Stihl Trimmer Hard Start

[Inked]

Thanks to everyone that posted. Next time I see him I’ll go over the start-up procedure and clarify the fresh gas/mixture situation.

 

[super20dan]

avoid ALL stihl products. worse reliability in the commercial industry. commercial user for 35 years i know what i am talking about. the br400 family of backpack blowere is the only good product they ever made

 

[97prizm]

Was on my deck a few days ago and heard my neighbor struggling to start his trimmer. After a few minutes I went over and he said he’s had trouble starting it lately even though he bought it new last season. He said the gas was fresh but who knows. After a few more pulls it started but when he started trimming, I noticed he would continually pull and release the throttle trigger in quick succession never allowing the motor to fully rev. Is it possible that running the motor like this is causing his trimmer to have those hard start issues?

If the fuel filter got some dirt in it possibly. Second from a couple of YouTube channels talking about 2 stroke equipment apparently if trimmers are idled for excessive amounts it can plug up the spark arrestor.

 

[97prizm]

avoid ALL stihl products. worse reliability in the commercial industry. commercial user for 35 years i know what i am talking about. the br400 family of backpack blowere is the only good product they ever made

My fs38 is going on 6 years strong with only a fuel filter needing replacement. I regularly see commercial lawn companies with high hour Stihl trimmers, blowers still going strong.

 

[97prizm]

My Dewalt electric string trimmer just died, for the second time. First time the speed control went out, fixed under warranty. Now? I'm not sure, but the warranty is over, and parts are not cheap.

I'm in California, where they outlawed selling new gas powered lawn equipment starting this year. I took a flier, and ordered an SRM-2620T Echo off ebay. I was expecting the order to be cancelled, but shipping notice came through today. As soon as I can confirm tracking, I'm going to buy some oil. We can't get pure gasoline in my area, so I'm stuck with E10. Using Marine Stabil in my garage gas can has saved the day, though, and I've yet to have any problems with equipment that sits around for a long time since I started using that stuff.

I would suggest using a pre-filter to pour gas through. My neighbor many years ago gave me a coleman small metal fuel funnel. It has a mesh /cloth ring at the bottom to trap dirt. I've seen bits of dirt at the bottom of my fuel can a couple of times. Doing this has saved my fuel filters.

 

[97prizm]

No, the hard starting is likely do to poor fuel quality or bad starting technique. If he is running 2 stroke dino oil, advise him to go with a name brand full synthetic 2-stroke oil. I prefer the VP Racing or ECHO Red Armor oil. The orange bottle Stihl oil is garbage in my experience, but the silver bottle Stihl Ultra full synthetic is OK, but not as good as VP or ECHO full synthetic.

For all Stihl 2-cycle OPE, their factory recommended starting technique is extremely critical. If the engine is cold, push the gas primer bulb 5 times, set full choke and pull it 2-3 times until you hear it "pop". Then, you must open up the choke and pull again until it starts. Continuing to pull with the choke set on will flood the engine. Don't set the choke if restarting a warm engine.

My fs38 says to prime the carb 9 times! Works every time if I do that

 

[burbguy82]

IMO yes. Trimmers, blowers, chainsaws, and the like are made to run at wide open throttle all the time. Before I "knew this" I would throttle my trimmer, and used just enough power to trim the grass. My trimmer started acting weird, and hard starting and blowing oil out the air filter. Took it to the local small engine guru, and he knew that I had been throttling it. WOT when trimming he told me, and you will never have an issue. New carb, and a cleaning job, and 10 years later, starts on the first starting pull.

Of course, this might not be directly related to the starting issue, in that the fuel might be junk, or the starting procedure not followed. But once you get it going WOT for a full tank, and Ill bet it will help.

Another thing I do, is turn it off at WOT.

 

[SARG52]

CHECK THE SPARK ARRESTER SCREEN ON THE MUFFLERS ..... THEY BECOME CLOGGED WITH CARBON AND DIMINISH PERFORMANCE ALL AROUND.
There are Youtubes on the process. Many folks just remove them.

 

[Nukeman7]

My fs38 says to prime the carb 9 times! Works every time if I do that

Check your manual again...the following is a screen capture from the Stihl online manual for the FS38 trimmer. 9 is the reference number in the illustration for the primer bulb that should be pushed at least five times. The primer bulb just purges air from the fuel lines and fills the carb chamber with gas. Typically, 3 presses will do that but Stihl states at least 5 to ensure no air remains.

 

[Tdbo]

I commented earlier about the issue I had with my Stihl trimmer.
I fixed it last week.
Purchased a new Echo GT-225.
Starts straight away on the first or second pull.

 

[jeepman3071]

I commented earlier about the issue I had with my Stihl trimmer.
I fixed it last week.
Purchased a new Echo GT-225.
Starts straight away on the first or second pull.

