For Crigby or other knowledgeable mowerfolk (made a new word) I do quite a bit of mower and small engine repair as some of you know. However, I have a remarkeably terrible trach record with small 2 cycle carb issues. Most every of my many 2 cycle pieces of equipment drive me nuts with carb issues. I mix the gas and oil to the exact spec, dump at the end of each seaon and run dry. The carb starts to gum up and the engine misses or has to be run on half choke. A carb the siz of my thumb is killing me, what is the cure?

Hi bal, in my neck of the woods we have ethanol added to the gas. This has been a killer on all two cycles so much so the marina I deal with figured this out. I myself was working on a 55 Hp Outboard only a couple of years old. It sat for 2 years and wouldn't run right, had to keep re-choking it. I tore the carbs off. The looked brand new. Ripped carbs apart, used 2+2 carb cleaner. Check all ports, floats gaskets etc. Back together no go. I called my friend at the Boat repair shop and he said it's the ethanol addictive.

They had carbs coming back after a 2 week rebuild. He gave me a can of "Sea Foam" and said use the whole can. Started engine and ran it through. It was like Night and day.

There is also an additive for the gas tanks. I use it for my Job cut off saws etc. Naturally the weed whackers got the same treatment.

They way it was explained to me the Carb cleaner won't cut the film residue the ethanol leaves. Actually its all but impossible to see that residue. The problem long term is the 2 cycle won't Lube the cylinders properly and wear out the rings.

If you are using gas with ethanol then I betting its exactly why you have problems.

Personally I never run my gas out of my whackers for winter. My logic is theses rubber diaphragm pumps dries out and doesn't pump the fuel on season start up. I also store the whacker in the warm basement. My cutoff saws are left that way all winter and they do well in spring. Dump old gas out new fuel high test gas and done deal.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/sea-foam-spray.html

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motor-treatment.html

I got it to run but rough with 3/4 ckoke. I added SeaFoam to the fresh gas in the tank and will try to run a tankful. I have a lot of this type of equipment and if you ever meet my wife you will know why I can't store any of it inside the house.

The boat motor was the same 3/4 choke on and off.

Boy its not like the old days of the glass sediment catches on mixers/mowers. Remember the paper and glass motor oil.

The Miss's, Luckily I built a good size shop/barn most of the crap is out of site out of mind.

You'll love this. My wife was complaining that I didn't fix the roto tiller to make a new garden. It got tense. So I loaded up a dump with topsoil, dumped it, used the crawler loader to flatten it out for a raised garden bed and said Done... Now I have time to fix the tiller hhhh

Get back sometime and let me know how it all pans out..

Any other thoughts out there on 2 cycle carb treatment and care?

Hi,
WeedEater brand uses mostly use Walbro carbs and for some reason come with that silver Dutch twill screen. It can be told by the color and the fact that is very stiff. The screen that are brass-colored are standard and should be used as a replacement. It cloggs at a hint of dirt.
Breakdowns are found here:
Select an Engine [Frontstep Customer Center 5 Frontstep, Inc.] (http://wem.walbro.com/walbro/category.asp?GroupName=Trimmer&FamilyName=POULAN)
Peace,
Clarke