Weedwacker not starting

[chargersrool]

I have a weedwacker (2 cycle), not sure what brand, it was working fine for the two years I had it, then all of a sudden it stops working right.
Could it be the gas? I have a tank that still holds gas from a year ago, mix it with oil and put it in the machine.
Anyways, the weedwacker starts by setting the pin to "1" but then dies.
Set it to "2" then it dies after running for 5 seconds.
Set it to "3" then it still dies after running for 5 seconds.
I can do this as many times as I want, it runs but then it seems like its not getting enough gas.
I took the carburetor apart, nothing was wrong with, still had the problem except if I move the pin slightly between "1" and "2" and hold the gas down and never let go, it runs. I have no clue what is wrong with it.

 

[Ric]

Sounds like maybe the spark arrestor screen needing to be cleaned. Should be on the outside of the muffler, would be nice to know what brand of trimmer were talking about.

 

[chargersrool]

Just checked the brand, its a Murray. What does the statis arrestor have to do with it starting? JW your the pro. I have no idea about this stuff.

 

[Ric]

Just checked the brand, its a Murray. What does the statis arrestor have to do with it starting? JW your the pro. I have no idea about this stuff.

Is this a hand held trimmer?? Sorry It's a Spark Arrestor not static don't know what I was thinking.

 

[chargersrool]

Oh ok gotcha, yes its a handheld trimmer, ill check the spark arrestor, if thats not it what else could it be?

 

[Ric]

Oh ok gotcha, yes its a handheld trimmer, ill check the spark arrestor, if that's not it what else could it be?

You mentioned in your first post you were using old gas, you might want to get some fresh gas and mix to start with. Then replace the air filter and gas filter, pull you spark plug and clean or replace it because if there all 2 years old it's time. All that maintenance along with the spark arrestor cleaning should be done at the end of every season. If you have a primer bulb on the carb you may want to make sure it's not cracked or have a small hole, all the above is pretty simple and a cheap fix. Most of the time when your talking about fixing blowers, trimmers and edgers a yearly maintenance schedule will fix the problems most of the time.

 

[primerbulb120]

What is the model number of your machine?

Note: Although many people refer to them as "weedwackers," "weedwacker" is a Craftsman trademark. "String trimmer" or "weed trimmer" should be used instead.