Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I'm told that my Ryobi seized up due to no oil in the fuel. I can't believe it. Is there a way I can check the fuel I have left to tell for sure?

a couple things to look for when checking out blown 2 strokes.

1...if the piston is scuffed on the exhaust side only then you have a breakdown of luberication,can be caused by many things but it is most surely a lube problem.

2 if the piston is scuffed on the exhaust side and the intake side then you have a raw gas situiation. the only way the intake will scuff is with no oil there will also be a lot of grey soot type material in the crankcase.

a ryobi will usually scuff on the exhaust side because the motor ran lean.

even though you mixed your oil right and the carb is adjusted right ,there is sometimes still a failure.more often than not its because the gasket between the cylinder and block leaked.sometimes one of the bolts will loosen up and this causes an air leak,running lean.

other times the plastic cover on the end of the crankcase will warp and it to will leak causing it to run lean.

if there was a gasket failure then its warranty and they have to fix it for you.

let me know what the motor looked like inside and i can give you a bit more info.

later chris 

I did the kleenex test today and it confirmed that I had forgotten to add oil to the gas. My first time, and hopefully last.  I'll ask the repair place that has the trimmer to give me an estimate on a repair, but with at least 5 years on the machine, I'm inclined to get a new one. The guy is not charging for the estimate even though I bought it at Home Depot. He carries Stihl products so I 'll check them out. Thanks to all of you for your advice.

Uh oh, maybe you needed to let the oil drain off your fingers.    lol       Sthil's are very good units, and possibly the best or next to Redmax.  

I replaced the seized up Ryobi with a Stihl FS 55 RC. I would have liked to have gotten a commercial machine, but the budget couldn't handle it. It cuts much better than the Ryobi and doesn't get bogged down in thick grass like the Ryobi did. I'll try ebaying the Ryobi for parts. Not sure if there is a market for that, but can't hurt to try.

Jonathan,

Nice trimmer! I think Kevin just bought a FS 45C. Hey, what's the C for? I think maybe brushcutter?

Marshall,

I think the C designates machines that will take steel cutter heads. The Stihl site is hard for me to decipher in terms of the differences between models.

Jonathan

Don't let this one slip without oil.  Yes, Mike just purchased a Stihl brush cutter.  Let is know how it starts for you.  It should start without a hiccup with that sweet Easy 2 Start system on it. 

The Stihl starts and runs great. Does anyone know if the steel cutter blade with saw-like teeth can be used for saplings (1/2")? The manual says it's for reeds and thich weeds.

Marshall wrote:

Marshall, if you mean me, no I didn't buy a new one. I'm still using this old relic. I think it's at least 18 years old and starts every spring, even if I leave the gas in it all winter. Only problem I had was to replace the drive cable once. Anybody use anything like this anymore. LOL   Kevin

It looks small, but it'll get the job done.