Strikemaster Lazer problems?

[randerson]

My buddy is working on his dads strikemaster and its having problems it won't stay running he replaced a broken plastic piece that went into the carb and put a new gas line on can get it to fire with a little gas but dies out shortly after firing also put new carb kit on with new screen in the carb which is what DRock suggested any other suggestions

[Hardyboy]

My buddy is working on his dads strikemaster and its having problems it won't stay running he replaced a broken plastic piece that went into the carb and put a new gas line on can get it to fire with a little gas but dies out shortly after firing also put new carb kit on with new screen in the carb which is what DRock suggested any other suggestions

well it sounds like its not getting gas if you can put some in the carb and it runs. kinked fuel line, clogged filter in the tank,float stuck....just some ideas

[Pooh]

Have you tried a new spark plug?

[McGurk]

If I had to guess, I'd say that you have a plugged port in your carb. Putting on a new carb kit won't help, and and it is from storing gas with ethanol in it for as little as 6 months. Any time you see a brown/tan residue it is from your regular gas with the state required ethanol. Get a can of carb cleaner, an air compressor with a simple air nozzle, some safety glasses, and maybe some gloves. Take the carb back off, and get ready to get aquainted with it. Sitting in a well lit space with an old towel and some newspaper helps. Caution- Carb cleaner is very caustic and will stink, and the compressor will shoot it everywhere, so I don't recommend doing this at the dining room table!

Get all of the rubber and plastic parts off of the carb, remove any screws in a detailed way that you can remember how to reassemble, and give it a good spray with carb cleaner. Let it sit for a half hour and do it again. Now spray some air through it and make sure any openings that you can see are free and clear. There may be some tiny ones so take your time and be thorough. It is not recommended but you can take some thin wire and work through the ports if you have a serious blockage. Twist ties with the paper burned off, copper strands from braided wire, and other things may work, but be very careful and tender with it as you do not want to scratch the ports up not mess up any brass. When you are satisfied, reassemble and reinstall.

Now for the preventative maintenance... Get a small gas can and find a gas station that sells "non-oxygenated" fuel, and fill 'er up. It will be more per gallon (upwards of $1 more!) than premium, and it has NO ethanol in it, but it will store for much longer and won't gum up your auger. Now find a source for Amsoil products, and get some "Amsoil Sabre Pro" 2-stroke oil. I like the 8 oz bottle for around $6, but you can get single use pillow packets, too. I run at an 80-1 mixture (1.6 oz Sabre to 1 gal of gas), and you will not beleive the difference it will make after running a tank of Amsoil mixed gas through your auger (or 2-stroke anything!). Less smoke, better idle, and you'll have a smoother running auger.

[hydro]

Good post McGurk. I would add for all who who attempt this kind of work to locate an old metal 11 X 9 baking pan (don't use the one in the kitchen!) and do all of your work over the pan. It will catch those little parts that always seem to fall at the worst times. It also contains much of that messy carb cleaner.

I have a bunch of these pans that I picked up at garage sales and flea markets for next to nothing, and I use them all the time in my shop!