NO Wonder it Won't Run!

[leehljp]

My daughter has a house on the outskirts of Springfield MO and she is single. She manages to take care of her house and half acre of land fairly well. But when it comes to tree pruning or cutting large limbs in numerous trees (after a storm), that is her dad's job (i.e. Me). I bought a Poulan 16 in chain saw about 5 years ago for her to have there, and I would not need to take my Stihl 18" and have my car smelling like gasoline. Two years ago, I used it for about an hour and finished most of what was needed, and suddenly it stopped. Checked the gas, it had gas; took the plug off and squirted some gas in it, but it wouldn't crank.I worked on it for about an hour and got tired of pulling the rope, so I put it in its case and brought it back home to MS. Since then, I carried my 12 inch 18V Ryobi for small work when I went and once took my 18" Stihl.

I just got around to fixing a couple of engines today and remembered the Poulan. I pulled it out, poured the old gas out and put in some fresh pre-mixed 40-1 from Lowes. (The Stihl uses 50-1). Same problem. Pulled the choke out, pushed it back in but nothing. Pulled it 5 or 6 times, rested, tried it again, and nothing. THEN I looked at the "Stop" switch. It looked normal and I tried toggling it but it wouldn't. Then I gave it a hard tug and Bingo. It was stuck between off and on which made it look like it was in the "On" position, but was actually in the off. It cranked immediately and worked great. Now it will go back to my daughter's house.

Sometimes, the simplest things can confound!

I also worked on my two gas weed eaters today - cleaning them up and they run fine, but they run so much better on the HD's and Lowe's pre-mixed gas. And I can keep the 40-1 and 50-1 separate much easier. I used to mix my own, but I did not do as precise a job as I thought I could - after learning first hand how much better the pre-mixed makes the engines run.

I also took time to work on my 20 year old Sears/Craftsman 42 inch lawn tractor. Two weeks ago, when finishing up, it started running irregularly for the 2nd time this summer. Earlier this summer the 20 year old gas line developed cracks and air seeped in causing it to run lean. I fixed that. But today, I took the carb apart and it had water it in. Somehow, water got into the tank. Cleaned that out and cleaned the carb and it runs excellent.

Today was a good day, engine wise.

[radhak]

Ugh, the 'in-between' position, or switch that pretends to be on (or off) but is not...

Long ago, one of my power-circuits stopped working - a room, and some adjacent outlets. I checked the board, and yes, one switch had tripped. So I reset it. Would not work. Did it again. No go. So call in an electrician. He comes in after a week, then moves that same switch back and forth, with much more force than I had used. And voila - it worked. His explanation - "that switch seems to be a bit stiff". I literally growled that day - for all my DIY pretences, I had to pay an electrician to flip a switch!?!

[Jim Frye]

I have given up on ICE garden tools. Two years ago I replaced the Honda walk behind with a Ryobi RM480e rider (knees gone old). This year, the TroyBilt 4 cycle string trimmer head stopped running after 12 years. Replaced it with a 40 volt Ryobi string trimmer head that can use all of the TrimmerPlus and Expandit accessories I have. My 15 year old Toro 2 cycle snow thrower needs a primer bulb (I have to blow into a spray lube straw to start it). It will be replaced with a Ryobi 40 volt snow thrower and I will be all electric outside. Now if I can scrape together $70K I can replace the Civic with a Rivian R1T.

[twistsol]

Now if I can scrape together $70K I can replace the Civic with a Rivian R1T.

For a little bit more, the new Hummer electric pickup is only $112k and you'll have a whole year to save up for it

[leehljp]

Hopefull, I cut the grass today for the last time this year. Well, last time to cut the grass, but for the past 4 years, I run my mower in mid December and mulch the leaves real fine and spread it fairly evenly across the yard. Since I started mulching the leaves instead of having them raked and the city hauling it off, I seem to have less dry grass in August and Sept. Mulching sure seems to help keep it green.

[Jim Frye]

The plat where our new home is built has the worst soil I’ve seen. It’s called “bedrock clay” and in the fall it hardens like fired pottery and shrinks forming actual crevasses in the lawn. I have been mulch mowing for the last four years and using a solution to help break down the thatch every other month. The lawn is much greener than the adjoining lawns and the crevasses have nearly disappeared. I literally apply some form of lawn food every month to keep the turf going.