String Trimmers made by MTD. Most common problems I see. Murray 2500 repair/vlog 

Thanks for Watching! Find a link to all of my "Must Have", Favorite Tools HERE!! www.amazon.com/shop/chickanic?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsfchickanic_9ERPFPBNGQ924P8NS63B

You are the best you tube small engine mechanic out there always enjoy your videos

That's some good info about soaking that line , I never would hav thought.

the first and only video ive found that actually shows you how to diagnose a problem. not just "these are the top 5 issues you can have" video.

Thanks for your "understandable" and very " helpful" videos. I tried hydrating my trimmer line and that little tip simply works wonders.

At risk of repeating myself, you are an amazing, skilled, thoughtful and generous mechanic and this channel is fantastic. Your approach to problem solving is off the charts. Things that are simple are not necessarily easy. You are the best. Thank you. raphael nyc

I’m a fixit person so I love your explanations and descriptions. They are so helpful when I work on unknown equipment. Even in my old age I am still learning. Thank you.

I like that clamping technique! Heck, makes me wanna bring you my (soon to be busted) trimmer! 🤣👍

Go thru the neighborhood and find a like trimmer and if it's no good, you now have a "parts" unit. Works for me. Thx ma'am! Another great 👍 video.

Thank you SO MUCH Mrs Bre Iam so glad i found you on the tube you are my fravorite teacher you explain things SO GOOD may the Lord bless you for being a blessing😊

you are a delight! I stupidly took a chance on one of those 10 years ago and it didn't last one season, I turned around and got an Echo and it hasn't missed a beat until last season when that little grid in the muffler got caked up, I just took it out and tossed it. really didn't notice any difference in loudness either. still has original diaphragm and only replaced spark plug last season. I started working on lawn equipment in '67 at my granddad's shop but I still learn something from your vids every time I watch one, keep up the good work!

Hello Ms Chickanic, excellent video and audio , nice to see a woman that wants to fix things as it gives me more time to watch hockey ;) merci ,gracias,thank you very much ,actually i like a challenge of trying to repair something that people think it is not worth saving and keeping them out of a garbage dump site, cheers from environmentally friendly winnipeg,manitoba ,canada keep those videos on youtube coming please

LOL...yep, I finally fixed my two Troy-Bilt trimmers a few years back by replacing them with Stihl. Cry when you buy, not every time you try to run. I feed 'em good clean fuel, keep the gearboxes lubed, and burn the carbon off the spark screens every year. Plus have used a couple of plugs and filters. That's it after hundreds of hours of run time. I'm sure I would be just as happy had I gone with Echo. Love your channel, I've learned quite a lot!

Thank you for your honest answers on the repairs or non-repairs. It is great hearing from an honest mechanic.

I had a model older than this one that I love. My sister has difficulty with tools that are too heavy and she actually loved mine and found it easy to use ru-vid.comUgkx_rBCFuDW1zD6blTGhLkvAkxU657uR_lG . This is a newer model but was even lighter which she really appreciates. She enjoys it and I no longer have to go to her house to trim as she can handle it fine. Haven't used it enough to comment on the battery life but lithium batteries last longer than the old style. Being cordless makes it easy to trim the far edges of the property. The entire yard can be trimmed with one charged battery.

Soaking your trimmer line in water makes a world of difference. It's worth doing no matter what age your trimmer line is. Speed Feed 400 trimmer head with hydrated line ranks right up there with sliced bread ( Chillicothe, MO takes credit for that one).

Always enjoy your vids. Helps us DIYers do it ourselves. Thanks!

You hit the nail on the head. This is the best video I have ever seen.

I watched the water for the line video. Man you ended a lot of frustration in life. Thank you so much 🎉

I bought one of these labeled as craftsman from lowes. It did not even last 3 months and the piston rings were gone, even when using Stihl HP two stroke oil at 50:1. I got a Stihl after this and two years later it still runs like a champ.

