Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
A blower that has gone weak has usually not broken. It is breathing through a screen packed with grass dust, and the fix takes five minutes. EGO's troubleshooting table for the LB5300 gives exactly two causes for air velocity dropping off: the air inlet is blocked with debris, which you clear yourself after taking the battery out, or the motor fan is worn, which is a service centre job. That is a usefully short list. Start at the inlet, because it is free to check and it is the one you can fix.
This page is deliberately a small one and it carries no numbers, because none of the makers read for it publish any. There is no intake cleaning interval and no impeller damage limit anywhere in the Toro and EGO documents behind this page. Toro's rule for a damaged impeller is not a measurement at all — any sign of damage and you contact a dealer. What the page does carry is the sequence and the three things about a blower housing that are not obvious: the impeller keeps turning for a few seconds after you let go of the trigger, the bottom inlet cover on a blower-vacuum is a safety interlock rather than a lid, and the machine must never run with the inlet guard off.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Eye protection | Wear eye protection for the work and for the test. |
| Gloves | Wear gloves near the impeller and near the intake. |
| Soft brush | Use a soft brush on the intake screen. |
| Clean dry cloth | EGO tells you to clean the machine with a clean cloth. |
| The manufacturer documentation for your blower | The documentation gives the position of the intake and the guard. |
| Flashlight optional | The space behind the intake screen is dark. |
Find the cause of the low air output
Estimated 3 min
- Make a note of the change in the air output.1mReport a problem with step 1, Find the cause of the low air output
- EGO gives two causes of low air output for the LB5300 blower.
- Debris in the air inlet is the first cause.
- Wear in the motor fan is the second cause. A service centre repairs that.
- Look at the air inlet from the outside.1mReport a problem with step 2, Find the cause of the low air output
- The inlet is a screen or a group of slots on the body of the machine.
- Grass dust and small leaves collect on the screen.
- Read the manufacturer documentation to find the inlet on your machine.
- Make a note of any unusual noise or vibration.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Find the cause of the low air output
- Toro tells you to stop the machine if it vibrates or makes an unusual noise.
- Noise and vibration point to the impeller and not to the intake.
Remove the power source
Estimated 1 min
REMOVE THE POWER SOURCE BEFORE YOU OPEN THE MACHINE.
Toro tells you not to remove the inlet cover with the machine connected. The impeller can cut your fingers.
- If the blower has a battery, remove the battery from the blower.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Remove the power source
- EGO tells you to remove the battery before you clean the machine.
- EGO gives the same instruction as the remedy for a blocked inlet.
- If the blower has a power cord, disconnect the plug from the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Remove the power source
- Toro tells you to disconnect the plug before you clear the impeller.
WAIT UNTIL THE IMPELLER STOPS.
Toro says that the impeller turns for a few seconds after you stop the blower. The impeller can cut your fingers.
- Wait until the impeller stops fully.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Remove the power source
- Toro says that the impeller turns for a few seconds after you stop the blower.
Clean the air intake
Estimated 6 min to 10 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Wear the eye protection.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Clean the air intake
- Wear the gloves.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Clean the air intake
DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS THROUGH THE INTAKE SCREEN.
The screen keeps your hand away from the impeller. Contact with the impeller can cause a serious injury.
- Remove the loose debris from the outside of the intake screen.3mReport a problem with step 3, Clean the air intake
- Use the soft brush.
- Pull the debris away from the screen.
- Do not push the debris through the screen into the machine.
- Examine the intake screen for damage.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Clean the air intake
- The screen keeps your hand away from the impeller.
- A screen with a hole is a reason to stop and to speak to a dealer.
- Clean the body of the machine with the dry cloth.2mReport a problem with step 5, Clean the air intake
- EGO tells you to use a clean cloth on dust and dirt.
- EGO tells you not to use solvents on the plastic parts.
Examine the impeller
Estimated 6 min to 10 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- If your machine is a blower-vacuum, remove the vacuum tube.1mReport a problem with step 1, Examine the impeller
- Toro gives this step for its blower-vacuum models.
- A blower with no vacuum function has no impeller access. Go to the last section.
