2hp Tecumseh Strikemaster issue

[Craigums]

Ive got a Strikemaster with a 2hp Tecumseh motor and was out fishing this weekend. I drilled 3 consecutive holes without much issue then while drilling the 4th the auger bit would just stop spinning, almost like it was bogging down or the motor didnt have enough torque to turn the auger bit to cut through the ice. One theory I had was that since it was so cold maybe ice froze over the blades or maybe the pitch of the blades is off a little however I can't explain why the first 3 holes drilled fine then? I plan on trying some differant gas in it to see if that makes a differance or if I continue to see the issue again. Almost didnt make it threw the ice on that 4th hole and don't want to get stuck on the water without a working auger. I should also mention that the blades were replaced late last year, so they should be fine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Craig P.

[Surface Tension]

Could be a number of things and without hearing and seeing what was going on it gets hard to nail it down.

Was the ice soft and chips heavy? Did you try lifting the auger up to clear some of the chips out of the hole?

Under the above conditions or in thick ice that is almost mandatory to clear out the chips when drilling to lessen the load.

If the above doesn't apply then I'd suspect a rich mixture.

Too much fuel to air ratio will cause that. In order to have that problem we're talking a carb with a high speed fuel mixture screw. Turning that screw in a hair at a time will lean out that mixture.

[Craigums]

Ok got out on a lake by my house just to test it out today once it was all thawed out. I started it up and paid close attention to how it sounded. It idles but doesnt sound steady. I started drilling my hole and it went down 3 inches or so and then the auger bit stopped turning, and it actually died. Started it back up and tried drilling again the bit stopped almost instantly and the motor sounded as if it was going to die again.

The label on the motor says it requires a 24:1 gas/oil mixture and I checked a little bottle of strikemaster oil that I used to mix the gas and the bottle says it mixes 40:1, so it sounds like I actually mixed the gas a little bit lean rather than rich. Could it still be a gas issue or do you suspect something with the carb still? I dont know if my auger has a high speed fuel mixture screw, forgive my ignorance. Its a Lazer Mag Ultra 9'' with 3 blades and a 2hp Tecumseh. I can take pics if that would help with suggestions.

Thank You

[Esox_Magnum]

Call D Rock in New Brighton and buy a new carb, $50-$60 I think I paid for mine, rebuilt the old carb twice and never would run righ new carb ran like new and still does. I ran it on a 80-1 Amsoil Saber mix after the new carb, buddy owns it now runs Opti 2 in it.

[maxx rpm]

To me, it sounds like the throttle is freezing up. When you give it gas, look to make sure the pin is pushing the butterfly. Not sure how that one works, but i have seen where you push the throttle and it does not move.

[Swimmer]

first things first. You probably know this but make sure the the little vent screw on the gas cap is screwed OPEN when you are running it.

[cold one sd]

If it is less than about four or five years old, I would try premium gas mixed 50:1 with Amsoil Saber Professional or another synthetic 2 stroke oil. I have read on other forums that with the new EPA rated carburetors, this will help. Just what I have heard. My 2hp is about 7 years old and runs like a car.

[TopWalker]

had a similar issue with mine last week and as Craigums suggested, my throttle was frozen or somehow stuck. When I pressed down on the throttle handle, there was no change in RPMS. Throttle mechanism was under the gas tank on mine, just moved the throttle back and forth by hand and sprayed a little lube on it and seems to be back in working order.

[Craigums]

I think it was the Gas, Mixed up a new batch using high octane and tried out some Amsoil Saber for the first time 80:1, went down to the local lake and it runs smoother now and didnt stop up once while testing it out...I drilled 6 holes without an issue

[Craigums]

thanks for your input everyone

[THEDOGG]

aren't you glad you didn't go out and buy a new $50 carb

[Craigums]

aren't you glad you didn't go out and buy a new $50 carb

Yes im also glad I switched to Amsoil Saber after hearing all the hype on this site. That stuff truely is the bee's knees!

[THEDOGG]

it is very seldom that you should have to replace a carb on anything, clean them yes and sometimes every year due to poor summer or winterization and or poor fuel