Pittsburgh Pap I was thinking... I might as well just learn to fix it myself. NO ONE around here wants to even TOUCH a Troy-Bilt! (A couple of different people have said as expensive & cheaply built as they are; u might as well just buy a new one!)
Pittsburgh Pap Hi I've a wolf 2 stroke hedge trimmer it will not start the carburettor has been distmantled cleaned replaced there's no problem with the spark plug fuel is getting into chamber and it still will not start any ideas ?
See if it will pop on spray ether (starting fluid) take off air filter and wet intake with it. If it sputters and runs briefly then all things needed are in place but prevented from working. Vacuum leaks, old fuel, undiagnosed clog, weak carb diaphragm, clogged exhaust? Air/fuel mix off watch h the adjustment video below
My Poulan Pro string trimmer had the very exact same problem as yours, with the empty bulb and all. On mine, I opened the carb and pulled-out the same type of yellow crap you did on yours. I found out that, that yellow gunk stuff is from the inside of the old and degraded fuel lines. I replaced my fuel lines and hooked everything up EXACTLY the same way I had it before; only to figure out that I had hooked-up the lines backward the previous year when I installed that new carb. Now that all fuel lines are new and installed, connected the right way this time; my Poulan- Pro fired right up again and I was able to adjust the low & high ends for fuel mixture. Thanks for your video showing the different possibilities and of the fuel stoppages.
This video was awesome. I loved the SW PA accent! I actually paid a licensed company to work on my weed eater, they replaced the fuel tank and both fuel lines (both the clear and black lines). They said it started for them. I took it home and it didn’t start. I watched this video and went out and took the carbonator apart on my Troy Bilt and low and behold....it had a similar kind of gunk in it. The gunk actually looked like ear wax. I was getting gas into the ball previously unlike in this video, but it wouldn't start. After cleaning out the gunk, it started on the 4th pull also. Thanks SW PA accent guy!!!
Thanks, that was my problem with a weed eater leaf blower. First changed the fuel lines but that didn't work....primer bulb still wouldn't fill. Watched your video and followed you advice. Found gunk on the mess fuel filter inside. Cleaned it out and presto !! Thanks once again !!
Wow I have the very same model and have the very same problem, I'm so glad that you shared this info because I was at the end of my rope trying figure it out
Fantastic video, and comments too. I am selfishly grateful that you had to go a bit of a way to find a solution as I fear that I am about to go down that same road. Thank you
Another thing to watch out for is the exhaust screen which gets clogged up with carbon drposits. Your weed eater will start, however when you rev it up to build the RPM'S , she'll stall out and you can't keep her running. You will have to find the screen, usually by the exhaust area, dismsntle the outside area surrounding it, pull the screen and you will see sll the black carbon on that screen. Take a good wire brush and scrub that screen clean so as to see daylight through the screen itself and also use carburstor cleaner on it so as to make sure it's extremely clesn, and re-install, put your casing back together accordingly, she'll start and run like bran new. You MUST put the screen back, as it acts like a pollution control system, and besides, if you didn't, all the carbon will cake up onto the cylinder of the machine, causing you even more extensive as well as expensive repair costs.
It pretty simple, NO PATIENCE !! People want their problems solved in 30 seconds or less. Thank you for the compliment! I only make videos one way, the way it happened, up close and personal.
It's not sawdust bro! It's from using bad gas. Since I switched to shell, I haven't had any problems in the last 5 years, except for regular routine maintenance. Real good explanation of showing where the problem lies.
Thank you for the video, saved me from rapping my weed eater around a pecan tree. Followed your video step by step and found the gunk just like you did. Cleaned the gunk out and everything works great.
Did you know it takes one gallon of water to make a single almond nut? And zero weed eaters! Eventually you will need the other weed eater video below if it stop powering up. Thanks for watching!
Just finished doing this very thing to out Lowes Troy Bolt weed trimmer. IT WORKS! Even better then when it came out of the box. Thanks for the video. Your accent reminds me of where I grew up in Somerset County PA.