I just found your channel and I must compliment you. Although I am very knowledgeable about small engine repair, I have learned a great deal from you and for that, I thank you. If I can provide your viewers one tip , I would definitely recommend not using any ethanol blended gasoline. I personally use avgas and have not had any problems with my small engines for the past 10 years.

I've been fortunate, because I have only owned one gas trimmer. I purchased my McCulloch ProMac III Super for about $200 back in 1994. I've replaced the gas lines, gas filters, & put in a new carburetor kit last summer. It has never run better, & I use my trimmer (owning 72 acres & mowing a couple other properties for friends most years). I even use the brush blade at times. Grease the head unit & use a little extra 2-stroke oil added to non-ethanol gas keeps it going strong 28+ years later. I plan on buying an Echo gas trimmer some day, but my current trimmer just wont' die! I wouldn't junk a running trimmer, because it just needs a new head.

I got handed one of those trimmers a couple of years ago, it was "brand new" in as much as the guy that bought it never actually got it started! He bought it 2 days before going on a long shift at work threw in his shed and forgot about 14 months later he had another go at starting it but there wasn't a kick out of it So it was "here, see if you can get that going, if not its going in the bin" So I pulled the plug and there was no spark,even with the switch set to ON 😁 Pulled a cover off to check the coil/wiring and a double plastic insulator block fell onto the bench?? Then I found the bullet connector between coil and stop switch had no insulation and was shorting out/grounding on the casing The insulation sleeve was there, it just hadn't been fitted to the wiring!?! How did, ahem ..quality control miss that before it left the factory?

I almost forgot to thank you for that trimmer line trick I now keep mine in ziplock with H2O and it has been working/lasting 1000% better

Thanks for doing this. It's a pain going to buy a new trimmer if you can get the old one to work for a little longer.

I personally don't have a gas trimmer but I enjoy watching you work on them.

I just did this on my Murray M-2500. Best to use a large Phillips head screwdriver to hold the shaft. Took two men to do it--one to hold the screwdriver the other to turn the square nut using a 1/2" drive socket--it took a lot of torque to break/unlock the nut. I give you credit Chickanic that you did it by yourself. The reason the square nut spins the shaft is that the plastic head is stripped out. You can get a replacement head--bump knob, inner & outer head, retainer, & spring for $12 on E-bay...come from China and may take a month to get.

Thanks so much for this video. I have a bolens 160 straight shaft and didn't know the name of that washer. I know they're cheap but I just replaced this (the bolens) exact trimmer except that it was the curved shaft after almost 10 years of use. So, I guess if you take care of them, they're ok, at least for the level of work I do with them. Thanks for the tip about canned gas. I've always used it with no issues so far. ethanol free gas isn't available here and even mixing up 1 gallon would go bad before I could finish it. I can buy canned gas by the quart, and one can typically lasts a season. Thanks for sharing 😊

Thank you for the video. I have a weed whip that has run like crap almost from day one. I ordered the carb adjustment kit and turned it following your video and it works the best it ever has. Thank you again.

Good advice, we quit working on those many years ago. Almost anything with the starter in the middle has half a crank shaft, they were only designed to be 50 hour machines where an Echo is 300 hours.

And THANK you about the tip for soaking trimmer line!! MEGA kudos to you!

Great video!! Good to see someone else not work on these either. We weed them out at the front counter… people just don’t understand how cheap they are and how expensive parts are to fix them. Love your “Rehydration” tip for trimmer line….Works GREAT!!!!!👍🏻👍🏻

Bought a "cheap" Homelite trimmer in 1994, abused it terribly, even used a circular saw blade on it to cut down brush and small trees. It finally gave up this year Some times you get lucky and the stars align when your trimmer is built. Bought a big name brand curved shaft to replace it. Hated it as it ran backwards vs the old one, being left handed it would toss the cut grass back at me. Sold it and bought another "cheap"Homelite and it's like an old friend again

My Echo weed Wacker is 16 years old. And it still runs like brand new!!! Great video 😎

I am glad you are working on these weedwrackers

Thanks for sharing this info on the trimmers especially the part about the string drying out helpful info

Thank you, Bre! The information you presented has helped me repair a Troy-Bilt String Trimmer. Added more fuel on the High Speed Screw.

