I have a small 2 cycle edger, by Weed Eater. I believe it's 22 cc. I bought it a few years ago, and it handles my edging needs. I have a small yard and only edge a couple times a year.

There is one peculiarity though. It runs best only after 10 minutes of running or so. I start it per the manual, and it starts quickly. But until it warms up, I can't pull the throttle much, if at all. If I pull the throttle much it actually slows down, looses power, and stalls.

The hotter it gets, the more gas I can give it. But even if its been running a while and is very nice and hot, too much gas causes it to slow down and loose power and if I don't let go of the gas it will stall.

Should I adjust it somehow? If so - what do I do? Or do I just take it easy as it warms, like I've been doing.

(I've read some opinions on these saying they're garbage. I unfortunately didn't wisely research this purchase.)

You may need to leave the choke 1/2 on for a little longer.

If it loses power when you are opening the throttle (when cold) this is usually a symptom of the engine leaning out.

My 2 stroke homelite weedeater needs to run for a little while (maybe 2 minutes) on half choke until it warms up, then I can switch it over to no choke and it will make more power with no choke after that.

Until it's warm, mine does the same as yours if there's no choke. What doesn't add up is that it takes 10 minutes to warm up.

I also had a similar problem one year with my homelite, and it turned out to be an issue with my 2 stroke oil which was around 6 years old. I bought some fresh 2 stroke oil and some fresh gas, mixed it up and all my problems were solved. You might try that as well.

Thanks for the tips. I had, for whatever reason, though it was going too rich when I pull the throttle. But obviously that is allowing more air into the carb and leaning it. I have generally not been using the 1/2 choke setting.

I probably have been over-using the 2 stroke oil a bit as well.

Will adjust both bad habits. Thanks again!

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(I've read some opinions on these saying they're garbage. I unfortunately didn't wisely research this purchase.)

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I just gave my Brother-In-Law my old working Weedeater brand string trimer and blower.The string trimer was between 15 to 20 years old. The blower was around 13 years old.

I purchased an acreage and needed a backpack blower and a multiple head trimmer.

You might also check any carb mounting bolts for tightness. Even a SLIGHT air leak will have a large effect.
Most power equipment is set on the lean side because of emissions.

Assuming it has mixture screws...

Try richening the low-speed screw. This is exactly what a 2-stroke will do when the idle mix is too lean. Set the high-speed screw for a slight 4-cycle under load.

I wonder if perhaps I'm running too much mix oil in my little Echo trimmer 'cause it suffers from the same malady. Sure ran good when I put several ounces of toluene in the tank- no doubt it diluted the oil/fuel mix down quite a bit.

Then again, toluene has an octane rating ((R+M)/2) of somewhere around 114. Could that have helped it too? NAH...

The lean air/fuel mix symptom due to excessive mix oil is good to know because it seems counterintuitive.

I used the edger for the first time Saturday. Unfortunately less oil in the mix didn't seem to help.

I ended up leaving it at 1/2 choke the WHOLE time, it gave me better power. In fact, near the end of the job I edged a patch on No Choke and it was worse than using 1/2 choke. By that point the edger would have been in use about a 1/2 hour.

So I am definitely leaning out right? Would I find these "mixture screws" on the outside? I see one screw right off the bat, near the priming bulb. How much would I probably want to turn the screw to richen the mix, and in which direction?

Thanks guys - I know my cars but small engines are still a mystery for the most part.

Brian

I would turn the low-speed screw counter-clockwise in 1/8th turn increments until it doesn't stumble when you give it full throttle from idle. You'll probably then have to adjust the high-speed screw clockwise a little to lean it back out some, you want it to 4-cycle(mis) slightly under load at full throttle. This is how I adjust my 2-cycle equipment for maximum longevity. I find most stuff comes from the factory set too lean. If you find yourself lost set the high-speed screw first, then lean out the low-speed screw until it stumbles, then repeat my instructions.

The settings will change a bit depending on the weather, I always take a small screwdriver with me when I'm cutting wood.

The low-speed screw is adjusted at idle, but tested by giving it full throttle from idle.

It's often difficult to adjust the high-speed screw at full throttle due to vibration, so you might have to adjust in small increments at idle and then test at full throttle.

Changing the setting of one will affect the other, so usually it's necessary to adjust both a couple of times.

One screw should affect acceleration behavior, the other should affect full throttle behavior. Usually there is an H (high) or F (fast) and an L (low) or S (slow) cast into the body of the carburetor right next to the corresponding screw.

Believe it or not a 2-cycle is WAY easier to adjust than a 4-cycle.

only used twice a year can lead to fuel gumming of piston, rings and cyl.
always dump out fuel at end of each use, burn in mower or car
fresh fuel each session
use only a full synthetic 2 cyle air cool rated oil, far less gumming and deposits

clean the engine with a 50/50 mix of FP and LC into spark plug hole and let set for a couple hours with piston at top
drain all out of plug hole and start, run under no load until hot at full rpm 5>10 minutes