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. 

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.

aa335 wrote:

We can always go craigslist hunting. :D

I use white gas with stabil in all my small engine machines.  I drain them when finished, and have no problems.  Stabilized gas should be O-K for a year max.  I use the stuff up at least every 6 months.  BP-AMOCO premium is white gas.  After 11 years I had to wash and blow out the carb on my Little Wonder Leaf Blower.  It has a Honda GX270 engine rated at 9 HP.   The dirt from blowing leaves tends to get into everything eventually no matter how carefully you try to store it.  Once i did the carb clenaer it again ran like new.

Hello fellow Long Islander. I haven't heard the term "white gas" in years! I remember my father talking about it and the only place to get it was at an Amoco station which I believe is now owned or partnered with BP. This was in the days of leaded gasoline so I'm wondering what was the difference between Amoco's premium and the others? Do you remember?

You're scaring me with the idea of needing a snowblower with a 16" auger here on Long Island.     Is there something we should know about this upcoming winter???