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Hl45 Hedge Trimmer - Been Sitting and...
#1
P
Peacemakercc
P
Peacemakercc
Hi. So I just I just purchased a used HL 45 hedge trimmer. It had been sitting for a few months and the starter rope was broken. For the time being, I replaced the starter rope with some paracord. Since there was no gas in it, I didn't worry too much about cleaning out the carburetor. So I put some fresh gas in it, shot it with a little starting fluid oh, and tried to fire it up. Right off the bat, I had a problem with getting fuel. I tried the primer bulb a bunch but it wouldn't pull fuel into it. Despite that, I was at least able to start it. Wasn't able to keep it running yet but I figured it was a good start. Anybody have any ideas why the primer bulb won't pull fuel up? It doesn't appear to be damaged or have any cracks in it. I'm not the type who can afford taking this to a shop. Was looking on eBay and they seem to have aftermarket complete carburetor kits for like $11. It comes with carburetor, fuel line, spark plug, gaskets. Before going that route I was wondering if anybody had any any advice.
#2
I
ILENGINE
I
ILENGINE
The down side of primer type carbs is they have to contain check valves to control fuel flow through the carb. If they stick open you cannot prime the carb ( will sound like you are sucking are through the center of the carb which you are). If they stick shut you down get fuel to run the engine. And then to top it off there is a 50/50 chance that the valves will stick open if you disassemble the carb for cleaning. If you use most carb cleaners it will cause the rubber diaphragm inside the check valve to swell basically sticking the valve shut.
#3
B
bertsmobile1
B
bertsmobile1
Better than average chance that the carb is full of gum / varnish / goo whatever
Pull both fuel lines off the carb
Leave the fuel cap on and blow through the return line.
If gentle mouth pressure causes a strong flow out of the supply line the filter & filter hose is OK
Refit the lines and pull the carb off.
Blow compressed air ( high volume /low pressure through the carb
If you get a strong fuel mist out the end of th carb then it is OK
let us know how you go.
Pull both fuel lines off the carb
Leave the fuel cap on and blow through the return line.
If gentle mouth pressure causes a strong flow out of the supply line the filter & filter hose is OK
Refit the lines and pull the carb off.
Blow compressed air ( high volume /low pressure through the carb
If you get a strong fuel mist out the end of th carb then it is OK
let us know how you go.
#4
Fish
Fish
Here is the price of a new carb from the Stihl dealer.
4140 120 0619 Carburetor C1Q-S186 $34.50
4140 120 0619 Carburetor C1Q-S186 $34.50
#5
P
Peacemakercc
P
Peacemakercc
Awesome. Shall try. May take me awhile to get to it. I don't have compressed air available but can accomplish the rest. Also, after watching some videos, I'm suspecting that one possible reason the primer bulb can't pull gas up is that the diaphragm on the platform beneath it is bad or the screen beneath that diaphragm is clogged. Thoughts?
Thinmibg maybe I should just get a rebuild kit. I've not rebuilt a carb fully yet but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
Thinmibg maybe I should just get a rebuild kit. I've not rebuilt a carb fully yet but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
Better than average chance that the carb is full of gum / varnish / goo whatever
Pull both fuel lines off the carb
Leave the fuel cap on and blow through the return line.
If gentle mouth pressure causes a strong flow out of the supply line the filter & filter hose is OK
Refit the lines and pull the carb off.
Blow compressed air ( high volume /low pressure through the carb
If you get a strong fuel mist out the end of th carb then it is OK
let us know how you go.
#6
P
Peacemakercc
P
Peacemakercc
Awesome. She'll try. Might take me a while to get to it. I don't have compressed air but should be fine with the rest. I am wondering if the reason the primer bulb won't bring gas up is because the diaphragm beneath it has gone bad or maybe the screened beneath that diaphragm is clogged. I was thinking that, since the used machine is new to me, might be best just to
a rebuild kit. I have never rebuilt one but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
Awesome. Shall try. May take me awhile to get to it. I don't have compressed air available but can accomplish the rest. Also, after watching some videos, I'm suspecting that one possible reason the primer bulb can't pull gas up is that the diaphragm on the platform beneath it is bad or the screen beneath that diaphragm is clogged. Thoughts?
Thinmibg maybe I should just get a rebuild kit. I've not rebuilt a carb fully yet but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
a rebuild kit. I have never rebuilt one but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
#7
B
bertsmobile1
Does not need to be a compressor, you can use a vacuum cleaner that has a blower outlet, electric paint sprayer or a leaf blower with a length of hose shoved in the nozzel .
