Hello,  looking for some advice on what to do about my weed eater that wont start.  I have a Poulan P1500 25cc.  I have had it for 2 years with no trouble but recently it will not start.  I discovered that the fuel filter in the tank had come off at some point with out me knowing.  Not sure how long i was using it in that state before it stopped working. 2 questions:
1- What does running an engine like this without the fuel filter do to the engine?
2- What are recommendations for repair? 
Thanks