strikemaster problem

[walleye 4 me]

I bought a lazer mag (2.h hp) last year and it ran like a champ all season. used it for the first time this year yesterday and was having issues. When cold, took about a dozen pulls to start. idled fine but when I give it gas it would bog down and die. tried moving the choke to the left almost all the way to the start position and found the sweet spot and it ran great. had to do this every time I used it. I am wondering if the travel of the choke lever is out of whack if that makes sense. any thoughts?

[Pooh]

Need the carb cleaned, may as well do a kit while you got it apart.

[riffraff]

If you left gas in it through the summer the high speed circuit in the carb is probably plugged. Most likely you will need to take the carburetor apart and clean it. Kind of a common thing...

[riffraff]

Sorry Pooh you must type faster than me:)

[Chaws]

Where can a guy get a carb kit? I'm having the same kind of issues as well after buying a used auger and when I purchased it I know it had old ethanol in it so I'm assuming it's all gummed up inside and I'm afraid there might be other ethanol related problems in the carb other than gummed up jets.

[rbs]

parts stores should have it, thats where I always get mine

[kenlaker]

Yes, most parts stores and small engine shops should have it. To make it easier, bring in the model and type numbers off of the engine itself, not just the auger manufacturer's model numbers. There is usually a number stamped on the carb as well, bring that if you can.

[Chaws]

I tore down the carb last night to make sure there wasn't any gunk in it and to make sure everything was intact. Cleaned out all the jets and reassembled. I noticed there aren't any adjustment screws on it.... Fired it back up again and still it won't idle unless you use the throttle and even letting it warm up a bit and then going wide open throttle and letting off, it dies out.

[hydro]

Chaws, Are you sure there are no adjustment screws or are they just covered with caps to prevent access (EPA pollution stuff)???? If they are there and capped, cleaning the carb would not help because the jets did not get cleaned out. I have seen this on other small two stroke motors. Your operational description points to a partially plugged high speed jet.

Can you post a picture of each side of the carb? I bet the adjustments are there.

[MikeRaetz]

Mine did the same when i owned it. Crack the gas cap open and it should run fine.

[Pooh]

Mine does the same thing. Has for years. I've put 2 carb kits in it and still the same thing. Dies after being run wide open. No adjustment screws on mine either. I just live with it.

[rcr]

the adjustments on my solo are "d" shaped, heres a pic below of the two adjustment screws. Most companies are doing this to comply with EPA rules so consumers cant adjust them without the special tool. Mine was doing the same thing, my buddy adjusted the high side, running like new now.

[img:center]

[hydro]

Yes that is a problem. Those screws need to be taken out and a slot cut in them so you can keep that rascal running. There is no way a motor with a carb set up like that will run for more than a few years. Once one little bit of stuff gets in there it's done.

[rcr]

you can buy the special tool on fleabay for a couple bucks or most lawnmower shops will sell it homelite part# 308535001

[Luke_M]

It is illegal for an authorized dealer to sell the carb tools. The cost on them is also $30-$75 thru the manufacturers. My suggestion would be to take it to an authorized dealer most only charge a nominal fee to properly adjust it. The EPA regulated carbs suck but its the realm of politics to change it.

[hydro]

Sorry Luke but once those carbs get dirty it's more than just a little adjustment to make things work again. The jets need to pe pulled and cleaned out and there is likely more dirt right behind what plugged the jet in the first place so the carb needs to come apart and be cleaned to do the job right.

It takes me about 30-45 minutes to do that myself so I would guess at the current shop rates that would be at least $50.00 to $75.00. It appears that the newer two stroke augers are designed to captivate the user to "Professional" repair shops with special tools or simply be disposed of when they cease to function correctly. Time to look at an electric auger and a spare $150.00 battery.

[Luke_M]

Typically carbs are preset in China or wherever for sea level and 65-70 degrees. A reputable servicing dealer will stand behind the products they sell and keep you on the lake fishing or at least they should be doing so.

Hydro

The dealers are not always happy about these EPA regulations. It costs a lot of money to keep up to date. And does not make for happy customers. The best thing to do is to keep good non oxy gas with good 2 stroke mix and never use gas more than a month old. I only mix 1 qt at a time with good racing quality fuel. 10 years on the jiffy 35 without touching the carb or anything else.