I love your tool and part links. Thank you! Good reminder on hydrating your line.

I bought a cheap Homelite straight shaft (Big box Store) Still going using many tips from your videos. Gladd I did not go MTD Cheap. Thanks !

Love the info about hydrating the trimmer line. Saw that video..... For years I had lots of issues with the line melting especially in the hot Texas 🔥 heat. Was using a electric trimmer at that time. Wish I had your expertise on that issue back then!!!😅 Thank You😊.

I've had a murry 25cc trimmer for about 5 years now got to where it wouldn't crank . I bought a troy built and a hyper tough in the mean time. I got the old murry out a few weeks ago and noticed that the fuel lines were kicked , replaced them and it runs like a scalded dog 🐕 I didn't even know I was a ma'kanik . 🤣

thanks bunches on the tip on adjusting the fuel keep the video rolling

I work on cars and trucks and almost anything you can get into my shop. Small engines are not my specialty ,for sure,but you're smart and fun to watch. Maybe I need to learn another skill set.

Watch one of your other videos and ordered me the toolkit for adjusting carburetors because I had a Husqvarna and I greatly appreciate it because my Husqvarna is up and running now

OMG !! THANK YOU , THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!! Your the 1st one to actually show and explain this head issue of age or size when there is nothing wrong with the head attachment i have except there was NO trimmer spool on it! Ans the attachment has no model number and im NOT sure it is the actual attachment that came with my gas 4 cycle trimmer . So evem looking at 100's of trimmer spools and even attachments thete are several that fit my Troybilt 4 cycle trimmer , like My Ryobi roto tiller attachment fits my Troybilt and the " Trimmer Plus " curved attachment or the straight shaft attachment i believe came with my Troybilt 4 cycle gas timmer model # TB6040XP ! Says during a search for the manual online, that Troybilt dont even recognize at all on their own sight ! I found out during a search for a rebuild kit, carborator, plug , gas lines and filter both in tank and air that this a a professional/commercial series and finding the correct OEM parts for it has been very difficult to say the least , yet , I have found cross parts with different part numbers but all made by MTD and or it's many sister Co. But also not sure even thought they look the same will work on mine because I can't see it actually in hand and im a disabled wheelchair bound person and really cant shop at my local stores foe this stuff abd deal mostly with online and dont have the MONEY , mostly that is it so I have to buy used everything on Market place and fix it if i need it and i need what i can try to buy because i live out in the country 45 min is the closest city and i dont have young strappen lads around ro pay $ 10 bucks to mow and trim , or $20 especially post Covid-19 now prices to do it anyways ! So I habe to count on doing it this way and watching HOW to videos like Yours in order to get things done and or fixed and I'm finding out that the small details that are very important to me isnt so important to most of the video make4s out there do NOT do like you just did , even though yoy dont fix them anymore , i get why, cheaper to jut buy it new , however, i do NOT have that privalage to do that , so i have to do this amd $850 a month doea not leave me very much to work with each month so I'm very limited at times to jist a few dollars to spend and rhen i have to wait a month to do anyrhing else so im dinding i have ro watch many , many videos to find out that it does NOT pertain to my model or my situation , and this trimmer head you just showed i had seen for sale and the attachment you just showed i have that exact style , however , the styles the srores are showing or rhe videos fail to explain how rhese parts fit certain styles arw not being showed, the videos think everyone has one ans knows how ro use it and change any part on these items and the stores selling these parts show 1 photo and you have to go by model # or ypur screwed and have to iether buy multiple styles or physically match your needed part or .... to make sure , I just don't have that option! So to yoy i say , yes it matters thst you do the videos the way you are ONLY doing so that way a guy like me and I'm sure I'm not the only one that needed thst much NEEDED INFORMATION , so , THANK YOU for showing that because yoy answered several questions i had about the attachment i have and what part i actually need and that will fit mine and that thw part is available ! Glen Westphal, Dover , WI.

