Bart, it sounds to me that something is restricting the fuel. You may have some dirt or gunk in your float needle valve that is not letting enough fuel go in. If the Start Your Engine / Seafoam doesn’t dissolve the crud, you maybe looking at pulling your carb off and cleaning it.
Make sure the choke is all the way open as well… if that doesn’t work.
Pumping the primer or closing off the chock might force it to let loose and get you going… HOWEVER, as much as you’ve run through it, it would be a long shot that it will simply fix itself.
Also make sure nothing is restricting the air. If the filter is old replace it. Yesterday I was using a Husqvarna quickie saw and it would idle but would not run wide open. The air filter was filthy. We replaced it and the saw ran great. You can test this by taking the air cleaner off and running it wide open. If it still quits on you you can rule out the filter being bad. Just make sure nothing gets sucked into the carb during testing
I hear you can run it straight, but make sure you have good ventilation. I’ve never done it and would have some concerns about it. The only other thing I have done is add alcohol to fuel to get water out of the line however, I don’t think that is your issue.
If Star Your Engine didn’t work as well as your seafoam mix, you probably have something blocking the fuel.
Bart, all the above advise is pretty right on… and there’s lot of videos out there that talk about exactly what you are describing… If you weren’t 5 hours away, I’d drive over and help you out…
I’ve run a 50/50 mix of seafoam and gas with no problem. @BobC is right your problem is in one of those two areas…Unless you know what you’re doing, taking a apart and rebuilding these little carbs can be a royal pain. having said that, most of them are throw aways and can be bought online pretty cheaply. That would be my suggestion.
I know this is an old conversation, but hopefully this information helps someone else. I purchased a Legend Force tiller brand new. I used it only about ten hours and let it sit most of the summer. When I went to fire it up, using fresh 87gasoline, it would only idle and instantly die the moment I applied the throttle. The fix was to unclog the tiny air vents in the gas cap. I blew through the gas cap using my mouth and ran a .015 guitar string in the gas cap vent holes. It then was restored to normal operation. You can test if this is your issue by starting it up, letting it idle. Then remove the gas cap and apply your throttle. I recommend filling the gas tank only partially for this test to combat spillage, and always use fresh gas.
Also, keep the air filter clean. I forgo to do that on a Swisher string trimmer on wheels. Finally bought a new one. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the first one. Now we have his and hers!
My Troybilt Pony had the same symptom, I tried most of the suggestions mentioned but eventually broke down and ordered a carboreautor rebuild kit. When I took it apart I saw debris buildup on a tiny screen that controls flow to the float, so the float could not open up the gas flow when the throttle was opened, it was unable to get enough fuel to run at high speed. Now it runs like new. So ultimately you may need a rebuild kit. Fortunately the supplier had a video I could watch to know each step before I started. I used a bench to layout each piece in the order I took it apart, and took pictures of what each step looked like, so that I was able to figure out how to put it back together. Took about a half day but was worth it.
Dennis
Kent wa
