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. 

Borat, sorry to here about the carb issue with the Toro 221 as I just bought one last year also.  As I haven't yet brought mine out of storage yet this topic caught my attention. I'm not sure if this is an issue and I know you're aware of this but Toro does suggest 50:1. I also stored the machine with no fuel and was careful to tilt the machine in all directions until I was sure I burned most of it off. Ive yet to remove the cover and I'm curious if this machine has a drain on the float bowl or not?

Anyway I've been researching generators lately with all of the storms we've had here in New York and lo and behold they seem to be having the same fuel/carb issues. A lot of the discussions have been aimed at ethanol so I'm not sure how much of a factor it is or isn't. My understanding is that ethanol absorbs water which will settle into the lowest parts of the fuel system and oxidize over time. Fuel stabilizer in and of itself will not inhibit ethnol's ability to absorb moisture so armed with this info my plan is to try 91 octane fuel with Marine Sta-bil and to make sure I store the machine with a full tank during the winter season to limit condensation. The tricky part will be to find a way to keep the condensation at a minimum in the fuel storage container.  After all I've been reading during my research on snowthrowers and generators and due to the fact that it's impossible if not illegal to buy non-ethanol fuel in lower NYS, I'm thinking of going the full tank route for long term storage as there really is no way to be certain that the fuel system is completely dry.

Hope you all have a safe and happy snowthrowing season.

Had a very similar issue with my Honda 928 last week.  Bought it last January and was stored with the carb and tank drained.  When I started it last week it had very similar issues.  The Honda has a drain but when I attempted to drain the system not much fuel came out - VERY slow dribble. But the solution was not what I feared (remove and clean the carb).  The Honda has a small sediment bowl under the tank.  Thinking it was maybe clogged, I removed and inspected it.  Clean as a whistle it was.  When I put it back, the machine started and ran like a top.  Go figure.   I am thinking maybe an air lock in the system somewhere.  BTY - my JD 826, bought in 1982, is treated similarly and always  starts and has never had the carb removed for cleaning.  Used the same gas as for the Honda.

One little issue in all these years is insignificant.  The 221Q is super easy to work on.  The carb has a little access door.  Tilt the machine forward, remove the access door, pull the float bowl, pull the jet, clean it and put everything back together.  Less than 10 minutes.  Tools needed one medium sized philips screw driver to open the access door, one 5/16th" wrench to remove the float bowl bolt and one mediium small flat screw driver to unscrew the jet.   Very simple.  

Thanks for the information Borat. Hopefully I won't have to go that route at least until the warranty runs out.

MN_Runner wrote:

For some reason I ran into the same issues with my ATV's. seems the newer ones almost always have issues. While a 86 Honda 250 and 1992 Bayou always start up! I never run them dry or even shut the gas valve off. Then I have newer atv's that the carbs need servicing every other year or so! Friggen ridiculous!

Hey Borat my buddy how are you these days?, well I'm surprised for all thoses years you've been handling your machines like the king of the strokes...I think you just got a "citrus" It happens, probaly someone before you cleaned the jet the wrong way and bust something inside the carb there. I'm sure if you can get a used carb it will fix the problem. Once I had a similar problem

I do not remove any gas from my Honda lawnmower or Honda snowblower after the season is over.  I have yet to have any starting issue.  My lawnmower and snowblower start without any issue - nothing to change or clean.  Maybe ignorance is a blessing.

I tried to convence everyone that draining one fuel tank does not prevent any carb problems.  Gas today has water in it. Draining until it cuts off only drains enough fuel to stop the engine. The rest settles and messes up your bowl, jets and valves. I put fuel stabilizer in mine All the time. my Techumseh NEVER  fails me even after 15+ years. If you still want to drain your bowl. Run Stabill through it for 5-10 min to make sure it is through your carb.

I have drained the fuel tank on all of my small engine powered equipment (which is never less than 7 engines) in the following manner for the last 30+ years.  I remove the fuel line from the carb and drain all of the fuel out of the tank. I then blow compressed air into the tank to get any remaining gas out of the tank.  I loosen the bowl nut the allow all of the fuel to drain from the carb, re-attach the fuel line and replace the gas cap loosely.  I use this same procedure on all of my small engines and none have ever failed to start right up the following year. 

On engines with metal gas tanks i spray a mist/fog of wd40 into the tank to coat the inside.  I also change the oil and then with spark plug out i put a couple of squirts of motor oil through the spark plug hone and pull the engine over a few times to coat the cylinder.   Lastly I pull the cord until the engine is on Top Dead Center with both valves closed (compression stroke) and then i replace the spark plug. 

These measures only take a couple of minutes to do on each engine and in my opinion have saved me from the potential issue of varnishing. with the exception of the snow blower I do all of them at the same time normally on a cool November day after all of the summer use for these items are done.

My backup generator is a hybrid that runs on Natural gas and diesel so that does not require any maintanence on the fuel side,  Just oil changes and air filters when necessary.

Denis wrote:
Hi Denis. 

The carb/engine is fine now.  Fired it up and it ran great after cleaning the main jet.  All is well here.  Just waiting for snow.  Got a dusting last night but need a real serious dump.  Got the snowmobile in the garage all set to go and been clearing brush off of the trails.  Just need snow.  NOW!