Auger not running to full potential

[Gus]

I have a 2hp strike-master, about year 1996. Last year I put a carb kit in it and I have it running again, idling great. Idle is set just about where the auger starts to engage. It cuts a hole and spins fairly normal. What I am not seeing is where the motor sort of "kicks in" and just goes to town. Some of you probably know what I'm talking about. It'll auger the hole at a decent pace it just doesn't really go to town after a couple seconds like it used to. What am I missing? I rebuilt the carb because I was having starting issues, and this was the first carb rebuild done on the auger. Not bad, got 14 years out of it before I needed to do anything.

Thanks for any input!

[McGurk]

Restricted gas somewhere, run some seafoam mixed into your mixed gas is always a cheap thing to try, along with a new spark plug. Just because you put a carb kit in doesn't mean the carb works perfectlyyet, there may be plugged/restricted orifices.

[hydro]

Does it make a choppy "four stroke" kind of sound when cutting? Did you remove and re-install either of the jet needles? Last, are you sure the carb is completely clean?

A two stroke motor (with a clean, unrestricted carb) will tend to run like that if the high speed mixture screw is set too rich. The high speed adjustment screw controls how much fuel can flow in relation to the air moving through the carb venturi, which is a constant value. Get the engine warmed up nicely and adjust the low speed needle clockwise until you hear it lean out, then back it off until it idles smooth. You should not have to touch this adjustment again.

Next, adjust the high speed with the carb wide open using the same process. Back the needle out until it runs rough, then screw it in until the engine picks up speed, then loses speed (too lean). Once it is on the lean side of its peak, back it out again past the smooth running point until it runs slightly rough again. The high speed is now set at ABOUT where it needs to be.

Since it is difficult to tune a two stroke engine when not under load, take it out to the lake and have a buddy run the auger and drill some ice. With the motor completely warmed up, carb wide open and the motor loaded in the cut, turn the high speed needle clockwise 1/8 turn and drill a hole until it just hits the sweet spot as it bites into the cut. Stop adjusting there, as more tweaking tends to mess up the adjustment. You do not want it too lean, but just at the point where the engine unloads and runs nice when cutting. It will still tend to sound choppy when out of the cut and that is normal.

[Gus]

I don't remember taking any needles out now that you mention it. Maybe I just swapped in the new gaskets and that was it. It was the beginning of last winter, so I'm a little foggy on the details. I'll take it apart and see what I can find. I'm a novice at pulling carbs so I was just kind of working my way through replacing what came with the carb kit.

I do run a bit of seafoam in the gas and normally run amsoil. Last few years anyway. Prior to that it was strike master oil for quite a number of years.

[JohnMickish]

Mine from the same era does the same thing. It won't stay running on the sweet spot, it goes in for a couple of seconds then the rpm falls a bit and its now out. Been tuned up professionally, idles smooth and sweet. I think it's in the governor somewhere.