Small engine problems

[44man]

I finally got around to taking my Husky leaf blower apart, it quit last fall. It had a weak spark and even ether would not pop it. New plugs tried too.
I bought a new coil at the time, but it sat too.
I decided to pull the head today and found the rings frozen with carbon. I cleaned everything up and soaked the rings with everything, carb cleaner, Kroil, Hoppes, Ed's red, to no avail, they broke and I had to pound out the pieces.
I got out the M-Pro 7 gun cleaner and soaked the grooves, then the carbon was soft so it came out with a broken ring and a brush. I rinsed the piston in water and the grooves shine.
Who said shooting was a waste? It seems we have stuff that works, even on an engine! [smilie=l:

[DeanWinchester]

As far as spark, use some sandpaper to clean the magnet on the flywheel. Then gap it with a business card.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I'll assume this is a 2-stroke engine. Sounds like it probably has a stopped up spark arrestor in the muffler. That's pretty common on weedeaters. The plugged up spark arrestor holds back even more crud in the cyclinder and rings. It also makes it near impossible to find a throttle position that'll work and have power.

Sorry to hear you're twisting wrenches on a danged old weedeater. You should be spending your time more wisely perforating targets.

[uscra112]

You hadda remind me. My Stihl is on the fritz and will have to be stripped and rebuilt before spring gets too far along. More time away from gunsmithing...!

[Freightman]

I have a old cheap weed eater I bought in "95 on sale for $39 at WallyWorld it always starts on the second pull and never hickups. and I did lawns commercially up until the end of last year so it has been used . I do clean it up about every three weeks to make sure I am not caught out without a tool. They still make the modle but I think they have screwed with it because of EPA.

[atr]

carbs on two cycle engines also need attention.....if you let them sit too long you are doomed. I start and run mine (weed eaters, and chain saws, generators) every month during the down time. The passage ways in those small carbs tend to clog and gum up easily. If you have let the gas mix sit in the tank you should either drain and replace or add a fuel additive which will negate the water buildup.

[44man]

I rebuilt the carb, magnet is clean, gap is right at .012", spark arrestor is clean, muffler is open, carbon was removed.
I did all that.
It started right away, then quit, never to fire again.
Easy stuff first, but then I also found little draw at the carb and what I thought was low compression. I can't measure it because of the spark plug size, I have no adapter for my compression tester.
I can go no farther until I get new rings in it.
In fact, except for carbon, this engine is very clean. The whole machine is clean, like new.
Seals are also good. Only the frozen rings and the weak spark. Those rings could never rub the cylinder walls. They were full in the grooves. Rings MUST move!
Here is a picture.

[Superfly]

fuel line replace the kine it is cracked somewhere i betcha

[MtGun44]

Try synthetic 2 stroke lube oil, leaves MUCH less carbon.

Bill

[Boondocker]

Check your fuel lines like superfly says and do yourself a favor and add some enzyme treatment to your 2 cycle gas mix to counteract the ethanol eating up fuel lines and scaring pistons and jugs.

[44man]

Try synthetic 2 stroke lube oil, leaves MUCH less carbon.

Bill
I believe it was the oil myself but I AM using synthetic Stihl oil. I am going to change brands. It is a 50 to 1 mix.
Fuel lines and clunk are fine.
This machine is something else, it takes an hour just to find the engine! :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:
Can I use Felix for oil mix?

[Mk42gunner]

Recheck your kill switch.

One that Mom had acted like that, and I took it home to work on it. Once I replaced the bad switch, it has ran fine the last three years.

Robert

[Chicken Thief]

Had a Stihl gas beaver with a faulty/leaky exhaust to tank pressure line.
Made fault finding a pure full thourough bred mare/(Female dog)!!!!

When running, spray sparingly with diesel start on the fuelway to detect airleaks.

Most spark shorts are due to carbon/s*** on the central insulator, and a quick heat to a glow with a preopane torch will burn off any conducting compounds.

