So, the weed eater started running funny last Fall. I had to choke it to get it to do anything. Sounds like my ex-wife. HA!! ... I kid. She reads the blog. Can't wait to hear about this one.

Back to the story. If I left the weed eater in the choke setting, it would run, but only well enough to keep from stalling. Of course, it had little power in that setting and ate gas. This is normal for that setting. If I move the switch over to "run" the RPM stay high for about 15 seconds and then the weed eater dies. I tried running without an air filter for a test go and got the same result. Pulled the spark plug and it looks gun metal gray and otherwise perfect. No idea if the gap is correct. It had never been removed so I doubt anything had happened to the gap. The only adjustment on the carburetor that I can find is the throttle limiter screw. It keeps you from over revving the motor.

I poked around on the internet for a bit looking for solutions. Every page and video I came across talks about ripping the whole top of the engine apart. I'm just not up for that if I"m honest. I have never been the carburetor repair type of guy.

So, I went over to Home Depot and bought one of the cheapest gas weed eaters they had. It was $70. I hate to admit it, but my father was right. I called him asking for advice on weed eaters. He heard what I had tried and said the device was not really worth spending any money on. I ended up agreeing. The new weed eater is almost identical to the old one, but smaller.

I got home, set the box in the garage. Went inside and had a glass of orange juice. I didn't even take the tape off the box. I'll tackle it this week. I feel like I lost a battle with manliness or something.