Brett Barkman Younz got that right n'at! 40 miles east of my place. My wife and I made it into the Daily American when we wrecked our Harley between Trent and New Centerville. We rode thru and stopped at every bar, restaurant, gas station, antique store, park, grocery in the whole county, many times. Our favorite place to ride until we found a pothole. I have videos of Laurel Hill Park, Rockwood, Idlewild Park, and others on this channel.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! my problem was the exact same as yours. You just save me at least $50 bucks and the trip to lawnmower repair shop... God Bless you
Fuel line was kinked and sucking flat replaced full line put filter on it works goooood had to adjust high side used hack saw made straight cut across til I cut flat head groves and adjust it smooth thanks for your video it got me on the right track
Thank you! Thank you! I made my skeptical husband watch your video after he had called the manufacturer and Home Depot and got no help. He followed your tips and it worked! We've been vindicated.
Awesome video... without you I would have put it in a small repair shop and had to pay $60.00 minimum. For what turned out to be a 10 minute maintenance issue. Helpful videos like this is one of the major reasons why RU-vid is such a wonder web invention. Thanks A lot.
DanRiceky Marsh You are so welcome. I have used youtube for many things, from fixing my washing machine to gardening tips. RU-vid IS a wonderful thing! I am glad I can give back in small ways. It always nice to receive feedback from viewers . " drain your fuel before winter! " ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v7bKJx_7W6Q.html
Ethanol fuel is the Achilles heel of small engines, the gunk is called varnish and it comes from the Ethanol, if you use non-Ethanol or a stabilizer like Sta-bil it will eliminate this issue. I couldn’t figure why back when I was a kid people never had this problem…then a man about 5 years older than me said yep, it’s bec gas today is feces (he used the preferred pronunciation) , I haven’t had that problem since, but I do have to fix everybody else’s that I know, and I’ll charge them 20 bucks or so, and tell them what to do differently and they usually listen and don’t come back for the same issue again. Great video by the way, so many people don’t realize how much varnish todays gas creates!
man I was having the same problem with my weed eater gonna have to check into this problem thanks for the help to narrowing it down to the possibilities thanks again
ok so i took the carb off sprayed it with Parts cleaner it wasn't as gunked up as your other guys weed wackers were and I put it back together and holy cow it fired up I cannot believe it this thing runs better now than it did brand new thank you so much for your RU-vid video I would never have figured this out and probably would have just thrown it away and bought a new one out of aggravation
I had the same issue with my Craftsman weed eater. Thanks to your video I was able to make the repair and was successful. The weed eater wacker never did run well. The engine does not respond to the throttle because it surges then it barely seems to have any power and it goes wacko between the two extremes. After the repair this pattern of engine running continues.
Ethanol is alcohol. The original problem with alcohol in gas was some parts wouldn't hold together with alcohol in the fuel. If you remember we put alcohol in gas to get rid of water years ago. This was not caused by alcohol in the fuel. It is probably the oil gas mixture and that is why I bought a 4 cycle weed trimmer. I use and leave ethanol gas in it and been doing it for some 5 to 7 years now. I have done nothing to it but pour the oil out and put new in. I push the primer bulb and with one or two no more than three pulls it is going. If I stop it one pull all I need give it. I use it to till, cut limbs with a saw blade, string trim. First one I bought had a problem and never did find anyone to fix it. I bought the same model from Troy Built which fixed the problem apparently and they added a self choke. I don't know how it works but I love it. Push the primer bulb and give it a pull away we go. Now the string head is another story. One of these days I'll have to pull the plug to see how it's doing... ha ha. I do use one of the scrubber pads for dishes in the gas tube on the plastic gas tank. I cut a piece off about an inch or so and roll it put it in the end to filter out stuff before it goes in the tank. I don't know what kind of fiber those pads are made of but it makes a great fuel and air filter.
