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I have a Stihl FS56RC Trimmer. While using the unit, while the throttle is pressed, the trimmer dies. I am typically able to get the trimmer to restart. On occasion, the unit will not restart and I have to wait a bit and it will restart and I begin the same circle again.

Any ideas as to what might be happening? Bad gas, carburetor. Something else?

Could just be bad gas, and/or water in the gas. Dump it out into a jar and look at it.
If is old, just mix up a fresh batch.

does the weedeater slow down so much that it finally dies ?? I just got a used stihl 200 leaf blower that did that and the 1st thing I tried was the issue the spaerk arrestor had carboned up pretty bad and was limiting exhaust flow pretty bad I managed to remove that screen but that leaves a place for sparks to exit and possibly start grass / leaf fires Go to your shop and get a new part keep it safe When you rev it up check for how much exhaust flows out before you do anything There is enough room in the muffler to gradually slow down the engine A friend gave me a fairly large very nice shape Husqvarna blower and I took muffler off and the exhaust port on the cylinder had quite a buildup of carbon there was a pretty small hole for exhaust to get through broke up that cerbon up carefully to get it out and not pushed back into cylinder to allow it to cause damage

Kennykenny said:

I have a Stihl FS56RC Trimmer. While using the unit, while the throttle is pressed, the trimmer dies. I am typically able to get the trimmer to restart. On occasion, the unit will not restart and I have to wait a bit and it will restart and I begin the same circle again.

Any ideas as to what might be happening? Bad gas, carburetor. Something else?

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Remove the spark arrestor screen and burn the carbon off with a propane torch. It will turn cherry red . Put fresh mix in it. See if it runs better if not time to look into the carb

If it is the carburetor then repairing it will depend on if it is an old style or one of the newer ones. Old style used Walbro carbs so the kits are fairly easy to get. But if it has a Zama then it might be just cheap to get a new carburetor as Stihl dealers primary only have the GND (gaskets and diaphragms (4241 007 1002)) kits and not the 7010 871 0205 repair kit or can even find this kit on their systems.

StarTech said:

If it is the carburetor then repairing it will depend on if it is an old style or one of the newer ones. Old style used Walbro carbs so the kits are fairly easy to get. But if it has a Zama then it might be just cheap to get a new carburetor as Stihl dealers primary only have the GND (gaskets and diaphragms (4241 007 1002)) kits and not the 7010 871 0205 repair kit or can even find this kit on their systems.

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I elected to go online and purchase a new carburetor kit after trying all of the suggestions given with no luck. This leads to a couple of other questions. In the kit, among other things, there is a black rubber grommet. Where does the grommet go? Secondly, I am assuming that even though the carburetor is new, it will need to be adjusted? If so, any tips/tricks on how to adjust it?

Fuel tank.

And yes the carburetor is setup to will start only adjustment, it must tune final settings. You must have tach to make the final adjustments of the low speed and idle speeds.

So you bought a new aftermarket carb, and not a rebuild "kit"? The grommet is likely for rigging up some generic fuel line.

Here is a pic of an original Stihl carb for your trimmer, and you can see it's adjustments...

Following up on my original trimmer dying issue. I have replaced the carburetor(new), new fuel lines, new fuel filter, new gas. Still having issues. Upon installing the new carburetor , the unit started up right away. Ran for about a minute and then died. Could not get to restart. Waited about 5 minutes and the unit restarted. I let it idle for about 30 seconds and then pressed in the throttle and the unit revved up and then immediately died. Tried to start again right away and it wouldn't start. Did the 5 minute wait again and it started. Same issue, died when throttle pressed down. I turned the LA screw about one or so turns counter clockwise but it made no noticeable changes. I have not done any adjustments on the high and low screw yet since installing the new carburetor.

I have also noticed that when the unit does start, the trimmer head is spinning with nothing pressed in. I thought that didn't spin until the the throttle was pressed. Correct??

After another five minute wait, the unit started up. Started fine. I let idle for about a minute and it sounded good. I revved up the engine and it did OK. As soon as I let off the throttle, the unit died.

Ideas? Thanks.

Try loosening the muffler enough that it can leak
OR take it right off.
IT will be VERY LOUD if it starts & runs.
THe head is on a spring loaded clutch that throws at a particular speed or can get full of crud or even break and drive all the time.

Latest update: The unit started the first time after sitting overnight(as it has been doing). Ran fine and revved up. As soon as the throttle was let off , it died and would not restart.

I checked the spark plug soon after and the plug was dry. I checked for spark soon after and there was none.

After sitting for for a bit the unit restarted. I opened the gas cap and left it open while the unit was running. I revved it up and let off the throttle and it died.

Next thing to check?

Possibly the clutch problem is your main problem. The head should not spin when you let off of the throttle.
Here is what the clutch looks like.

Fish said:

Possibly the clutch problem is your main problem. The head should not spin when you let off of the throttle.
Here is what the clutch looks like.
View attachment 52363

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I didn't think that the head should be turning when you let off the throttle. Would the clutch affect the engine issues that I am having too?

Kennykenny said:

I didn't think that the head should be turning when you let off the throttle. Would the clutch affect the engine issues that I am having too?

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If the clutch is your issue, wouldn't it be 'bound up' if that what was causing the engine to stop?
Be sure it spins freely after the motor has died.
If it doesn't spin freely, there is your problem.
Now that you've ruled out what sounded like a classic vent problem, try what hammer or bert recommends next.

HarmonySeeker said:

If the clutch is your issue, wouldn't it be 'bound up' if that what was causing the engine to stop?
Be sure it spins freely after the motor has died.
If it doesn't spin freely, there is your problem.
Now that you've ruled out what sounded like a classic vent problem, try what hammer or bert recommends next.

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The head spins freely after the engine dies. Thanks for any further suggestions!~

If the clutch has a broken spring, that may be the problem. Either way, I think that you have a problem in that area.