SM Honda Lite Issue

[Sander v.]

I was finally able to hit the ice for the first time this hard water season and was kinda bummed out shortly after I began drilling. Around 6inches into my first cut the auger began to bog down and nearly shut off. I wrote it off and began drilling once again, same issue. The problem persisted throughout approximately 10 holes drilled and the auger actually shut down twice during drilling. Wondering if any of you can assist in some troubleshooting potential issues.

Here is some more info that may be of assistance in a diagnosis:

Changed oil approximately 2 months ago and filled tank at the same time. After this I let the auger run for approximately 10 minutes to cycle the fluids.

Today I also let the auger "warm up for a few minutes prior to cutting.

Your thoughts?

Thanks.....

[Luke_M]

When you changed the oil did you get out approximately the amount of oil that the you put in? Those engines are a bear to change the oil on because of the sealed oil chamber. If you pull off the air filter cover and notice any oil coming out of the breather tube I would guess that it is over filled with oil. Something I recommend to customers is to measure the oil coming out and what you add back in so it doesn't get over filled.

[Sander v.]

I can confidently say that I added the required amount according to the directions on the bottle. I don't believe that I got much out when I drained it. Should I attempt to drain and refill /replicate what come out..?

If there is there is oil on the filter via breather tube, can I clean this or fix the issue by dumping some oil out?

[Luke_M]

Any oil on the filter can be squeezed out with a towel and any oil in the air box can just be wiped out. To drain the excess oil from the engine you have to drain, fire the engine (run for 1-2 seconds), drain, repeat until you have got all the oil out of the engine. now you can fill with the correct volume of oil.

[Sander v.]

Got it, THanks! I will check into it.

[guyonacouch]

I had a similar issue with mine when I first bought it last year. After going through every solution I could think of, I called Strikemaster and they told me that sometimes the gas cap doesn't vent properly and that I should unscrew the cap a little to release the pressure. I don't always have to unscrew the cap, but every time I've had that bogging issue, I've unscrewed the cap and it's fixed it right away. I asked the service tech if I needed a new gas cap and he said that probably wouldn't fix the issue but I have considered looking for a cap with a screw type vent. I always make sure that I don't fill the tank up too full so that I don't leak any gas if I have to crack the cap with it running. If you don't find an easy fix, call Strikemaster - they've got good customer service.

[Sander v.]

I finally got to cleaning the air filter and housing of excess oil. The filter was saturated but not to the point of dripping excessively. I then removed the auger from the power head to be able to handle the draining process. I ran the auger for about 3 minutes killed the auger and then began to drain the oil. Let it drain to a drip, started the auger, killed it and repeated this two or three times, each time barely removing a noticeable amount of oil. I think open the new oil contained and pour some into the cap to compare the coloring. The new stuff was honey/caramel in coloration and the old stuff was a nasty dark grey milky in appearance. When I changed the oil two months ago, I used the same brand of oil and was wondering why the coloration and appearance would be so different after so little use(i.e. ten holes max.)? Any idea other than maybe the older oil had been colored differently...?

[Northlander]

Use 1 bottle of the Strikemaster 4 stroke oil as recomended?

[Sander v.]

Yes one bottle. I haven't tried another oil, I think when I had researched it earlier, many are using a higher quality oil amsoil of some sort. I have ran the auger since changing the oil and ripped on the throttle. It seems to be operating smoothly.

Can I assume that whether I'm drilling or simply spinning air, the powerhead operations, for example the bogging down that I had been experiencing, would still have occurred if problems were persisting?

[Northlander]

If it "Bogs down" during dry runs it could be the gas cap isnt venting right so open the gas cap. If its only under a load while cutting then you have another issue. Check blades, spark, choke and idle. All the small things and if you still have issues call Strikemaster. My only bogging issue has been the gas cap venting and as soon as I crack it open and tighten back up Im back in the saddle. Mine is usually after I have bounced the auger around on the back of the snowmobile or in the truck driving long distances to lakes. Otherwise it has been a very good running and cutting auger. Quiet too.

[CaptainMusky]

I wouldnt say you are out of the woods just because it runs well in your "garage". When drilling it will put a load on the engine and that is where you may start to see some problems if air/fuel mixture is off, etc.

Too bad we all dont have ponds in our backyards to test on. :-)