Thanks mate, almost leave leave mine at the shop and they said it will take two weeks, it too me five minutes after watching your video. Much appreciate
I'm having the same problem with my Troy built that look very similar to this weed eater. I'm going take apart the carb again and make sure it is free of debris. Thank you so much for this video
I cleaned out the screen and it ran for 15 30 seconds then shut off. I figured out the diaphram is bad so I ordered one off ebay so I'll get it in a week and that should fix the issue
Did you re-prime, and restart then stall again, and again, and again? Test is to show if primer bulb can push gas and it runs over and over again 15-30 seconds then it might very well be the diaphragm not taking over to supply fuel. If you do not get a restart 2nd or 3rd try after re-prime you might need to adjust carb screws. Here is how. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v7bKJx_7W6Q.html
Pittsburgh Pap Yes I re primed and it would run for 15 to 30 seconds then shut off. I reprime and it would do the same thing. Thanks for the link I will watch it and I'm almost certain I do need to adjust the screws
Pittsburgh pap , I tried to start my one year old troy bilt trimmer and it's doing exactly the same thing as yours . tomorrow after work I'll try to clean the carb as you did. My trimmer looks almost exactly like yours. Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing what you know! I love these videos, we are poor so we have to be smart around here lol. My husbands murray wouldnt stay running so we looked at everything it all looked great and we did the calibration trick and its ran longer than it has so far!
You got lucky! Went through mine, a Homelite I got at Estate Sale from owner who said he always used the pre-mix like True fuel and should start, so rather than inducing a problem I didn't try to start it before taking home, cuz even 8 month old pre-mix can go bad. Removed leftover truefuel. Flushed tank with gas and then filled with true fuel. No start..I mean like you said arm hurts - manipulated choke throttle. I had already cleaned up with compressed air before messing with removing intake cover, etc. then removed the intake - a little dirty, blew dry and rough clean with carb cleaner. No go. Spark check OK>>clean plug and cleared cylinder prior to reinstalling plug. No Go. Removed carb, thourough cleaning, good flow. reassembled- no go! Arm coming off..went on to the next one, a leaf blower with same motor. brief external blow clean and fresh fuel. Fired in 4 pulls. Same motor.
I finally gave up on this videoed unit. I could no longer revive the carb. Installed a new $13 shipped to the house carb off ebay, it fired right up. However the grass end melted away a few weeks later and I was faced with buying a new head or a new unit. I went with a new unit.
Well I'll give it a shot. It will be a miracle if I can take mine apart and put it back together. I wish you'd showed how you took what ever it was to get to that gunk in the carburetor and how you took the throttle linkage off.
I did not remove the throttle linkage, I just pulled the trigger slightly to allow clearance to lift the top block. I only removed the two screws on either side of the primer bulb.. then lifted the top off carefully. 2 screws and a slight pull on the throttle trigger. that's ALL. At 4:15 you can see the top of the carb with the green hose lifted off and moved to the side exposing the gunk.
sixty9harley: Your video is very helpful. My 30 year old McCulloch Eager Beaver Trimmer was getting an attitude: it was hard to start followed by stalling before I finished trimming (about 20-30 minutes). I first replaced the input fuel line, fuel filter, and return fuel line with a Ryobi kit from Home Depot, comes with a great stiff wire loop to thread the stubborn fuel lines through the top of the fuel tank: took me less than 2 minutes to pull the new line through the fuel tank; it takes me 20 minutes using a hemostat or fine nose pliers: this kit was worth the $7 & change. Then armed with new can of carb cleaner & starting fluid, I did exactly what you did in the video. The starting fluid was necessary to force start this old nag. Once it was running, feeding fresh fuel through the carb by running it for 15 minutes (I did some actual trimming instead of just running it to idle), the old Eager Beaver was brought back from the dead. Also on this ethanol issue, I compiled from many postings that 89 octane pump gas mixed with the prescribed amount of Sta-bil Marine (blue) & Sea-Foam keeps the gas usable: remember to shake the gas can vigorously to mix & emulsify any phase separation. I replaced the fuel lines before viewing your video, it alone did not work. I was about to give up. After viewing your video, I decided to follow your procedure. I was not in the mood to rebuild the carb: the McCulloch re-build kits are probably no longer available. Maybe I can get another 30 years out of this. Many thanks for your great video & advice!