Most of my 2-stroke stuff is now Echo, with a Jonsered (Husqvarna) and Makita (Dolmar) sprinkled in between. I used to be a big Stihl guy, and one by one they all started having issues. Even after a carb rebuild, new fuel lines, and plug some of them still took several pulls to start. I've had customers bring me brand new Stihl saws that are difficult to start, and the dealers claim it is normal.

I'm not saying Stihl equipment is bad, just the quality for the premium you pay seems to have gone downhill. I work on several pieces of equipment every week, the last thing I want to do is fight with my own stuff.

 

[Inked]

I commented earlier about the issue I had with my Stihl trimmer.
I fixed it last week.
Purchased a new Echo GT-225.
Starts straight away on the first or second pull.

I’ve used a GT-200 for several years and it’s the best trimmer I’ve ever owned.

 

[Tdbo]

Most of my 2-stroke stuff is now Echo, with a Jonsered (Husqvarna) and Makita (Dolmar) sprinkled in between. I used to be a big Stihl guy, and one by one they all started having issues. Even after a carb rebuild, new fuel lines, and plug some of them still took several pulls to start. I've had customers bring me brand new Stihl saws that are difficult to start, and the dealers claim it is normal.

I'm not saying Stihl equipment is bad, just the quality for the premium you pay seems to have gone downhill. I work on several pieces of equipment every week, the last thing I want to do is fight with my own stuff.

You summed it up nicely.
Next chance I get, my Stihl blower will be gone.
The reason it won't be gone sooner is that my 2 stroke Craftsman cultivator needs some work done on it.
If it can't be fixed economically, I'm going Echo on that as well.

 

[Tdbo]

I’ve used a GT-200 for several years and it’s the best trimmer I’ve ever owned.

They do a nice job.
Starting it up is second nature, not a full-blown dramatic event.
I have an Echo SRM 225 that I bought about 15 years ago.
It is the easiest starting piece of equipment that I have ever had.
The most pulls that it ever took to start it were three, and that was after it sat for two years.
The only reason that I ever purchased the two pieces of Stihl that I have was because of Echo's biggest weakness (at least around me): their dealer network sucks.
Sure I can buy from Homer; however, I like having a servicing dealer to work with.
I do have one of those. However, it is quite the drive to get to them.

 

[Inked]

They do a nice job.
Starting it up is second nature, not a full-blown dramatic event.
I have an Echo SRM 225 that I bought about 15 years ago.
It is the easiest starting piece of equipment that I have ever had.
The most pulls that it ever took to start it were three, and that was after it sat for two years.
The only reason that I ever purchased the two pieces of Stihl that I have was because of Echo's biggest weakness (at least around me): their dealer network sucks.
Sure I can buy from Homer; however, I like having a servicing dealer to work with.
I do have one of those. However, it is quite the drive to get to them.

I’m fortunate that my dealer is about 4 miles from me if needed though I typically work on them myself.

 

[97prizm]

Check your manual again...the following is a screen capture from the Stihl online manual for the FS38 trimmer. 9 is the reference number in the illustration for the primer bulb that should be pushed at least five times. The primer bulb just purges air from the fuel lines and fills the carb chamber with gas. Typically, 3 presses will do that but Stihl states at least 5 to ensure no air remains.
View attachment 222513

Ahh maybe that's what they meant who knew.

 

[jeepman3071]

I’ve used a GT-200 for several years and it’s the best trimmer I’ve ever owned.

My grandfather has an older GT-200, if yours doesn't have the SpeedFeed 400 trimmer head, it is a direct bolt-on swap. It made refilling the line much easier for him.

 

[jeepman3071]

You summed it up nicely.
Next chance I get, my Stihl blower will be gone.
The reason it won't be gone sooner is that my 2 stroke Craftsman cultivator needs some work done on it.
If it can't be fixed economically, I'm going Echo on that as well.

Which 2-stroke Craftsman cultivator? A lot of those were made by either Poulan or Husqvarna, so the parts are still pretty easy to find.

 

[Tdbo]

Which 2-stroke Craftsman cultivator? A lot of those were made by either Poulan or Husqvarna, so the parts are still pretty easy to find.

It is a 316.292640.
Problem is that the "Incredipull" start is no longer incredible. It has become hard to start.
Also throttling the unit has become a mere suggestion. The unit has decided it will get back to me on that.
It is either a Husqvarna or an MTD. It is different enough from the Yard Machine version that I had previously, that there is a chance it might be a Husky.

 

[jeepman3071]

It is a 316.292640.
Problem is that the "Incredipull" start is no longer incredible. It has become hard to start.
Also throttling the unit has become a mere suggestion. The unit has decided it will get back to me on that.
It is either a Husqvarna or an MTD. It is different enough from the Yard Machine version that I had previously, that there is a chance it might be a Husky.

Yeah looks like it is an MTD model:

https://www.mtdparts.com/en_US/prior-year-models/craftsman-cultivator-316.292640/21ES122R799.html