Stihl Weedwacker Intermittently Dying

[MasterMech]

checked it out online and may go to see it at the local dealers. Could see they have home-use and commercial models. The KM55 R home use and you seem very hnappy with it. Have you ever tried the tiller attachment? That was interesting. A neighbor rototills our garden in the spring and we spend the summer hoe'ing it. The little tiller might be the trick to keep up with it.

The KM55 should have the engine power to run the cultivator head, as it's the exact same engine on the MM55 tiller. Should make short work of the weeds.

 

[MasterMech]

I bought a 4 stroke trimmer for our 5 acres and will never go back to 2-stroke.
A little heavier but way quieter, torquey, hardly any stink, and no oil mixing.
It uses the same engine as Honda's smaller generators.

But I'm guessing most of the member's here are already mixing fuel for their chainsaws..... except maybe the pellet guys.

I run my Stihl 4-Mix trimmers (they run like a 4-stroke, but lube like a 2 stroke, using mixed fuel) on AMSOIL Saber Pro mixed 80:1. No carbon build-up, no smoke, and the 4-mix is as quiet as any of the true 4-stroke trimmers out there without having a separate oiling system.


I have 2 4-Mix engines in my personal fleet (FS110R and a BR600) and they are quite the little engineering marvel. Reliability has been excellent, even with my 4.0HP BR600 (really pushing the edge of what an engine that size can do). And maintenance is minimal.

plus they were difficult to even operate at a steady 1/2 throttle for delicate spots like I can with this stihl.

I have an FS110R and if part-throttle torque is what makes the world go 'round for you.... they're (the 4-Mix engines) pretty unbeatable. It's more $$ for sure but it will probably be the last trimmer you buy. If you want a dedicated trimmer, check out the FS100RX, same engine as the FS110R but lightweight shaft and gearbox, you sacrifice blade/attachment capability in order to lose a whole lotta weight out on the end of the stick. (where it matters most) If you want to retain blade/attachment capability, then check out the FS90R or FS110R. Even tho the FS110R doesn't have a lot more HP on paper, the difference in torque over the FS90R is quite noticeable.

 

[jharkin]

Ive got a mantis tiller with the little Honda GX25 4 stroke motor. Its a gem of an engine. Starts on one or two pulls, idles like a sewing machine, sips fuel and surprisingly tourqey. Its almost comical filling the crank with oil from the tiny 2oz bottle they give you for break in.

I'm not going to go out and switch out my existing 2 stroke tools for 4, but I certainly wont hesitate to go this way for new gear.

 

[semipro]

semipro said: ↑

I bought a 4 stroke trimmer for our 5 acres and will never go back to 2-stroke. A little heavier but way quieter, torquey, hardly any stink, and no oil mixing. It uses the same engine as Honda's smaller generators.​

MasterMechanic said: But I'm guessing most of the member's here are already mixing fuel for their chainsaws..... except maybe the pellet guys.

As do I. Having no less than 20 infernal combustion engines of one type or another I really appreciate 4 strokes. The two chainsaws I have are the only remaining 2 strokes.
I look forward to the availability of a decent affordable quality 4 stroke chainsaw.

 

[maple1]

FS36, the FS40's far more popular sibling.

Yes - that's what mine is. I just got it dug out & did some trimming with it last night for the first time this year. (A little behind in the yard work here).

I put a splash of Seafoam in it before filling with fresh fuel. Started pretty quick with a few primer pumps, but ran like absolute garbage for the first minute or so. Choke on, choke off, choke half-way, throttle wide open, throttle half open, vary as required, stumble spit belch & sputter. Then I noticed it seemed to start to want to idle pretty good, and I looked & saw by this time I had the choke all the way off. Far as I could remember, I have had to have the choke on a bit to get it to keep running for the past couple of years - I was just too lazy to try to clean the carb. I then burned through almost a whole tank of gas without a hiccup. I don't think it's worked that good since I first got it from my FIL 10 or so years ago.

That Seafoam stuff is pure magic juice.

 

[semipro]

Seafoam is a mixture of naptha (very similar to kerosene) light oil, and isopropyl alcohol.
http://www.mta.ca/administration/facilities/safety/msds/Grounds/Seafoam Auto Marine Engine treatment - SeaFoam Sales Co. 2010.pdf

If interested in making it yourself instead of paying what seems like an outrageous price for such cheap ingredients:
(broken link removed to http://hildstrom.com/projects/seafoam/)

 

[WES999]

I have a Stihl FS52 trimmer, don't know how old it is as it was given to me.
Well, it got so it would not start at all. I disassembled the carb and found the rubber diaphragm was hard as a rock.
$10 carb kit and now it runs fine. I think the newer rubber in the rebuild kits hold better to to the the alcohol in the gas these days.