I got the same conclusion today chickanic spent 2 days trying to get a recoil spring back in got it back in now have to take off to thred the pull cord threw the joys of 2 stroke lol thanks for the tips chickanic

Great video. I’ve got a Husqvarna 120 chainsaw that isn’t very old but has been sitting for a long time with fuel in it. It’s doing the exact same thing when you try to rev it up.

I have replaced the entire shaft on several of those. The engine is actually pretty decent. You can "Modify" another shaft to fit them. The main problem I have seen is the start assembly sometimes just gives up and won't retract. You can rotate the cutter head backwards and rewind it manually but it really is a pain in the butt.

Thanks for your honesty based on experience.

Gr8 tips and vid , I have a Murray M2510 going strong. 5 season. Only issue : last year the throttle cable broke. And bump knobs that wear from use. I am on my 3rd one. Starts every time. I am strict only non-ethanol fuel with full synthetic 2 cycle oil. Drain and run out gas at end of season. This year I have fixed 2 of my neighbors MTD trimmers (carb adjust) and 1 ryobi (carb clean) They do make aftermarket trimmer heads that work for it They can be found on eBay and Amazon. I used 2 of them for a few trimmers I had in the past

Had one! Lasted about a summer and a half! Went out and bought a STIHL.

An ECHO GT-225 21.2cc Gas Curved Shaft String Trimmer is $199.00 in Canada so your advice is valuable. A Homelite is $168 so you information on how to repair is valuable. Thank you.

The stalling was exactly the same issue I was having with my trimmer. Maybe that's the same problem my chainsaw was giving me... I'll check that out! Thank you so much for your video(s)!

That face you make, like your kidding me right. The picture of you on the video cover is the best ever.

Yup, I have one of these things badged with Craftsman logos… I bought the adjustment tools and got maybe three more years out of it. I bought a set of those serrated plastic blades for it, but before I could try them out, the unit crashed to the concrete garage floor… (they don’t balance well no matter what you lean it against.) now it doesn’t start at all, but I do get a nice rattle when I shake it. If I had two of them, I’d have a nice set of maracas. Love your vids kiddo!

Great bunch of tips. Never heard of that before. Makes me wonder if I was to soak my head in water I would be smarter. Thanks for the videos.

I threw away the old head and bought a head that holds 4 14 inch long trimmer lines. After they brake off I just change them out and start again. Works for me well. Also I have a husky. Had nothing but troubles with the NTW junk and didn't like dragging a electric cord around having to bang it on the ground

Just asked about back pack blower then watched this video very helpful thank you

Well now this was an interesting video and a very informative way to get that head off the shaft, I don't know if I would have thought about blocking that with a screwdriver or not, but maybe after trying everything else. It looks like with all of those parts and junk weed wackers you have around there you might have one you could Rob a head off of. I had a real nice gas powered line trimmer and I just gave it to my son and bought a nice battery powered line trimmer. As far as I am concerned that is the only way to go.

I have that same trimmer I found in the trash it had straight gas in it I put strong two stroke oil in 24 to 1 my old Outbord motor gas and now it works fine I have used it all year so far great videos 👍🏻🤘🏻

needed a touch of low opening to clear that slight brief bog on throttle up. My rule at the shop is any front mounted starter machine isnt worth replacing the starter with the time it takes to strip the crap off to access the starter. And the headbolt if really stuck cut of with cut off disk which the bolt stud 95 % of the time can just be uncrewed with ya fingers.

Thank You so much for the trimmer line hydration info. I have had that problem, plus the carb problem you explained.

