bolts? I removed all the shroud bolts but could not get the muffler off because of the starhex bolts. Do you have to remove the shroud entirely to get to them?

Steve,

On either side of the spark plug there is a hole that goes down through the fins of the cylinder to two bolts through a flange at the bottom.

I don't recall the size of wrench I used but I know I just took mine apart and used an inch size allen wrench. They may be Torx but the allen wrench fit fine.

I have one also that will not start. I have new gas, the compression seems good (using a thumb over the spark plug hole), however when I attached a wire from the spark plug to the block I received no spark. How can I check the ignition module? Also how do i get to the module as the impeller assembly is in the way of the shroud?