Whipper Snipper HELP!

[Daddles]

The brute: Ryobi Lawn Hornet Mk 2
Condition: Much used, much abused but in surprisingly good nick despite all the love and attention I've lavished on things I actually enjoy using.

The problem: Was snippering away happily when the sod died. Tried to restart. Give it a prime with the choke - would burst into life and die. ie, sounded exactly like it was starting on the prime and then nothing. Left it a few days, same situation - starts on the prime and then nothing.

Attempts to fix:
- swearing - no success.:(
- taking off fuel cap (in case the breather is blocked) - no success:(
- swearing - no success.:mad:
- cleaning plug - it looked good. Same as above:(
- swearing - no success.:mad:
- pulled off air cleaner - same as above. :(
- This also exposes the prime/choke setup (a hole in the carby). Putting my finger over that hole while I pull the rope has the same as above and I can feel petrol on my finger so I'm getting fuel to the carby.:confused:
- swearing - no success.:mad:
- took off muffler (in case it's blocked) - same as above:(
- :mad: swearing - no success.:mad:

I'm guessing that fuel is getting to the carby and that a jet is blocked in the carby ... but am happy to concede that I am iggorant and don't flamin' know.:rolleyes:

Any thoughts? (btw, swearing still isn't working) :confused: :o (I need a pleading smilie)

Richard
perhaps I could sell her on ebay :D

[silentC]

Had a problem with my mower once. It had a grass seed stuck in one of the jets. Guess the air filter had holes in it...

Have you got spark? Maybe the magneto is stuffed.

[Daddles]

It'll start and burn the prime so I'm assuming that the ignition system is working. I'm just off to buy some fresh fuel - I've been using some old fuel that I mixed for my outboard about three years ago (yes, the oil mix was right ... sort of, and she's using it up to now).

Richard
trying the easy fixes first

[savage]

Hi Richard,
I had a similar problem with my W/Snipper last year, so I sent it off to the mower hospital and they said that it was "contaminated fuel"?....

O.K. I thought I can wear that, I'll be more careful in future, the third time I used it after a $130 service it showed all of the same problems again:(.

I know for a fact that this time it's not the fuel as I have a common tank that I draw from for all of my fuel needs and non of my other machines are suffering any problems. So I think it is just the W/Snipper, it's a Kawasaki motor and is sold upder the Parklander brand, she's a bit old and I haven't had the time to pull it apart and clean it. So I bought a new one, same brand but new generation, the old one I'll keep as they offered me $20 "trade-in", yeah!..right!...

But try and flush out the fuel system and clean and gap the plug, empty the tank and run a little metho and a few drops of oil through the system ( and I mean a little ) just enough to see if it will clear and run longer than it has been. Then stop it and re-fuel with fresh petrol/oil mix and re-start and see what happens.

Two strokes are very forgiving, I just blew the head gasket out of my mower?.....A big pop and it was all over red rover!....So had some gasket paper and the bits of the old head gasket, cut out a new one and smeared on a thin film of Aryldite on both sides, put it together and it is still going and that was about 6 weeks ago:eek:. They can be very tempremental as they get old as far as fuel mix and spark go but mechanically are pretty forgiving, if it has had a hard life maybe its time to spring for a new one.

[savage]

It'll start and burn the prime so I'm assuming that the ignition system is working. I'm just off to buy some fresh fuel - I've been using some old fuel that I mixed for my outboard about three years ago (yes, the oil mix was right ... sort of, and she's using it up to now).

Richard
trying the easy fixes first

Richard, don't tell the mower guy you've been doing that or he'll faint, 2 stroke is only good for 24 hours and then the oil starts to break down, also outboard oil is different to regular 2 stroke oil. Outboard oil has the abillity to absorb water/moisture and pass it through the system, this could be the cause of your problem, as I said in my previous post they are tempremental when it comes to spark/fuel.
Good luck!...:)

[Termite]

Daddles, had one of those units that did the same thing on about 6 occasions, and cost heaps for repairs.