I *LOVE* your videos!! And that Murray looked brand new. We just never know! Thanks for the video! Maybe you can catch me on an episode of Guild Garage sometime!

Got a Troybilt had bad head, I opted for a Gator speed feed head for 18.99. Yeah you have to buy their preloaded line but how much I trim the convince out weighs the cost. Great videos that's for teaching us. Have a good year.

I have a few things to add that just might help. I will first start by telling you that I am a 2-cycle fan! I eat, Breathe, and sleep 2-strokes! Everyone in my neighborhood brings me their equipment due to the absurd amount of money that the lawnmower shops are charging these days! And the reality of the matter is, Weedwackers are a great tool when properly maintained. But when it is abused until it stops working they usually have more than one issue to deal with. And by the time you address all the things wrong with them the time you have invested in them is worth more than it would cost to just purchase a new one! I tell people they are a dollar waiting on a dime scenario. You said in your video that the screen gets plugged up with something! That something your referring to is periffin wax! It is extracted out of the ground with crude oil. You can hardly see the stuff when you look at the inlet screen, But it coats the screen with an almost invisible coat of wax! Now one of the first things that you need to do with a 2-stroke engine after you get it to start is get it to idle and make the chain on a chainsaw, Or the trimmer head to stop turning or spinning! Once you do that, snapp the throttle and see if it has good throttle response! If it bogs when you pinn the throttle it is a lean condition and you need to open the low speed jet until you get a nice crisp throttle response. And something i see people doing wrong when putting new line on a trimmer is to cross the line over top of itself! It has to be wound in rows like you would do if you were putting the cable back on the spool of a winch! I don't think I need to tell you what a frustrating mess it is when done incorrectly! Centrifugal force spinning at a high rate of speed will literally cut the line and that's where the bad language comes in to play!😉

Forgot to mention Troy-Bilt, man have I fixed a lot of those because customers too cheap to buy a good one, like you say Echo or I like Shindaiwa, have had many customers bring in their MTD machine saying they were cutting tall grass and the grass choked the cutterhead to a point where it wouldn't spin and they kept on, literally melting the head to the shaft, like one comment said , I have so many of those trimmers for parts, I actually had to throw some away , Love your channel, and subscribed!

Good video! Just got reminded about the line rejuvenation! Thanks!!

Great sense of humor!

You are so good love to watch you keep ❤ up the good work

Hey Chick baby, that is the first time I have ever heard of soaking trimmer line in water, that is a new one on me.

great video as always , appreciate all that you show !

This is why I quit using big box store power equipment 20 years ago. Though money was scarce, I decided to buy good quality tools. I still have, and used yesterday the my brush hog on. Stick, the MS 250 I bought then.

I think I will stay with my old Husqvarna, it is abit heavy but it runs. like your films.🤩

Hello I just discovered your channel and I think you are great! I love "frankensteining" things out of two stroke engines like pawn shop weed eaters that just need a screen blow out to adding a 35cc Craftsman weed whacker engine to a feather lite weed eater to just edge grass at idle speed lol! Anyway thanks for all your videos you are great!

Great vid thanks. From an environmental perspective it bothers me that many things end up in the trash because its to costly to fix, quality...etc. or it's more profitable to make it a disposable tool so you need to bug a new one. Appricate the vids to help everyone out with what they already have, thats huge. Fir me my time to go to a shop, get parts or get it fixed can suck up a whole day... cost the same in time plus $s as a replacement. Where if I can fix at home big win. Tried to save a few ryobies reciently for my dad vs buying new stuff. One the spark plug was stripped out, and the clunk was in the wrong spot, result runs great with a carb tune and clunk adjustment, but the some threads are better than no threads kills it there. On the second ryobi, plug was loose, carb needed a tune and it should be good for more. Win some loose some. I do some volunteering in the community to help folks 1 day every quarter, often can save 5 to 6 appliances house hold items from going in the trash.

