Log splitter engine performance trouble-shooting help, please.

SeanKroll

Treehouser
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Olympia, WA
B & S engine won't run without me continuing to push the primer bulb.

Seems like a fuel pump issue or an air leak in the lines that is compensated for by the primer (internet solution for one guy).


Seems like I'll need to pull the gas tank line off to the pump, not sure what kind of fuel pump it uses, yet. Maybe a crankcase air-pressure pump like on my grinder. Seems like what small engines would use if not having an electric or manual fuel pump. Pull off the fuel pump and carb, looking for cracks in the hoses and such (8-9 years old, stored outside under a tarp and inside somewhat.


It just was used this spring for a decent amount of wood. Then when I went to start it the other day, no luck.

I just changed the shredded love-joy coupler this spring. It was fully worn out, like very, very fully. It was out on rental to customers, so worse than having a laborer run a machine.

Pays for itself well enough, and if I rent it for a week at a time for $75-$100 for the wood generated from my work, its out of my way for a week or more at a time, and only cost me $1000 plus tax. Hard, but not impossible to break a wood splitter.

I'll change the fuel filter, too.
 
Yup, i would bet something clogged in the carb. Its a quick easy job to tear it down and blow it out, i have to do it far too often with all the random stuff i got around the house.
 
It's missing the Honda decal, fix that and it'll be solid!

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Eastern chant

Shouldaboughtahonda...
Shouldaboughtahonda...
Shouldaboughtahonda...
Butahboughtastratton...
 
compressed air. Run it however you can while squirting compressed air over the carb, hoses, etc.
if no change, you dont have an air leak.
then clean the jet on the carb. The sediment bowl should tell you what is going on. Dirty? Clean? Either way clean the jet.

Any gas sitting for a month is bad gas. Always use Sta-bil in the tank. Always shut of the gas while running it to dry out the carb before storing it.
 
Fire my hondas up by the 4th pull every year after sitting all winter. Non eth but I never run them dry. Just saying... I was teasing in my first post.... kinda.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17
Never stored with gas. Always run it dry. Thanks Frans for the diagnostic troubleshooting tip.



I wonder if I should clean the carb?
 
Bullshit. My Honda powered air compressor needs a carb bowl and jet cleanout about once a year. It ain't the powerplant, it's the fuel.

Sorry for you troubles B. But I don't do shit to my Honda on the splitter I don't run her dry, she sits with gas in it for months and months between uses, top off the tank about four five pulls and she is off to the races, I have never used StaBil in the fuel. Bought the splitter new in 03-05' (can't remember). She has split several thousand cords hell it's even the original hyrdo fluid. The only thing I have replaced is the starter cord and retract spring.
 
It could be that calif summer blend fuel is the worst.

Cleaning the jet on a carb basically means you are cleaning the carb. There is not much to those carbs.
 
B & S engine won't run...
I'm sure you're painfully aware as to what the initials of Briggs & Stratton are. :D
(I kid about that -- my Scag 48" walk behind had a Vanguard engine; did fine. But I did prefer the other 2 commercial mowers I used that had Kohler engines. Kawasaki was good in another one, too.)
 
Later model Briggs engines have a diaphragm type of fuel pump .Just like chainsaws the ethanol in the gasoline will eventually cause them to fail .Relatively inexpensive about 5 bucks .You could go to Briggs web site to get the engine parts list which will show the carb and parts within .I get mine through MFG supply in Wisconsin .I have to change them about every 5 years on my pressure washer .https://www.mfgsupply.com/smallengine/smengcarb/smengcarbdiag.html
 
Sorry for you troubles B. But I don't do shit to my Honda on the splitter I don't run her dry, she sits with gas in it for months and months between uses, top off the tank about four five pulls and she is off to the races, I have never used StaBil in the fuel. Bought the splitter new in 03-05' (can't remember). She has split several thousand cords hell it's even the original hyrdo fluid. The only thing I have replaced is the starter cord and retract spring.

I had pretty much the same experience with my Honda engine for at least 20 years. It's just these last couple that I've had to deal with the fuel jelling.

And really, once you know the ropes, it's an easy 15 or 20 minute job.

After my last carb R&R, I decided to run it dry after use...dang, it took more than 5 minutes to sputter out. I'll be interested to see how it goes on next starting.
 
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