- Remove the debris from the blades of the impeller.3mReport a problem with step 2, Examine the impeller
- Toro tells you to remove the debris from the impeller blades.
- Use the flashlight.
DO NOT USE A BLOWER THAT HAS A DAMAGED IMPELLER.
Toro tells you to speak to a dealer. A piece of a damaged impeller can leave the housing and injure a person.
- Examine each blade of the impeller for damage.2mReport a problem with step 3, Examine the impeller
- Toro tells you to speak to a dealer if the impeller has damage.
- Look for a chip, a crack or a bend in each blade.
- Toro publishes no limit. Any damage goes to a dealer.
DO NOT PUT HARD OBJECTS INTO THE VACUUM TUBE.
Toro says that sticks, stones, acorns and pine cones damage the impeller.
- Look for hard objects in the housing.1mReport a problem with step 4, Examine the impeller
- Toro says that sticks, stones, acorns and pine cones damage the impeller.
- A hard object in the housing explains the damage that you find.
Close the machine before the test
Estimated 4 min
- Install the vacuum tube or the bottom inlet cover.1mReport a problem with step 1, Close the machine before the test
- Toro gives this step at the end of its impeller procedure.
- Make sure that the cover locks in position.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Close the machine before the test
- Toro says that the blower does not operate unless the cover locks in position.
- This is a safety interlock and not only a cover.
- A machine that does not start is usually a cover that is not locked.
DO NOT OPERATE THE BLOWER WITHOUT THE AIR INLET GUARD.
Toro gives this instruction. Contact with the impeller can cause a serious injury.
- Make sure that the air inlet guard is in position.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Close the machine before the test
KEEP YOUR HAIR AND YOUR CLOTHES AWAY FROM THE AIR INLET.
Toro and EGO both say that hair and loose clothes go into the inlet. This can injure you.
- Install the battery, or connect the plug to the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Close the machine before the test
- Do a short test of the blower in an open area.1mReport a problem with step 5, Close the machine before the test
- EGO tells you to keep bystanders and pets at a distance of 50 feet.
- Make sure that the air output is normal again.<1mReport a problem with step 6, Close the machine before the test
- Speak to a service centre if the output is still low.
- EGO gives a worn motor fan as the other cause, and that is a repair.
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- leaf blower
- Also called: blower, garden blower, yard blower, blower vac, blower vacuum, leaf vacuum, leaf hoover
- air intake
- Also called: air inlet, intake screen, inlet screen, intake vent, air vents, the grille on the side
- impeller
- Also called: fan, motor fan, blower fan, shredder blades, the fan inside the housing
- bottom inlet cover
- Also called: inlet cover, vacuum cover, the lid where the vacuum tube goes
When to use a professional
Stop if your blower has an engine. This page gives no procedure for a machine with an engine. The isolation step is different and the manufacturer gives it.
Stop if the impeller has any damage. Toro tells you to contact a dealer for a damaged impeller and gives no limit. Do not use the machine. A piece of a broken impeller leaves the housing at speed.
Stop if the air output is still low after you clean the intake. EGO gives a worn motor fan as the other cause. This is a repair for a service centre.
Stop if the intake screen has a hole. Stop if the inlet guard is not on the machine. Do not use the machine. These parts keep your hand away from the impeller.
Stop if the machine does not start after you close it. Make sure that the inlet cover locks in position first. Speak to a dealer if the machine is still dead.
Stop if you must remove a fastener to reach the impeller. This page opens only the parts that need no tools. A dealer does the rest.
Common questions
Why has my leaf blower lost power?
EGO's own troubleshooting table for the LB5300 is refreshingly short about this. Air velocity dropping off has two listed causes: the air inlet is blocked by debris, or the motor fan is worn. The first one you fix yourself in five minutes by taking the battery out and clearing the intake. The second one EGO sends to a service centre, and that is the honest split. Check the free one first.
Where is the air intake on a leaf blower?
It is the screened grille on the body of the machine, usually on the side or the back near where the motor sits, and on a blower-vacuum it doubles as the vacuum opening under the bottom inlet cover. It is easy to miss because it is not on the end you point at leaves. Your manual will show it. It matters because it is where grass dust ends up: you blow dry clippings around for an hour and the machine breathes them the whole time.