Another great video from you, thanks. I also found that you can take the straw from a carb cleaner can or wd40 spray and it fits perfectly on the adjustment screws to turn them (at least it does with my Craftsman trimmer) I also have the 4stroke no mix Craftsman trimmer that I’m having issues with starting and would appreciate any tips with that.

Chickanic has good knees. I can't crouch without my knees protesting.

Great Work And Thinking Of People With These Machines

awesome detailed video about string trimmer repairing.

Great info and vid as always. Amazing growth in the number of your subs. I subbed around 7K and it doesn’t seem that long ago. Hey, one thing thoses MTD trimmers are good for: I took three of the shaft sections and doubled the length of my pole saw!! Lol

That's why I fix my own. Lawnmower shops only touch high brands

Excellent video thanks, it's goes back to the old saying, you get what you pay for

Props on the Black Label Soc shirt! I’ll never buy another MTD product.

You are a great teacher, thank you

I had a small 1400 watt generator that I needed for my snow blower. It just would not start despite me wearing out my arm pulling on the start cord. I pulled the sparkplug to check for spark. It generated a spark but I noticed it was dry so I turned my attention to fuel delivery. I checked the hoses going to the carb and all was Ok. I checked for fuel in the float bowl and it had fuel in it. Finally I removed the carb and removed the run jet. It was plugged from bad gas. I cleaned it, put the whole thing back together and PRESTO, it started on the first pull! Ahh, the sweet smell of success!!

I used to get the same issue with Valex trimmer always. That special tool is not with me, but I used to manage with a small hard pipe. Now it's coming with normal screw type.

You can also use a cut off wheel to cut a slot in the screw, so you can use a flat screw driver to adjust. I have done that many times, oh no the EPA will come after me now, oh well. By the way, the housing is aluminum and the screws are steel. It doesn't hurt the housing.

Also for the trimmer line that does not feed properly I shake baby power onto the winded spool and it works great, stops binding and sticking.

you have a black label society shirt so i have to subscribe! thats good enough for me! zakk rules! i have a echo trimmer that is a few years old and it bogs really bad just like the mtd did and now i know why i am so glad i found your channel i appreciate you sharing the content!

Love your videos. You make everything look so easy.. What kind of fuel do you use and what oil, I would guess Echo oil. 😊

i have worked on these trimmers as well and seen some interesting issues in them from the crank pin sawing a hole through the back of the engine to the crank balance come apart what i call grenade engine the crank balance is laminated sheet steel pressed together even MTD's 4 cycle trimmers are like this. I personally have 2 Craftsman limited edition 4 cycle trimmers a 26.5cc and a 31cc these are not made by MTD they are made by YAT who also makes Senix i love these trimmers a 4 cycle that weighs the same as a 2 cycle,full crank,easy to service and built to commercial like spec i really wish stores stuck with these and not the MTD ones.

Mine has a detachable end. And you cut string in half. And wind into bump knob. I like that

That curve shaft Murray weed eater sings the bog down blues 💙

Thanks for the video and time making the videos for your YT page.

I can't complain about my MTD string trimmer, i had it for over 20 years, paid 78 bucks for it new. only service i had to do was replaced fuel lines/filter a couple of times. at the end of the season, i run the trimmer completely empty of fuel. I think that is the single most important thing to do, don't leave any old fuel in it to sit over the winter.

I have a Bolens and I had to do the same thing too, This is also identical to my Bolens.

I have a Murray weed eater like that one the carburetor gave me problems. I decided to get me a cordless weed eater, so far it’s trouble free going on second season

Thank you for all that you do!

Hi chicanic grate video as always, I didn't realize you could hydrat weed eater line by using water, cause I've had a problem with my weed eater line sticking 2gether, thank you so much for the advice I'll try it. Farmall kid 😊

I have the same trimmer from hyper tough. I usually can get the head bolt off by clamping a needle nose vice grip between the bolt head and washer. But that requires me to pull off the plastic cap on the bump knob which can make the bump knob not reusable.