HomeLite weedwacker never starts!

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Klutch9

Klutch9

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Jan 7, 2009
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Rochester, MI, US, World
i've got a two year old 26cc HomeLite weedwacker, hasn't ever even been used that much and was bought brand new. i follow the starting instructions every time, the gas:eek:il ratio is correct and the carb is clean (i just completely disassembled it, cleaned it, and then put it back together). but it still takes lots of starter fluid and pulling to get this thing to fire. its getting spark, i already know that for sure, and the carb is clean... what else could it be?
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Does it have both a high speed and idle/low speed mixture screw? Does it run like a bag of [censored] once it fires up, or run good?

To quote an old British chap, I bet the mix is all to cock!
 
to answer both of you, yes the choke does work. basically its just a plastic cover that slides over the air intake, and depending on where you have it, it'll block either no, or a lot of air from coming in.

and i can only see one screw, which is for the idle only. i've played around with that some, but it only affects the idle, thats its. and once i have it fired up and running, it does run smooth and i can run it full throttle and its nice and smooth, almost never bogs.

im still thinking there is a lack of fuel delivery though. i have visually checked for spark and it IS there...
 
have you tried starting it with choke open or closed? my stihl goes like this: choke closed, pull 3 times, then open choke, will start on 3rd pull.
when I worked at HD one summer, I always had pis sed off guys coming in complaining they couldn't get their weeders to start. one big guy even showed me the blisters on his fingers from pulling it so much (insert your own joke here).so, I would take them outside, open the choke, and it would start right up. now they are MORE pis sed, and want to return it anyway.
remember also, 2 strokes like to run WOT.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
have you tried starting it with choke open or closed? my stihl goes like this: choke closed, pull 3 times, then open choke, will start on 3rd pull.
when I worked at HD one summer, I always had pis sed off guys coming in complaining they couldn't get their weeders to start. one big guy even showed me the blisters on his fingers from pulling it so much (insert your own joke here). so, I would take them outside, open the choke, and it would start right up. now they are MORE pis sed, and want to return it anyway.
remember also, 2 strokes like to run WOT.


i've tried starting it on half choke, full choke, no choke, etc... i've cleaned the plug, re-gapped the plug, still doesn't make a difference. i know they like to run at WOT and this one does run smooth once its up and running, but the starting of this POS, i cant understand it...
 
Throw it in the garbage and:
A. If you have minimal weed-eating chores, get a Black/Decker battery powered "Grasshog";
or, if you do a LOT of heavy duty weed-eating,
B. Bite the bullet and get Stihl or Husky.
There, in less than one minute, you've received the benefit of what I learned from 10+ years of Homelite frustration..
thumbsup2.gif
 
Yeah, homelite sucks. I have a ryobi trimmer that's a dressed up homelite. Mine needs a new plug every season even with light use. Replace the plug and if that doesn't do it go buy a Echo, Stihl, or a Husqavarna.
 
I highly recommend Echo and Husqvarna. Very reliable. I have an Echo trimmer and Husqvarna edger. I love using them. they always start and never seem to break.
 
Poke around and make sure the fuel line is good, the carb is screwed on tight, air filter not saturated with oil/fuel/dirt, yada, yada, yada.

One of my bigger Stihl trimmers had the same starting problem this spring. What happened is that the throttle cable either stretched or the doohickey barrel cable clamp that engages the carb throttle lever slipped. When locked in the start position (supposed to be about half throttle), the bad cable did not open the carb throttle lever. If I manually held the carb throttle half open, it started right up. Took a few frustrating moments (potty mouth) to trouble shoot this simple problem.

Check out the throttle cable to carb lever action.

Good Luck! Over at arboristsite they talk of special rituals that are often required to start particular models of Poulan saws to overcome very bad design.
 
Originally Posted By: Gilitar
Yeah, homelite sucks. I have a ryobi trimmer that's a dressed up homelite. Mine needs a new plug every season even with light use. Replace the plug and if that doesn't do it go buy a Echo, Stihl, or a Husqavarna.


Yeah, my dad bought a featherlite weed-eater brand. It is HARD to start, runs well when weed-eating, but will not idle, just
stall. My craftsman easy start is the best, however.
If yall think Homelite sucks, try a featherlite weed-eater brand!
Talking about making a preacher cuss...
LOL.gif
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
have you tried starting it with choke open or closed? my stihl goes like this: choke closed, pull 3 times, then open choke, will start on 3rd pull.


I have to do the same procedure for both my Ryobi weed whacker and a McCulloch leaf blower. Full choke for a couple of pulls, usually get a cough out of it. Starts on half choke right afterward.
 
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Originally Posted By: fordboy
Originally Posted By: Gilitar
Yeah, homelite sucks. I have a ryobi trimmer that's a dressed up homelite. Mine needs a new plug every season even with light use. Replace the plug and if that doesn't do it go buy a Echo, Stihl, or a Husqavarna.


Yeah, my dad bought a featherlite weed-eater brand. It is HARD to start, runs well when weed-eating, but will not idle, just
stall. My craftsman easy start is the best, however.
If yall think Homelite sucks, try a featherlite weed-eater brand!
Talking about making a preacher cuss...
LOL.gif



By the way, we bought it at walmart.
Now it makes sence!
 
I used to buy homelite products. They generally lasted trouble free for about 2 years, then it took constant fooling around with them to keep them running. When I got fed up fooling with them I would buy another. The last one I bought wouldn't run right out of the box. I took it back and bought an Echo (string trimmer). The Echo has been trouble free for about 5 years now. Then I bought a Stihl gas leaf blower. It also has been flawless for years. Consumer Homelite products are very poorly engineered and built with inexpensive components. They simply do not last.

Ryobi products are not any better. I'll stick with Echo or Stihl.
 
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If you look at the engine tag on your trimmer there will be an EPA Rating on the tag. If it says category A (300hrs) or Category C (50 hours) that roughly translates to how long the engine should last.. however with good oil and air filter maintenance you can blow those away.

The category C stuff is usually harder to start as the engine isnt designed to last forever. Worn rings etc.

Category A trimmers (Echo, Husqvarna, Stihl, Redmax, Shindaiwa, Tanaka, Kawasaki)

Category C trimmers (Poulan, Ryobi (most of the sub $100 trimmers).
 
My Echos/Husqvarna (2 stroke) cold start within 3-6 pulls and once warm fire on one. THe first trimmer I ever bought was a Weed Eater. It took so many pulls to start, and then only really worked for a year. Tried Homelite...same thing. Then I tried Echo and never looked back.
 
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