Common Reasons Why Your Weed Eater Won’t Start

Hipa Jeremy

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Defective spark plug? Restricted carburetor? Clogged fuel filter? Defective recoil starter?

Need more suggestions please!
 

StarTech

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Two of most common ones here are carburetors problems and straight gassing.
 

slomo

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Old dead fuel and water in the gas.
 

bertsmobile1

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Around 2/3 are carb problems and of them another 2/3 are gummed up from old fuel .
The other 1/3 are nearly all bad tank vents / caps
 

RayMcD

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Defective spark plug? Restricted carburetor? Clogged fuel filter? Defective recoil starter?

Need more suggestions please!
Plugged up muffler...
 

StarTech

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Around 2/3 are carb problems and of them another 2/3 are gummed up from old fuel .
The other 1/3 are nearly all bad tank vents / caps
Just doesn't add up right too me...Maybe new math that i don't understand. I come up with 5/3 thirds (1-2/3).

Either way can't fix them when you can't get the needed parts. I had to kill three Poulans today due being able to get the needed parts. Something changed at Husqvarna as the saws I was able to repair just two years ago are now unrepairable as they are NLA a lot of the parts. Today was a crankcase, fuel/oil caps, and chain brake assembly.

One with the crankcase is where someone tighten down the bar so much it screwed up the bar mount. One missing both caps. And the other again need a chain brake where tighten down with bar adjuster out of place.

We are back to the throwaway attitude of OEMs
 
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bertsmobile1

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2/3 of 2/3 is 4/9
2/3 + 1/3 =1
OR it used to back when I went to school
 

StarTech

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So your saying 2/3 of the carbs that were bad that 2/3's of them. Sorry mis-read the formula. Kinda makes sense now. Here is more the other way around; 3/4 of 2/3 carbs are stiff diaphragms. Now if it was larger small engine carbs then it would be that clogging.

Just got to stop taking those prescribe mind alternating drugs; I think...
 
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g-man57

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I have an old WE aluminum deck push mower that I use for trimming. Very light - runs great. It has a 4.5hp Tecumseh engine. It was hard to start too. If I gave it a shot of starting fluid it would start and then run good. And, as long as the engine was warm it would start again and again. But cold? No.

One day I gave it about 20 primer 'pushes' and it started. It then died. So I primed it again and kept pushing the primer button and it kept running. Any guesses???

The primer bulb had a pin hole in it. So the carb was sucking cold air - essentially opening the choke. I ordered some new buttons - cheap. Installed one and it now starts great!
 
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