Is a chipped impeller blade a problem, or can I keep using it?
Toro does not offer a threshold to argue with. Its instruction after clearing a clog is to check the impeller for any signs of damage, and if it is damaged, contact an authorised dealer. No depth, no percentage, no measurement — any sign of damage. That is a stricter rule than most people expect, and it is the right one for a plastic or light-alloy fan spinning fast enough to move several hundred cubic feet of air a minute.
My blower-vac won't start at all after I cleaned it out. What did I break?
Probably nothing. Toro puts this in the manual twice, once as an instruction and once in troubleshooting: the blower will not run unless the bottom inlet cover is locked in place. It is an interlock, not a lid — the machine refuses to run with an open path to the impeller. Take the cover off and refit it until it actually latches. Toro's other check is that the power cord is seated properly on the back of the blower.
What actually damages the impeller?
Hard things going through the vacuum, mostly. Toro is specific: vacuum only leaves and soft items, because sticks, rocks, acorns and pine cones will damage the impeller. It also warns against forcing the tube into a pile of debris or holding it upright and force-feeding it, either of which clogs and damages the impeller. Autumn under an oak tree is the classic way to wreck one. If the machine starts to vibrate or make an abnormal noise, Toro's instruction is to stop, unplug and find out why.
Do I have to take the battery out just to brush the intake?
Yes. EGO's wording is to always remove the battery pack when cleaning or performing any maintenance, to prevent accidental starting that could cause serious personal injury, and it repeats the same instruction as the actual remedy for a blocked inlet. Toro goes further on the corded machines and tells you never to remove the bottom inlet cover while the unit is plugged in, because the impeller keeps turning for a few seconds after the switch is released. Your fingers are next to a fan. It takes two seconds.
Can I hose out the intake or use a solvent on it?
No to both. EGO's general maintenance instruction is to use clean cloths for dirt, dust, oil and grease, and to avoid solvents on plastic parts because most plastics are damaged by them. Water is worse — you are washing it into a motor and a battery contact. A soft brush and a dry cloth do the job, and if debris is packed hard into the screen, pull it out from the outside rather than pushing it through into the housing.
Related procedures
- How to change the cabin air filter in a car when the air conditioning smells or barely blows
- How to test a sump pump and its float switch before the wet season
- How to find out why a laptop runs hot and the fan is loud
- How to change the blade on a lawn edger
- How to put new line in a string trimmer, and what size line to use
- Clear a blocked pressure washer nozzle and inlet screen
- How to clean or change the air filter on a lawn mower
- How should I store my cordless mower and trimmer batteries over the winter?
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Rake and Vac, Super, and Ultra Blower/Vacuum, Model No. 51574 and others — Operator's Manual (Form No. 3372-875 Rev A)
- Tier 1Operator's Manual — 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower, Model Number LB5300
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29
- v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. The backlog entry asked for this page to be scored honestly and merged into a wider blower service page if the research did not support one of its own. It does support one, and here is the evidence rather than the assertion: Toro publishes a separately named procedure for exactly this task, 'Removing Clogged Debris from the Impeller', with its own isolation step, its own inspection step and its own dealer referral; and EGO's troubleshooting table gives 'the air inlet is blocked by debris' as one of only two causes of falling air velocity, with the other going to a service centre. A maker giving the task its own named procedure is the strongest available argument that it stands alone. What the backlog predicted about specifications was exactly right and is not papered over: specification density is genuinely two out of five. No source read for this page publishes an intake cleaning interval, an impeller damage threshold or an intake screen part number, so all three specifications publish as consult-manufacturer and the page carries no verified value at all. Both registered manuals are also older documents — Toro 2012, EGO 2015 — which is a second reason nothing here publishes as verified; the material taken from them is isolation instructions, an interlock statement and a two-row troubleshooting table, none of which is a value. Scoped to battery and corded electric handheld machines; engine and backpack machines route to the manufacturer in the boundary. Four URLs that would have added a current third maker are recorded under rejected: two STIHL BGA manual paths that 404, the STIHL BGA 50 manual which resolves but is a page-image PDF with no text layer, and an EGO LB6500 manual path that returns a PNG instead of the manual.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.