Strikemaster Mag 2000 Problem

[Mongro02]

Can anyone help me out here...

I have a 2 1/2 year old Gas Auger...

This year I have not been able to finish cutting One hole without it dying.

It usually takes about 10-20 pulls before the Auger will start up and then as soon as I start cutting the auger will die.

Takes a bunch of pulls to get it started again...then as soon as it starts cutting and gets stuck the motor seems to shut off.

Is it something with the powerhead?

I changed the Spark Plug this year, Changed brand new oil/gas mixture...

When I changed the Spark Plug I did notice oil in the hole where the Spark Plug is screwed into...Don't know it that is important or not.

I've brought it in to get serviced 3 times...each time the guy says he's checked the auger out and let it run and it runs fine...no Problems.

But yet I cannot drill a hole without having to restart it at least 10 times.

Any Ideas? Thanks for any input...

[Guest]

Sounds like your float is stuck or needle valve is plugged up. I would pull the carb and give it a good cleaning and your problems will likely go away.

Your auger may run just fine when under minimal load.. but when its under load and power your burning the fuel faster than it can get back into the carb... or its *starving* for gas.

This could also be something stupid like the choke linkage coming disconnected and being stuck at partially choked.

On the other hand.. Oil in the spark plug hole suggest you might be running your gas a little rich, or your flooding out. A weak spark could be a problem.. but not common with that auger.

My guess is you had a little dirt in the gas and it plugged something up... it happens.

[JigNLeech]

My StrikeMaster will shut off if I don't let it warm up for at least 2 minutes on a cold start.

Looking for some advice.

I have a StrikeMaster LazerMag Express that's 1 year old. This season I have notice a lot of oil running out of the muffler exhaust hole. I thought maybe that I had too rich of a gas/oil mixture so I changed that and it seem to work initially. After a couple of times out it started again.

Last season I did notice just a hint of oil around the exhaust hole, but this year the oil is coming out in large drops.

Any suggestions to what the problem is? Thanks.

[Borch]

Mongro02,

Sounds like you carburator is plugged with dirt or likely varnish. I had the exact issue with mine last spring and had strikemaster rebuilt the carburator and it ran great after that.

With these new fuel blends the problem of varnishing is only going to get worse. I've been treating my fuel with seafoam since that time and it really seems to help.

Jignleech,

It's the 24:1 oil mixture that causes this. Swithc over to the Amsoil 100:1 Saber and you'll stop seeing this after a couple of tankfuls. I had the same issue with my augers until I switched.

[JigNLeech]

Borch,

Are you sure this won't damage the engine going so lean?

I'm not familar with the Amsoil 100:1 Saber. What's so special about this and where can one purchase it.

[john.wells]

I can tell you with almost absolute certainty that your problem is with either a warped or blown diaphragm in the carburetor or a cracked or loose vacuum line to the carb. I have fixed a good number of these, it kept me in money for a while a few years ago and they haven't changed much if at all since then. You MIGHT have a linkage problem with the governor, which is air controlled from the flywheel fins and will give you performance issues but not starting issues. They are not all that difficult to fix, but there are a bunch of delicate parts, and I would suggest that you not tackle the problem if you are not comfortable with mechanical jobs. As far as the guy you brought it to, I would say don't go back there for anything. It is hard to find a good repair shop for small engines anymore, thanks to the throw-away nature of small engines these days .

As far as the oil goes, use a good quality AIR COOLED oil blend. TCW (which stands for two-cycle water cooled) should NOT be used as it is designed for outboard use, as they run considerably cooler. I personnaly use Yamaha or Polaris snowmobile oil, as they have the flow and mixing formula for cold weather. I use the recommended 24:1 mix. The manufacturers have a reason for the ratio, and I would sure as heck not run 100:1 with any brand no matter what the claims are!!! The oil you see in the piston and coming out of the exhaust is normal for two-cycles.

A word on storage-get rid of the old gas you have at the end of the season and run your tanks and carbs dry at idle. Use a quality engine fogger and follow the directions on the can. I have a 12 year old Jiffy with the same engine that the mags have, and have never had a carb issue and it starts and runs like it did when new.

By the way, I do have a degree in marine and power equipment and not just talking out of my #$% .

[Surface Tension]

My thoughts are pretty close to john.wells on this topic.

Before the carb overhaul try adjusting the air/fuel mixture. Without being there to hear and see the auger run its pretty hard for me tell if your running lean or rich. The oil residue coming from the muffler is normal, if theres an excessive amount I would tend to think your running a bit rich, a quick look at the spark plug will tell you. If its wet then your flooding, if its dry then you'll want to back the mixture screw out. I've gone into detail on this procedure many times. If you do a search you can find that info.

If it comes down to a carb overhaul/rebuild you might want to have a Strikemaster repair center to that for you. If your up to doing it yourself, pick up the carb kit and a carb cleaner. Before you disassemble anything note how the linkage and spring is hooked up to the governor and throttle.

After disassembly soak the carb overnight in a carb cleaner, not seafoam. Next day, use compressed air to blow out the jets. You'll get the new diaphragms in the kit, usually the inlet valve will cost you more but since your in there pay the extra few bucks and replace that too.

There are delicate parts and the kits don't come with any documentation. You'll have to adjust the fuel level. I believe we're talking the walbro carb here in which case the button on the diaphragm should be level with the body of the carb. To make that adjustment you'll have to bend the tang on the lever, the inlet valve is connected to that lever so be careful not to damage it.