+Bowling Doc Glad your Mac is still on the attack! I have the old eager beaver chain saw that just keeps running, however it is starting to overheat badly.
+sixty9harley Try adding SeaFoam in the gas mixture; I found that all my power equipment run better due to what SeaFoam calls "LUBRICITY': the petroleum distillate provides a higher level of lubrication which could help with your overheating Mac........worth a try...............restore the classics, don't thrown them away!
Starthron Starthane it's blue looks like windshield washer fluid. I swear by it. It has an Enzyme in it that eats Varnish left behind from Non Ethanol fuels. When you run Ethanol Blended fuels through equipment that normally runs on no Ethanol Fuel the Ethanol in the blended fuel works like a paint stripper. Thereby clogging all the little screens & filters. This has also been know to cause engine light issue on many vehicles. I saw you're nifty vid on the carb adjustment tool you made. I used to do it old school, I take a die grinder and cut slots in the tops. So what I I took a little aluminum off. These things are mass produced, and depending on what day of the weak it is there know way of telling if it was properly bench tested before going out the door. By the way Large Zip Ties are cheaper & last much longer than the the line they sell you. ;-)
Good deal it worked out. I was about to say that gunk might've been corn mash from the ethanol, but that's probably stupid to say. I will say that my TroyBilt mower says not to use part ethanol gas but I don't have a choice. Back before Internet I tore down a Craftsman and seen that I needed some little rubber diaphragm thing but couldn't buy from the shop because of the old Job Security thing.
I'm glad I found this video my murray had whipped my but with the same problem saw this video and within 10 minutes it was up and running again now to try your solution to adjust the carb it should be better than new.....Thanks!!!!!
Good job , have a trash find Homelite similar to your Murray brand I'm going to have to check out later doing a compression check first . Second clean carburetor and replace gas lines for there rotten . If all else fails a cheap carburetor off Amazon will fix it hopefully - a last resort - for the repair .
If only I had seen this earlier. I just threw every piece of lawn care equipment I own- tractor, rakes, shovels, everything into a pile on the front lawn and doused it with gas and set it ablaze with the trimmer on top because I was tired of trying to get it to run.
I just bought this same trimmer at a pawn shop for $20, not working. A $3.50 can of carb cleaner later and some elbow grease I got that sucker running. It's amazing how often it's just a dirty little carburetor that won't let it start!
yes ethanol with gel up if it sits but a word of caution carb n choke cleaner will ruin any rubber o-rings or seals inside where you cant see to remove then
I had a similar issue on a Homelite with a zama carb, build up what I think was a plastic like ring that fell away from the Welch plug. You could see it floating through the clear diaphragm for the bulb.
Prior to seeing your very cool video, I've replaced the fuel lines... No start... cleaned out the carburetor(twice) ran for 2min...stopped. Removed and thoroughly clean carburetor again.. no start.. I've seen issues with mufflers and ignition... But I'm getting just a tad frustrated.. How much further can I dig till i have to dig into my pocket for another trimmer?
They WILL run, you just have to tinker, check out my carb adjust video also! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v7bKJx_7W6Q.html Since it ran for 2 minutes it is getting fuel and spark, I would start with trying to get 1/4 turn counter clockwise.
Worked like a charm for me.. same symptoms no start, pump bubble sticks with no fluid after pumps. Just took apart carb assembly and spayed out thoroughly with carb cleaner. Worked like magic. Was about to buy a new one.. Crazy how a lttlel bit of dirt can cause such issues
Fantastic! Thru all the great Reponses to this video we have learned it is ethanol gunk from leaving fuel in the tank for even a few weeks or months. Ethanol mandate + 2-stroke engines = all manner of problems!