All you need is air blowing through the carb to see if it can make fuel come out.
As for rebuilding them, it is neither simple nor strait forward, particularly if they are full of old dried fuel as the solvents that will dissolve the fuel will also attack the check valves.
Apparently Walbro now have one that is safe but at the price of a can it is cheaper to replace the carb.
What you see mostly on You tube are ego maniacs with a can of regular automotive carb cleaner and yes it works, right after you have done it.
So you can get all the thumbs up and accolades.
But what happens in reality is the damaged check valves start to swell up and the tool gets progressively worse & worse till it will no longer work.
However the "glory seeking Y tube heros " rarely bother to do an update saying all their work was a dismal failure & they had to fit a brand new carb.
I found this out the hard way by continually being required to do warranty repairs on tools that I had previously repaired ( I give 12 month warranty on repairs ).
So I went on a education campaign did a massive amount of research that changed the way I look at cube carbs totally.
So now I do exactly what I have advised you to do, start by checking the fuel tank, fuel lines & filter the see if the carb atomises fuel properly
The upshot was an ultrasonic cleaner that is just about worn out after 3 years, a lot of experiments with cleaning solutions and a good quality pressure / vacuum pump.
To my surprise I found most of the problems, other than a gummed up carb were pressure leaks in the tank. cap, vent or lines.
The only time I fit a new needle is if the old one is stuck in the carb.
It is just about impossible to determine if the fuel pump is working to it's specificed capacity so if the carb is going to be pulled apart then all diaphragms & gaskets get replaced.
There are only 2 kinds of cube carbs, rotary valve & butterfly & Walbro do have videos on how to strip & rebuild them , but remember they show a brand new unused carb being worked on, yours will be a bit different.
As a matter of course I always replace the manifold gasket as most impulse feeds go through this gasket and they do go hard & leak with age
B
bertsmobile1
Awesome. Shall try. May take me awhile to get to it. I don't have compressed air available but can accomplish the rest. Also, after watching some videos, I'm suspecting that one possible reason the primer bulb can't pull gas up is that the diaphragm on the platform beneath it is bad or the screen beneath that diaphragm is clogged. Thoughts?
Thinmibg maybe I should just get a rebuild kit. I've not rebuilt a carb fully yet but these seem simple and straightforward enough.
Does not need to be a compressor, you can use a vacuum cleaner that has a blower outlet, electric paint sprayer or a leaf blower with a length of hose shoved in the nozzel .
All you need is air blowing through the carb to see if it can make fuel come out.
As for rebuilding them, it is neither simple nor strait forward, particularly if they are full of old dried fuel as the solvents that will dissolve the fuel will also attack the check valves.
Apparently Walbro now have one that is safe but at the price of a can it is cheaper to replace the carb.
What you see mostly on You tube are ego maniacs with a can of regular automotive carb cleaner and yes it works, right after you have done it.
So you can get all the thumbs up and accolades.
But what happens in reality is the damaged check valves start to swell up and the tool gets progressively worse & worse till it will no longer work.
However the "glory seeking Y tube heros " rarely bother to do an update saying all their work was a dismal failure & they had to fit a brand new carb.
I found this out the hard way by continually being required to do warranty repairs on tools that I had previously repaired ( I give 12 month warranty on repairs ).
So I went on a education campaign did a massive amount of research that changed the way I look at cube carbs totally.
So now I do exactly what I have advised you to do, start by checking the fuel tank, fuel lines & filter the see if the carb atomises fuel properly
The upshot was an ultrasonic cleaner that is just about worn out after 3 years, a lot of experiments with cleaning solutions and a good quality pressure / vacuum pump.
To my surprise I found most of the problems, other than a gummed up carb were pressure leaks in the tank. cap, vent or lines.
The only time I fit a new needle is if the old one is stuck in the carb.
It is just about impossible to determine if the fuel pump is working to it's specificed capacity so if the carb is going to be pulled apart then all diaphragms & gaskets get replaced.
There are only 2 kinds of cube carbs, rotary valve & butterfly & Walbro do have videos on how to strip & rebuild them , but remember they show a brand new unused carb being worked on, yours will be a bit different.
As a matter of course I always replace the manifold gasket as most impulse feeds go through this gasket and they do go hard & leak with age