Strikemaster recommends 24:1 and thats what I use and my auger is going on 20 years now. On a cold start it takes 2 pulls and yes it smokes, its supposed to.

[Borch]

I wqas thinking the same thing for the past 5 years of so as these guys were using the 100:1 mix. They're going to blow their motors. I've yet to hear of any blown motors with this fuel mixture in the Amsoil 100:1 synthetics. I'm sure there may have been some but I've not heard of it either here, with friends using it or any other forums using this oil.

Otherwise the oil or smokey exhaust is normal in the 24:1 oil mixture with standard 2 stroke oil made for these augers. All augers recommend the 24:1 for gas to oil mix. However, someone stated that Eskimo I think, was switching theirs over to 50:1 however that is info I haven't heard or seen anywhere else.

[Surface Tension]

Borch, what we need to see is some scientific testing done with good controls. So far all we have is claims by oil companies and yes some testimony from individual users but we don't know what if any damage is being done on a 100:1 mix. It would be safe to say using whats recommended by the engine manufacturer isn't going to harm your engine.

My main point is an auger should run at its optimal with a 24:1 mix if that engine is tuned correctly and it shouldn't take a 100:1 mix to achieve that. In reality auger engines have low hours but those low hours are hard. Cold starts and being put under load when not up to operating temps is the norm.

It may very well be that Eskimo is recommending 50:1 but is that in a new engine where components are different then older models?

[john.wells]

I'm right there with surface tension- 20 years for his auger and 12 for mine is a pretty good testamonial. Granted, the quality of oils has increased dramatically over the years, but those bearings and rings need to stay in good shape. A friend of mine had an Evinrude that recommended 100:1 about 10 years ago, and that thing ran like garbage at that ratio. Changed to 50:1, ran like a champ. The environmentalists have bullied these companies to reduce oil usage, and that ain't all bad, but I just don't want to blow my engines up. I reckon it won't be long and everything will be 4-stroke and the wacko's still won't be happy until we're all living in a commune eating soilent green

[Northlander]

I have used amsoil Saber 100 to 1 mix in my augers and lawnmowers etc for the last 4 years. In my Nilsmaster auger the past 2 years. I started out at 80 to 1 and after 3 tanks went to the 100 to 1. All my stuff runs smoothly and no smokin. I use Amsoil 4 stroke oil in my yamaha 115 4 stroke outboard and thats running great as well.

Amsoil must be doing something right I see tons of people running it in augers, snowmobiles and motorcycles.I have yet to talk to anyone who has used the Saber in their Augers who didnt like it or found it to cause harm to their equipment.

[JohnMickish]

Just remember that all factory recomendations are on the very conservative side. The factory would rather see it run OK for 10 years than run great for 7. Use that with your own judgement. I have a 10 year old Jiffy and this year I switched to 50-1 and it does run better than at 24-1. Now that might be the quality of oil vs. the ratio but it does run smoother and much less smokey. My .02

[rpaulson7]

I agree you need to mess with the carb settings. I had the same problem with my Strikemaster last year, it ran great until I started drilling a hole, then it killed. This fall I started it up determined to fix it.

Start the auger and warm it up. Lay the motor end on a tailgate or work bench. Grab the shaft with your hand and carefully give it gas. Grip the shaft tightly. If you can stop the motor with your hand, you have a problem, as I did.

Spend some time adjusting the two red plastic screws on the carb (or whatever the screws go into, I'm no motor expert). Repeat the grip test and re-adjust.

I fixed my problem in about 5 minutes, and tinkered with the settings some more to verify results. My auger has run great all this season with the right settings.

[tomfromblaine]

I really hate to ask this but nobody addressed the fuel cap vent, its such a simple thing but I still forget about it every now and then , the mechanic may or may not have opened it, just starting and running it, rev' er up a little "yep" she's running fine now, BUT with no load on the motor how can he possibly know if the motor is starving out. anyway just my 02.

oh yea been using amsoil products since 1973-74? not committed but it goes in all my toys and they all run better now than what ever was mfg recommended, (that I did use) for the break-in, and I almost always let it warm up a bit and can tell the differance when I don't.

[Surface Tension]

rpaulson7, thats one way to test your auger under a load but it could be dangerous. Don't wear any loose clothing or gloves.

tomfromblaine, good point on the gas cap and something that can easily be overlooked. . Theres two types of gas caps, those with the vent screw and those with the one-way valve. Mine has the valve so no need to mess with it. Normally I never use the vent screw because the seal tends to wear out. I'm in the habit of opening the gas cap to relieve and vacuum that may be in the tank then close it, thats usually good for a couple holes.

I don't want to get involved with the oil debate.

When adjusting the high speed mixture on your carb your not trying to accomplish maximum RPMs. To do so would be running the engine too lean. Sure it runs faster and you might think its running better but its going to do damage. A 2 cycle engine gets it lubrication from the oil in the gas. That mixture goes through the crank first and then into the combustion chamber. If your too lean your not going to get the proper lubrication in the crank and on top of that a lean engine will run hotter. Now you take an engine with a dirty carb or improperly adjusted carb thats not running right because its running to lean. You switch to 100:1 and you think you fixed because it runs better. I'm not saying that circumstance applies to all of you but you can see what I'm getting at.

When adjusting that High Speed mixture hit your top RPMs then back out the mixture screw till those RPMs drop. You'll then be getting the correct amount of gas and lubrication.

Your auger is capable of running to it optimal performance with a 24:1 mix. Yes it will smoke more then a 100:1 mix but much of that obnoxious smell and eye irritant isn't from the oil, the oil is only a visual.