Disassembled and cleaned the carb. It's getting fuel to the bowl and there is spark to a new plug. If I spray starter fluid in there is no sign of change. Since there is spark, I thought that even if the carb were a problem it would respond for a few seconds to the starting fluid? If I was missing a safety system - low oil for example - wouldn't that cut the spark?
All I can say is that I have a Stihl string trimmer and every few summers it decides not to start. Nothing I do will convince it, so I take it to my dealer and for $25 they do a tune-up and it purrs for another three seasons. Anything smaller than my lawn tractor, I don't mess with.
My Honda lawnmower has an automatic choke mechanism that gums up and does not actuate/start. I would start by checking it. Too much starting fluid may have soaked the plug.
I have a honda engined pressure washer with a low oil cutoff switch. It was oversensitive. The problem was solved when we loaned it to my sisters FIL who just overfilled it. It is still around 10 years later so whatever ill effects that may have had have been slow to show themselves.
I've got the opposite problem; my Honda-engined pressure washer starts and runs just fine, but the pump is shot and will no longer develop pressure. Maybe we should get ours together.
jstein77 wrote:
I've got the opposite problem; my Honda-engined pressure washer starts and runs just fine, but the pump is shot and will no longer develop pressure. Maybe we should get ours together.
Check your soap dispenser valve. We bought one for $50 or so that had no pressure; it turned out the dispenser valve was gummed up with dried out soap. I believe all we did was clean the valve and it's worked for years since.
stop buying alcohol infested fuel..small engines don't like it replace carb do again every couple years. have built 2 pumps 1 worked right, just replace the whole thing. time spent hunting and waiting for parts, just put new stuff on.
SVreX
MegaDork
12/29/16 3:35 p.m.
jstein77 wrote:
I've got the opposite problem; my Honda-engined pressure washer starts and runs just fine, but the pump is shot and will no longer develop pressure. Maybe we should get ours together.
I've got 2 with the same problem. I keep them around thinking Im sure to com up with a use for a good Honda motor.
Not the soap dispenser. Hard water kills those cheap pumps.
GTXVette wrote:
stop buying alcohol infested fuel..small engines don't like it replace carb do again every couple years. have built 2 pumps 1 worked right, just replace the whole thing. time spent hunting and waiting for parts, just put new stuff on.
Baloney. My 29 yr. old Craftsman and my 21 yr. old MTD(Tecumseh)snow blower have ben running on E-10 for years.
Proper care is the answer.
iceracer wrote:
GTXVette wrote:
stop buying alcohol infested fuel..small engines don't like it replace carb do again every couple years. have built 2 pumps 1 worked right, just replace the whole thing. time spent hunting and waiting for parts, just put new stuff on.
Baloney. My 29 yr. old Craftsman and my 21 yr. old MTD(Tecumseh)snow blower have ben running on E-10 for years.
Proper care is the answer.
How is the humidity in your area? I think the high humidity combined with vented cans/tanks/fuel systems causes the swamp dwellers like us In FL problems. It's like I clogged the carb with corn starch by the time I pull it apart. Running the bowl dry before I shut it off helps.
Wayslow
HalfDork
12/29/16 6:09 p.m.
When we raced Honda GX160 powered go karts they were really sensitive to spark plugs. They'd show a great spark out of the head but we'd have no start. Once we swapped in a new NGK plug they'd fire right up. We just got the the point where we'd swap the plug if it didn't start on the second try.
Don't know if it applies in your case but I had problems with a plugged spark arrester/muffler on a 2-stroke weedeater that would cause no start.
Bad plug? Get a fresh NGK for it.
In reply to MrJoshua:
That residue is the result of 10% ethanol/gasoline evaporated. Draining tank/running carb dry/or a fuel stabilizer will help. As previous poster suggested, I use non oxygenated fuel in small engines plus draining/running carb dry for the 6-7 months of storage.
I just add stabilizer and fill the tank.
Draining and running dry leaves a small amount of fuel that later evaporates leaving residue.
In past years I have tried other methods and the above works for me.
If it won't start with starting fluid he has other problems besides a gummed up carb. New plug, cleared out exhaust are good starting points. The only other possible issues I see are low compression or timing off. Or broken valvetrain (4-stroke) or reeds or seals (2-stroke)