Strikemaster won't start

[Yellow Dog]

I drained all gas last spring - new spark plug now. Won't fire. Any tips?

Maybe old links that you know of.

[Papa Grump]

Probably the diaphram in the carb is cracked or dried out. Blow in the fuel tank to get some gas into the carb and see if that solves it. Otherwise the carb needs to be gone through.

[bigbucks]

Dump some Seafoam in your gas, turn it over a few times, let it sit for an hour assuming it didn't start right away & try to start it again. When I had trouble with starting mine after the summer that's what I did. Now I just dump Seafoam in the gas that's in it in the spring, run it a little & leave the gas in it. Seems to work fine.

The same treatment worked great on my lawn mowers too.

[anyfishwilldo]

Get a can of carb cleaner. Remove the fuel line from the bottom of the tank. Remove the air cleaner. Clean the carb, both inside and out with the carb spray. Run some carb spray through the fuel line into the carb. Pull the recoil a few times, it should start with the carb spray. DON'T let it run too long, because there is no oil in the carb spray. Get some Amzoil sabre 2 stroke oil, mix it 100 to 1 in a gallon of 92 octane fuel, hook up the fuel line, and it should work great. Clean the air cleaner up in the sink with some 409 or degeaser etc. Reinstall it, and go fishing. Hope that works for you. I have gotten countless numbers of augers running the very same way, without even replacing the plug. just cleaning it with carb spray, then lighting it up with a lighter.

[jigging-matt]

Same thing happened to me this year. I was always a drain you gas in the spring. Never had a problem for 6 years, until this year. Took it in and had the carb cleaned, runs like a top. I would recommend taking it in and getting it cleaned good. From now on will always store full. Lesson learned. Carb cleaning $55, Excellent information on this site...priceless.

[Yellow Dog]

I did what a few of you recommended and didn't have to pay the man for repair work. Sprayed some cleaner in the carb, then used starter fluid and runs like mad. I figure the needle was stuck or carb gummed up.

Also, Strikemaster returned my email with same advice.

You guys rock!

[cotfish]

ok this may be off topic a bit.my strikemaster is a bear to start cold.i open the choke just a bit pull it few times nothing.usually i have to almost flood it for it to pop off.i just switched to amsoil this yr.thinking i should clean carb.any suggestions?

[eurolarva]

Try full open choke. Hold throttle down with left hand and crank twice then three more times with throttle off. After it coughs go to half throttle and walk the throttle till it warms up.

[BIG DS]

Never hurts to go through the carb. It will probably help it start a bit easier. Cold starts on a Strikemaster work best if you put it full choke and pull it until it fires. That should only be 2 or 3 times. Some will fire and run rough on full choke, some will fire a couple of times and die. If it fires a couple of times and dies, turn the choke off, hold the throttle wide open, and when it starts, you will need to use about 1/2 choke for a bit. Let it warm up. Those 2hp Tecumseh engines are a tad cold blooded. The diaphragm used for the "fuel pump" side of the carb has plastic valves and will get real stiff when it dries out. The diaphragm on the needle and seat side dries out and actually expands and never works quite right after that. The needle valve seats against a rubber seat, so when you drain the gas and the seat dries out the needle valve tends to stick to it.

[Yellow Dog]

BIG DS or others -

So...when you store yours, do you leave gas in it? I have always drained mine--maybe that's a problem with drying out all the parts????

[Duffman]

Yellow Dog...

The same thing happened to my Strikemaster two years ago, now I just leave gas in it all year and fire it up every month or so in the off season.