countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org

admin · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 227

I am not mechanically minded but here are a couple of observations which might help someone .
If the engine won't fire after it has been left standing for several months , tip out any petrol which was left in its tank and replace it with fresh . Fuel loses octane / volatility quite quickly in warm weather .
A problem I encounter all the time here but never came across in the uk is to do with the air filters . The causes must include a/ the very fine dust which comes from strimming dry scutch grass and rushes b/ the vapour of sap from lush vegetation eg bracken and flag iris , not to mention nettles , and c/ the relatively high humidity in this region .
Anyway , after prolonged use you can hear and feel the loss of power in the strimmer . If you switch it off at that stage it will not restart ( or only with difficulty ) unless you replace the air filter pad(s) with ones which have been washed clean . I shake them about in a jam jar of petrol to save drying time but that is definitely not recommended by the manufacturers .
If the m/c is running normally it will commonly re-start without difficuly until late afternoon , when it will become more temperamental for every minute it has been left switched off . This must be due to condensation rather than dust ( as the air is getting damper ) . In this circumstance you only need to keep the filter pad dry eg by putting it in your pocket , while you make that cup of tea .
It took me a long while and a lot of swearing at various strimmers , mowers and hedgecutters to figure that lot out !
It might be relevant to mention that most of my power tools are made by Stihl . Their filters are very dense . Other brands may not suffer to the same extent .
Wink

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bernie · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 22 Location: Tasmania

Thanks for the tip Admin. I've got a Stihl brushcutter/strimmer that is bl**dy awful to start - I once counted over 100 pulls to get the thing going (didn't count the accompanying swear words though Laughing

)
I'll be whipping out the air filters & giving 'em a good cleaning later on today I think.

I got a new chainsaw recently that has the stihl easystart function. It's great - one slow pull, a seconds pause and she fires up every time. Mmmmm ........ chainsaw

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

I had a problem strimmer which if left for a while was a right bugger to start. Changing the fuel is a must and a few drops in the spark plug hole helped. I found the main cause of the problem was the diaphragm in the carb. I covered this with cling film and it worked well untill it lost its spark. Enough was enough and in the skip it went.
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quarryman · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 417 Location: Sligo

I have found if the strimmer etc has been standing unused for a few days / weeks, give it a good shake, the oil in the 2 stroke mix can settle and clog the carb. I got this tip from the lad who services my gear.

keithrawlins · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 152 Location: banbridge

i got my old mount field out three weeks ago for her first cut of the lawn .when i say old i mean 35 years . cleaned the air filter put fresh petrol and oil in and give her a pull,

she fired up on the therd pull and ran as well if not beter than my dads new one.