2 stroke garden machinery frustration

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I have one of these wheeled strimmers which uses 25:1 mix, bought new, really a strimmer with a short shaft, clamped to a golf cart!. I will try and find the manual as that might help. I too have a Kawasaki strimmer that is old and it (touch wood) always starts and I don't maintain it properly over winter or use the best of fuel (sorry!). I have found that these 52cc machines are more temperamental. My SiL uses still but they are much worse than they used to be, hedge trimmer constantly needs grease but old one ran all day on one application.
 
I have one of these wheeled strimmers which uses 25:1 mix, bought new, really a strimmer with a short shaft, clamped to a golf cart!. I will try and find the manual as that might help. I too have a Kawasaki strimmer that is old and it (touch wood) always starts and I don't maintain it properly over winter or use the best of fuel (sorry!). I have found that these 52cc machines are more temperamental. My SiL uses still but they are much worse than they used to be, hedge trimmer constantly needs grease but old one ran all day on one application.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
 
If it’s got compression, then treat it to fresh fuel, a new plug and carb kit. I wouldn’t fiddle with the adjustment screws until you know the carb is clean and has good seals/diaphragms.

Only running on choke suggests a blocked jet. Often the case if it’s been left with fuel sitting in there.

For a minimalist approach, clean the plug, replace the fuel and strip the carb. Blow through the various orifices with compressed air. Good guides on Donyboy73’s YT channel.
 
If it’s got compression, then treat it to fresh fuel, a new plug and carb kit. I wouldn’t fiddle with the adjustment screws until you know the carb is clean and has good seals/diaphragms.

Only running on choke suggests a blocked jet. Often the case if it’s been left with fuel sitting in there.

For a minimalist approach, clean the plug, replace the fuel and strip the carb. Blow through the various orifices with compressed air. Good guides on Donyboy73’s YT channel.
Carb is brand new. Fuel is good.
 
If I look back, right back to when I was just a teen I used to work several days in a horticultural workshop and remember the contract they had with the council to maintain there big flymo's which had Tecumseh two stroke engines. They were never just serviced because they would just end up coming back so they were striped right down, engine off and deck scrubbed. The engine would be fully dismantled and everything cleaned and checked, often new rings sometimes new barrel and piston and a carb overhaul kit fitted. Once rebuilt they ran like new, they were very high reving and had a haze of smoke around them as they were a 25:1 mix but try and just service one to get it running right and you would waste more time than just rebuilding it.
 
E5, I started to use that on my Hyundai car, got so hot it melted the belly pan around the exhaust area. Gone back to E10. Not all can take the E5 stuff
 
One question; when I took the old carb off, there was no gasket between the carb and the cylinder inlet. I expected the new carb to come with one, but it didn't (came with spare primer bulb, diaphragm and internal gaskets, however) Should there be a gasket between the carb and the inlet? I thought there should be, so I made one out of brown paper.
 
One question; when I took the old carb off, there was no gasket between the carb and the cylinder inlet. I expected the new carb to come with one, but it didn't (came with spare primer bulb, diaphragm and internal gaskets, however) Should there be a gasket between the carb and the inlet? I thought there should be, so I made one out of brown paper.
Yes, and it often has a hole for the impulse pump port.
 
If there is any doubt about the gasket then with it running spray some Wd40 on the joint, if it affects the running then your paper gasket isn't sealing properly. Brown paper sounds a bit flimsy to me. As a temporary measure you can make one out of a cornflakes box or similar, just to see if it's the problem. If it works then just get some proper gasket card from a motor factor. Should be readily available in different thicknesses. Two strokes are especially sensitive to inlet leaks. To get all the holes correctly aligned just smear the mating face of the carb with either vaseline or boot polish, then press firmly onto the paper and you have a pattern to work to.
 
If there is any doubt about the gasket then with it running spray some Wd40 on the joint, if it affects the running then your paper gasket isn't sealing properly. Brown paper sounds a bit flimsy to me. As a temporary measure you can make one out of a cornflakes box or similar, just to see if it's the problem. If it works then just get some proper gasket card from a motor factor. Should be readily available in different thicknesses. Two strokes are especially sensitive to inlet leaks. To get all the holes correctly aligned just smear the mating face of the carb with either vaseline or boot polish, then press firmly onto the paper and you have a pattern to work to.
Thanks. Any guideline thickness for gasket card?
 
If it’s got compression, then treat it to fresh fuel, a new plug and carb kit. I wouldn’t fiddle with the adjustment screws until you know the carb is clean and has good seals/diaphragms.

Only running on choke suggests a blocked jet. Often the case if it’s been left with fuel sitting in there.

For a minimalist approach, clean the plug, replace the fuel and strip the carb. Blow through the various orifices with compressed air. Good guides on Donyboy73’s YT channel.
I agree and needed to clean out my carb..i.e. strimmer would start and run but would not rev up...I used "problem start spray" (??quick start) or similar name direct into carb and pulled and started the strimmer which it did with a bang and then it run on idle and on rev up... my uneducated guess is that the start up spray blew out any/all jet problems. It is starting and going strong for 3+months
 
Thanks. Any guideline thickness for gasket card?

Generally I would be guided by the thickness of the original. If that is too far gone then, for this, maybe 3/4mm. The actual thickness is not critical, just needs to be thick enough to seal properly. I am not sure your brown paper would be thick enough. I have a drawer full of the card in various thicknesses, it's not expensive and many sellers do selection packs of different thicknesses.
 
Generally I would be guided by the thickness of the original. If that is too far gone then, for this, maybe 3/4mm. The actual thickness is not critical, just needs to be thick enough to seal properly. I am not sure your brown paper would be thick enough. I have a drawer full of the card in various thicknesses, it's not expensive and many sellers do selection packs of different thicknesses.
Thanks. I don't have the original, BTW, it was missing.
 
A friend told me he had a problem with a 2 stroke he had fitted a carb refurb kit to. It would start but not run. He phoned a knowledgable friend who said fit a second gasket on the carb, the particular model he had were known for distorted mounts which allowed air in when you changed the carb. Fitting two gaskets cured his problem.
 
Any 2 stroke experts on here?
I stupidly bought a 2 stroke wheeled strimmer on FB marketplace, for the princely sum of £29. The vendor, who I now suspect to be an accomplished fibber(there are missing bits and pieces and stuff that I can't be bothered to go into), said it had been in his barn for a couple of years, ran fine last time he used it etc.
I got it running with a bit of carb cleaner and Bradex, but it ran like a pig, only with choke, and enough white smoke for several pope decisions. New carb and fuel pipe/filter from Amazon, still the same. I'm slightly perplexed, there are only two adjustments, the main jet and the idle stop screw...
It starts and runs, after a fashion, but is totally unusable.
Any ideas?
A very common problem on small 2strokes is gummed-up piston rings. The engines starts OK but has no power and "bogs down" during use. As mentioned earlier it's easy to inspect the piston by taking off the silencer and viewing through the exhaust port. Eventually exhaust gases bypass the gummed ring(s) and burn a hole in the piston and cylinder wall.
Always drain the fuel tank if the machine is not going to be used for a few weeks.
 
My son in law bought a used Stihl multi purpose engine head off ebay it would start then not run. Some sort of carburretor problem but Stihl spares were expensive. I bought a complete replacement carb off ebay from China for very little. Now runs and works perfectly.
 

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