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

So I mixed up a fresh batch of 40:1 fuel, filled the 221QE and fired it up.   It fired on the first pull then stopped.  I primed it some more, put the choke on full and fired it up again.  It ran fine but when I took the choke off, it slowed down to about 1/3rd it's operating speed.  Put the choke back on and it revved up to what sounded like normal operating speed.   I kept the choke on and let it run like that for a minute or so thinking the fuel system needs to be fully charged.  However, that wasn't the case.  I stopped the machine, tilted it forward, removed the float bowl and inspected it.  Nice and clean.  Then I pulled the main jet to inspect it.  I could see light through the orifice but wasn't sure of how big of a hole should be there.  You never know with jets.  Nonetheless, I ran a piece of thin wire through it then blew it out with compressed air.  I also blew out the passage in the carb where the jet goes.  After cleaning the jet, I took a good look at the orifice.  The amount of light passing through it indicated It was much larger after cleaning.  Approx. 2/3rds larger than when it was restricted.   Compared to many carbs I've worked on, It does have a rather large orifice. 

The strange thing is that I bought this machine new less than a year ago.  I ran it completely out of fuel before I stored it yet it still managed to develop enough varnish in the main jet to cause problems.  Go figure?  That's the first time I've had that kind of a problem with my own equipment.  I still have the two Tecumseh powered machines to fire up yet.  I'll  let you know how they fared. 

MN_Runner wrote:
Trust me.  I'm not a big Toro fan.   They're usually excessively expensive and from my experience, their dealers are arrogant and inconsiderate to the point of belligerence.  Accordingly, I wouldn't normally buy a Toro product despite the fact that they're good machines.  I bought my 221 from Home Depot at a bargain price.   Many hundreds less than what the local Toro gouger's price. 

Despite the minor carb issue, it's an excellent snow mover for it's size and weight.  That carb issue could have happened on any one of the numerous machines I have.  It just happened to be the newest snow removal machine I own.  Thus my surprise/bewilderment that it would happen to this machine.  Either way, it's in good running order now.  If I have any future problems with it, I'll be certain to report them. 

Not much talent required to fix a carb on this thing.  One of the easiest carb fixes I've done.  Everything is so easily accessible, it's a breeze to work on.  I just tilted it forward, pulled up the work stool did the work in a matter of minutes.  Probably less than ten.  Anyone with minimal skills could do that fix.  

Today I was cleaning up an old snowmobile that I bought last year for a mere $400.00.  It's a Polaris with a sweet 340cc Fuji two cycle engine in it.  This thing is in amazing shape.  I used last year for a few weeks and it performed flawlessly.  I brought it into the garage to give it a good once over before putting into service this season.  The more I inspect/do, the more pleased I am with how well it was taken care of.  Carbs were spotless, all cables and controls in new condition, clutches and belt excellent.  Cosmetic condition very good.  Suspension, skis, track all very good. 

Today, just for the hell of it, I checked the compression.  Both cylinders over 130 psi.  I don't have the specs for this engine but in most other machines I own, that's pretty much factory spec.   Unbelievably good condition.  And for $400.00????   Now that was one of the best buys I've ever made.  All I need now is some snow. 

Since we're sharing experiences... I just make sure there is stabilizer in the gas at the end of the season, whether it's a mower or snowblower (edit: or weedwhacker or chainsaw or leafblower. My 2-stroke oil has stabilizer). Put it away like that, and I've had good luck with things simply firing up again for the next season. I don't run them dry. That's in part because of something I read a long time ago, which said that running them dry could cause seals in the carb to dry out. I don't know if that's true, but I leave gas in them. Our gas always has ethanol now, for reference.

I've recently switched to Marine Stabil. That's for a few reasons. I believe that it's supposed to do better with ethanol. And, frankly, I noticed that it was a similar price to the regular version, but treated much more gas (8 oz treats 80 gal, vs 8 oz to 20 gal for the regular kind). So it's also cheaper to use.

After reading all these posts it's evident that some people store their equipment with full tanks and some who drain their equipment. I'm still wondering if it's a good idea to store a 2 stroke machine with a full tank or is this only anoption for 4 strokes?

On the 2 stage snowblower with the metal tank, I leave a full tank of gas, untreated.  Metal tanks tends to rust if you leave it empty.  Closed the fuel valve, drain the carb bowl.  I ran the engine last week with the fuel that's been there since last spring without any problems.

On the single stage snowblowers with plastic tank, I run it dry and also drain carb bowl.  No problem with this either.

I think the key is not to have any fuel sitting in the carb area for a long time.

Last year, I stopped adding any stabilizer or treatment to the fuel.  So far I don't have any starting problems on the lawnmower or the snowblowers that uses straight gasoline. 

Thanks aa335. I'm trying to avoid having to empty the carb as I'm sure running the machine dry still leaves fuel there. It's probably best to empty it per Borat's instructions and not take the chance but I'm always looking to do as little maintenance as possible. I'm beginning to think 4 stroke is a better option. Thanks for responding. 

2 stroke or 4 stroke doesn't make a difference.  I still make sure that there is no fuel sitting in carb.

Now that I'm more comfortable doing minor carb cleaning or work, I don't want to put any fuel additives or treatment.  I'm more in tune with my OPE equipment so there's no need for me to use "tune up in a can" stuff.

I have a 4 stroke lawn mower that I always stored with a full tank of gas treated with Sta-bil. Never a problem. Now we here about all these issues with ethanol and it worries me. I still think that ethanol has increased the amount of water in our fuel supply and is responsible for majority of the increase in fuel system issues. That plus inferior material used by manufacturers to cut costs. I still believe that Startron or Marine Sta-bil is a good idea to limit the settling of water in the system. Thanks again.

Seems like these newer OPE are too sensitive to fuel and carburetor problems.  All my Stihl 2 stroke handheld equipment have good power and torque but are a PITA to start when cold.  Many times I just want to dump them and get a 4 stroke Honda trimmer.

aa335 wrote:

I got one last summer.35cc version.

It is powerful but the head is problematic.Also the plastic covering the engine and muffler area are brittle.I saw a hairline crack on muffler guard area plastic, I touched it, it broke.I returned the trimmer.

blumonster wrote:
I'm not fond of the new Honda 35cc trimmer.  The head is plastic, and the hard plastic handle has a lot of sharp flash.  Crappy injection molding.   You can see that time has stood still for Honda trimmer, no improvements, just cost reduction measures.  Stihl and Echo has better trimmers, with soft overmolded handles.

My father has the a 10 year old Honda trimmer (32cc)  with cast metal head and it's just perfect.  The engine was easy to start, quiet, and so smooth.  This is the one that I want, they don't make them anymore.