The longer you’ve had and used the Craftsman leaf blower, the more likely it is that carbon deposits have built up within the exhaust port. The concentration of sooty black stuff clogs the exhaust port and also prevents the expulsion of air. This might cause the compressor to operate hot, perform erratically or fail to start or continue running. Cleaning the exhaust port to remove the carbon accumulation is a fast fix and will restore the machine to working order.
Disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug to ensure the Craftsman blower can not start abruptly.
Remove the screws which secure the outer plastic exhaust housing into the machine. Put the screws aside and pull on the plastic exhaust housing from the blower to access the muffler.
Remove the bolts which attach the muffler into the machine. Put the bolts apart and pull the muffler from the blower to access the exhaust port.
Slowly turn the flywheel until the piston completely covers the empty space behind the exhaust port. Keep the piston in this place to stop the carbon accumulation from falling to the cylinder as you eliminate it.
Scrape the carbon from the interior of the exhaust port using the side of the tip of a flat-head screwdriver. Stop scraping every so often and vacuum the loose carbon from the interior of the exhaust port. Keep vacuuming and scraping until each the carbon is removed.