Two strokes again.

Cleaning, fixing, using, repairing, best and worst of your mechanical aids in the garden...

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Ricard with an H
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One of my machines clearly had a fuel problem that needed a carb-strip down. Because of the fear of loosing a tiny spring or damaging a membrane I would have to replace and finding a source for that replacement this far west I took my Kawasaki brush utter to a repair establishment.

Am I being a big girls blouse ?

The repair shop suggested that annual servicing includes a carb strip down, most people I know don't even have a service, ever.

Has anyone taken a carb to bits and cleaned it ? I have stripped the combustion chamber and decoked the cylinder head though became a coward with the carb.

Anyone ?
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
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oldherbaceous
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Morning Richard, i manage to brake big heavy duty items, so carbs are certainly not touched by me..... :)
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peter
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I'm like OH. :?

2-Stroke carburettors are fragile little things, last time I fiddled with one I broke off a locating lug about the size of 1/3rd of a grain of rice.
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robo
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I have stripped more than a few down with little problem, what i do now is leave them attached to the engine but give the a good spraying with carb cleaner especially if you can get the engine started the other thing is small carbs are so cheap just buy a replacement
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oldherbaceous
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Peter, i have to question the face you pulled, when you said you were like me..... :)
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Ricard with an H
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Seems from what you all say I had two choices, take it to an expert or buy a replacement. I'm told the £30 copies are cheap made in China tatt. Seems to me the Walbro carb is made in China but they would prefer you to buy one via Walbro.

Last year I replaced a Dyson motor with motor that was less than half the price but didn't have Dyson printed on it. Otherwise it was identical.

I wish I had just bought a £30 ish carb now.

I had sprayed carb cleaner and the machine did run once started but it would flood at the start routine unless I pumped the fuel lines clear.

Oh-well, at least the people I took the machine too must be expert by now, I counted around 75 brush cutter/strimmer machines hanging on the racks that had either been serviced or were waiting to be be sold on e-bay after service.

They must have had a lot of practice.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
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Ricard with an H
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Thanks for sharing this and now I can share a result.

After asking you. Then doing some research on the internet, I became a coward and took the machine to people who appeared to be expert. I'm a huge cynic in all things and experts claiming to be experts are amongst my worst fears.

I got the Kawasaki back and it now works perfectly after a carb service by an expert and for £28 plus the VAT. The expert said the carb had muck in it, how did that get in I asked, he didn't know and if you saw my machines you would also wonder because I'm obsessive about cleaning things compared to average-joe. The air filter for the carb is regularly checked and kept clean.

I have a neighbour who runs his machine without a filter and mostly the machine runs on old fuel, how do these people gat away with it.

And finally, the Aspen fuel is now a commitment for the future. The machines do tend to start more easily and have a noticeable increase in power. Best of all I feel like a smoked a packet of Craven A after an hour with a machine and that filler is fantastic.

Go-on, you know you want too.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
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Ricard with an H
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More news on the subject of two strokes.

All four of my machines eventually developed similar problems related too carburation, the machine I took to the expert worked for a few days then reverted to producing the same symptoms and coste lots so I figured I needed more education.

Carburetors can be rebuilt but the rebuild -kits don't include everything to solve all likely problems and compared to a new carburettor are expensive. I rebuilt two carbs with these kits and ended up with similar problems, each re-build kit cost nearly £20.

I ordered a replacement carb direct from China from a dealer selling on E-Bay. The carb turned up within two weeks and cost £10. It worked perfectly showing that there are some things we can't repair on a two stroke carb. The same carb from a UK dealer would have been sourced from China then end up costing up to £60 because mostly we are scared to buy direct from China.

I did the same three times and have the same story to share and I'll be buying a fourth carb from China shortly, some cost as little as £7 including postage.

I never had problems with four stroke carbs, it's always two stroke machines that cause problems after a few years of use, take a carb to bits and you'll see there are parts that are not serviceable or replaceable.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
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