Now have a Stihl, no problems in 7 years.

[Andy Mac]

Flush the fuel out and try new stuff. I've had heaps of problem with "stale" fuel...the new unleaded stuff has a very limited shelf life. I now add an additive from Briggs and Stratton, a small blister sachet.. enough for 10litres I think...about $2.50 and solved my problems if I don't use the can within a month.

Cheers,

[Ivan in Oz]

Pull the Plug and see if you have:-

SPARK

Fuel in the Air coming out the Plug Hole

Make sure you rest the Metal part of thge Plug [Thread] against the Cylinder Head,
or other Metal Part

[DavidG]

Fuel pump diaphragm and/or valves.

[Auld Bassoon]

Have you had a look at the crankcase mounted fuel pump (assuming that it has one - many 2 strokes do if used at varying angles); the diaphragm may have developed a pin hole, so would cause fuel starvation.

The priming action would provide enough fuel to start, but not continue if the pump was AWOL

[arose62]

Check your fuel line(s).

Had the same problem, and found some cracks in the fuel line so it was trying to burn air, not petrol.

When I took the rotten bit of tubing in for a replacement, the bloke told me to use the whipper snipper more often, as "old fuel" rots the lines quicker.

$1.50 worth of new fuel line later, all fixed!:)

Cheers,
Andrew

[Ashore]

Richard , cause it was working and you did nothing to it but stop it , then it wouldn't start I would look for other problems before servicing ,could be fuel contamination ( water can be formed if its biological contamination) Plug died, just gotten too old and needs help starting

so before you try anything else, like expensive servicing , do three things
1 Go to super cheep get a can of aero start , spray into air intake and try again
2 Change the plug , may look ok but who knows they do did over time
3 Empty out the fuel , mix a new batch and flush through

Rgds

[womble]

could be the spark plug, even if it's new, I've had 'new' ones be duds before...

[DavidG]

Hey guys - Read the description of the problem

starts on the prime and then nothing.
It is a fuel problem. Inability to keep up a supply of fuel after it is primed.

Blocked fuel filter - Nah! Possible but usually will run lean for a bit.

Failure of fuel pump - Very good chance. Diaphragm pump driven by sump pressure. Has a thin neoprene diaphragm and two valves (in and out)
Could be dirt in the valves or a hole in the diaphragm.

Spark plug etc - No way.

[Christopha]

You're nothing but a whipper snipper whipper snapper! My old echo is nearly 25 years old and is still on the original spark plug!! I kid you NOT and it always starts on the 5th pull, always has...

[Daddles]

You're nothing but a whipper snipper whipper snapper! My old echo is nearly 25 years old and is still on the original spark plug!! I kid you NOT and it always starts on the 5th pull, always has...

Good. You can come and do my lawns for me. The dog keeps getting lost:eek:

Richard

yes. Latest news. I'm about to torch the bloody thing

[KevM]

Daddles,
I have a Stihl which occasionally exhibits the same symptoms. I must admit to being a bit of a Scrooge and not throwing the old mixed up fuel out though.

I find that I only need to clean the carbon out of the muffler (small diameter pipe inside it actually) and I am away for another 12 months or so.

regards

Kev M

[Ivan in Oz]

Check the Pick-up Bulb in the Petrol tank, if it has one.
these often crack,
like the rest of the parts.

If we're throwing names and ages around.
I have a Shindawa [sold as a Victa]
and have no idea how old, Bought it Very Late 70s - early80s
Same Plug,
Run it Oil rich and rev its rings off.:eek:
It KEEPS going,:D
It Keeps Smoking.:rolleyes:

[Geoff Odgers]

Dont know the answer to your imediate problem, I have a Ryobi myself and it just keeps going, however on one occasion my fuel had been stored on the concrete floor in the shed, and this caused a reaction with the fuel can, now I sit the fuel cans in a milk crate which lets a bit of circulation get under the tin, no moisture no problem.

Geoff O