[44man]

Recheck your kill switch.

One that Mom had acted like that, and I took it home to work on it. Once I replaced the bad switch, it has ran fine the last three years.

Robert
That's an idea, thanks.

[DIRT Farmer]

The local saw shop has a board up with pictures, This is your carb, this is your carb on ethonal.
Tools like my limb saw, if I run it for an hour, I can work all day cleaning and burning the limbs. It's hard to run it enough to keep it cleared out.

[geargnasher]

If you enjoy tearing it down every few months, you can use de-gummed castor bean oil for premix, but I'd recommend Amsoil two-stroke oil. Be sure and use the right stuff, TCW3 oil will carbon up an air-cooled yard tool engine in a hurry. Those rings being stuck like that with carbon sounds like marine premix was used, or the wrong mix. Since you didn't do that, I'd sure change brands.

Mix water with your gasoline and shake the bejezzus out of it and allow it to stand to pull the ethanol out. Siphon off the gas for use in your small engines and mix the water/ethanol with ammonia and blue food coloring to make identifiable windshield washer fluid. (or pour it on a fire ant bed, but don't tell the EPA!)

Gear

[leadman]

I agree with gearnasher on the Amsoil synthetic. Been using it since the late 70s' at 100 to 1 mix ratio, even in chain saws that are supposed to be 16 to 1.

I have had difficulty getting it locally since the one dealer went out of business so bought some Mercury oil for my outboard and sure don't like the smoke.

My chain saw quit on me and the fuel lines had crumbled. got the lines just need to install them.

good luck on your repairs.

[Bret4207]

Seems like these days every saw that I see needs fuel lines and a carb kit from fuel. On older saws the ethanol makes the plastic fuel caps swell so that I have to sit there and re fit them with a file and hacksaw blade. And most of all, my number one complaint with ethanol is that it's made $8.00 @ hundred wt of corn cost $18.00 @ 100 wt.

[BeeMan]

I must be one of the luckiest small engine users around. Ethanol in pump gasoline has simply not been a problem, except for a swelled gas cap which Stihl replaced under warranty.

My routine: make sure the gas can is clean and dry inside, then fill with regular grade pump gasoline. If at either end of the season, the maintenance level of Stabil gets added since it may sit a few weeks or even over winter. Fill the equipment tank full, then when finished top off after it has cooled and been cleaned. Pre-mix for two strokes starts with mid-grade to meet Stihl specs for octane, then gets Stihl synthetic oil. No Stabil needed since the oil contains a fuel stabilizer.

My Troybilt tiller started on the first pull two weeks ago, after sitting over the winter. Stihl saw and trimmer always start in 3 to 4 pulls. The Kohler engine in the mower took a bit of cranking, since one of the kids ran it dry last fall then pushed it into storage. Once gas reached the float bowl, it started and ran fine.

I realize gas gets blended regionally, but I have lived on the gulf coast, east coast, and mid west with the same results over 25+ years.

On using corn for fuel, and the economics of it; Laissez-faire.

My check list on hard starting two strokes:

Drain tank and fill with fresh or KNOWN preserved fuel
Check spark plug for fouling (often caused by running at part throttle)
Check spark color
Check spark arrestor in exhaust for blockage, if equipped
Check for intake leaks (fix even if engine will sometimes start - lean run is fatal)



BeeMan

[GaryN]

My old stihl weed eater was running real tired. I pulled off the exhaust. The port was half plugged with carbon. I got a screwdriver and dug it out. It runs like a champ now.

[Hamish]

A heads up guy's, ran a mowing and tree trimming service for several years, running eight or ten different 2 strokes with differing ratio needs, including chains saws, weedeaters and boat motors.

Look for a product called OPTI-2. No smoke, no carbon, no problem, zero. Even got to where I could leave them gassed up over the winter and start right up. Been using it for about 15 years now, I *absolutely* believe in it.

[Certaindeaf]

You have to have a good runway to push start them things. I wear a helmet.