I worked on 2 cycles for over 30 years, one of the things I learned is if you have to "prime" a carb, then the carb has a problem, or wasn't built right.
I bought a Murray trimmer just like that from a yard sale for $5, I've got the same issue I think, no luck getting it to run so far, I'm going to try what you have shown in the video.
It could be flooded... Take spark plug and out, crank it 10 times... Make sure spark plug valve is open... Leave spark out for a day... Come back to put it in, betcha that works.
Used my gas engine weekwacker one time and never could start it again. Alway bust my ass trying to start it and end up with a sore shoulder. Just bought and electric cord one for $40 and it starts every damn time. I’ll have to take apart my carburetor and fuel lines and see if it’s “Gunked” up. Glad I’m not the only one out there that has trouble with these damn machines.
I found that the lead weight on the filter was crumbling and falling apart. I took the carb apart because I was having the same issue. The screen was blocked worse than yours. I cleaned it out but still dont get a prime. You mentioned carb cleaner came out those three holes,I dont remember seeing that happen and of course,it still wont prime. My guess is that stuff is still blocking those ports. I will be needing to replace the filter and cleaning out the carb better. I just put a rebuild kit in it last fall. Those in tank filters dont last forever.
Crumbling tank filter? Gee whiz what the heck is in your fuel? If carb cleaner won't come out of those holes you might consider a new carb? Especially if a rebuild only lasted a year it probably was still partially cogged after adding new parts.
Pittsburgh Pap Yeah,I have never had one like it before. It worked at first,I was planning on selling it to a friend. I think that the passage going between the screen port and the diaphragm side may be clogged. That screen was stuffed with dissolved lead. After experiencing that,I have decided from now on,any time the fuel lines are bad,the filter in the tank gets replaced too. I was watching another video on the same exact weed wacker but the filter he took out of the tank was in good shape. I get most of the weed wackers I fix from a friend that cleans out houses that banks repo. People usually leave old lawn equipment behind. I have been pretty busy the last two years fixing mowers and stuff that he gets. Most of them I buy dirt cheap because to him they are scrap. I turn around and sell them. It pays for my RC plane hobby.
Thanks! Good luck with Mom's unit. You won't like my voice in this vid but you may need to hear it's message once you return home! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--La5rujFGKw.html
let you know tomorrow your first video fixed the primer issue with crud in the screen .thank you fixed that now I'll try ether see what goes there.. let you know I'm thinking maybe busted Reed valve
Great! Your welcome! RU-vid has created a fabulous platform for Do It Yourself, and has now added a support tab feature. Grateful viewers can easily support their favorite videos and creators. ru-vid.com/show-UC3Ejnx90yArT7EQdU70gkeg
After a nasty post that I deleted here I decided to look up the actual EPA law from 2010 governing small spark ignited engines. I found a memorandum from a distributor warning their members that selling the carb adjustment tools to the public is subject to a $3,750 FINE !! Scary bit of over regulation?
also went with 89 octane fuel. Too much alcohol in the 87 and when it vapes off, your left with gum and gunk that plugs everything up. No fuel problems since switching over.
if you leave anything that consumes gas alone for more than 3 months without an additive like sta-bil, the fuel will gel up like what is shown. good practice is to dump/use all fuel in the tank or add a fuel preservative for prolonged storage.
same weed wacker same problem lol your video might be a solver time will tell i almost went that far but did not remove that gasket under the gas bulb that fills up to see those areas where yours was clogged up
I suggest watching the youtuber Taryl fixes all, he mixes comedy skits with how to on small engine repairs, this is is a common problem you encountered, give his channel a check. I suggest never using any fuel in your small engines with ethanol in it, the non ethanol brand costs more but your small engines will love it:)
Of my 150 RU-vid videos this one seems to help the most people by far. So much so, Google has added a voluntary support feature where fans can thank and monetarily support RU-vid contributors with a button on my Sixty9harley channel page.
