Weedeater won't stay running

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I have a 31cc Snapper Weedeater that is hard to start, and when I do get it running it runs for a few seconds and shuts off. It also has a slight fuel leak. I'm thinking the carburetor needs a rebuild. The starter rope also broke off the other day when I was trying to fix the carb problem. It ran for about 30 seconds when I sprayed carb cleaner into the carb. I also replaced the fuel lines from the tank to the primer bulb to the card, but they are not the source of the leak. I even sealed the fuel line tubes on the bottom of the gas tank with Permatex.

Is it worth fixing? Anyone know where to get a rebuild kit for a weedeater carb and if so is it difficult to rebuild it? And has anyone replaced or reattached the starter rope on a weedeater? I wonder what is involved in fixing this thing or should I just buy a new one. This one is 8 years old and has worked fine until now.

I have not found much Snapper info online, and I appreciate any help here.
 
Generally , those carbs are pretty simple . The one on my homelite uses the gasket as the pump diaphragm , I believe it's a yama on my trimmer. Get it a apart and give it a good cleaning and replace the soft parts. Look at the bottom for the name and post it up.
HTH
Jorge
 
I had carb problems on my old trimmer. A carb kit was $9+3 shipping. Just for the heck of it I looked on EBay and found the exact replacement carb,new in the box, for $18 shipped.

10 minutes of work and it ran great.
 
Does the gas tank hold air pressure? Sometimes the whole thing is pressurized to force gas up into the carb. Might be a bad cap or something. Did it ever go whoosh when fueling?
 
I have a Stihl that had the same symptoms. Turns out the fuel line was cracked and it was sucking air. I ordered new fuel line as it was impossible to find the exact size anyplce and after installing that and resetting the carburator it runs great.

If you have a fuel leak it may be sucking air, even with new fuel lines, and thay may the c source of your problem.
 
Thanks for the replies. I may tinker with it this weekend. If it's not a major operation to reattach the starter rope, then I'll take another look at the carb. Otherwise, I may just buy a new weedeater sometime soon. I could even wait till next spring and there should be some good deals then.

Thanks for the help.
 
If you can get an older one to work, you are better off. I have a newer one and the new carbs are factory pre-set (EPA rules)

I'm sure I could get an old carb and make it fit.

However, I just set the idle high enough to keep it running.

So given what I know now, I'd keep an old weedeater running as long as I could before buying a new one.
 
I just got my tool in the mail to adjust those unadjustable weed whackers. It was $9 plus shipping from Ebay. No more taking the carb off and running a Dremmel disk through the screw guard and across the screw tops to slot them for a flathead screwdriver.

Most small engine places will sell you a rebuild kit for 12 - 15 bucks. Take your carb with you to get the right one.
 
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Well I just decided it was more trouble than it is worth to fix it. I had to drill out the set screw for the driveshaft and I studied the rest of the engine a long time. It looked like you need some sort of press or puller to get the rest of what looks like some kind of balancer off the driveshaft and then take the whole rear assembly off again to remove the cover to get access to the starter. I don't know much about 2 cycle engines though. I'll watch for a good deal on a new weedeater some time soon.

Thanks for the help anyway.
 
Do yourself a favor. Go to a local dealer that sells Stihl or Echo. Spend the money for the bottom of the line, curved shaft trimmer (around $169.00 for either brand) and never have to buy anything again. That is, if you're not using it commercially. Then you want to go a little pricier.

NOT the big box store Echo trimmer. You never know where their stuff is made/manufactured. I just found out not long ago that Husqvarna's bottom three chainsaws are made by Poulan, who they own. Who would have thought?
 
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