One of the integral parts of our weed eaters (or grass strimmers, and actually most garden power tools) is the carburetor.
What the carburetor does is mix air and fuel to supply to the engine in order to run it.
This is a massive job for a relatively small component of your weed eater because if the carburetor is not working properly, the whole machine will fail to work.
We have typically found that in cases where people’s weed eaters have mysteriously broken down, it is usually because of the carburetor.
Related: How To Fix a Weed Eater
However, what we have also found is that if this breaks, a person is likely to just try to buy a whole new weed eater, or worse still, a new carburetor and attempt to replace the old one themselves.
Often though, this does not need to happen. In fact, we have found that the majority of these cases simply needed a clean carburetor.
There is no need to run out and buy a whole new weed eater, and there is certainly no need to try and fit a new carburetor yourself (especially since this one little part is often more expensive than the weed eater itself!).
It seems, though, that not many people know how to clean a weed eater carburetor. In fact, lots of people are unsure of where in the weed eater this part is located and how to even get it out of there.
Luckily for you, that’s where we come in. we have decided that enough is enough, we know too many people who have trashed the whole thing thinking it had broken without releasing it simply needed a clean.
Therefore, we are using this article to provide you with step by step instructions on how to clean your weed eater carburetor.
Cleaning Guide
Before we begin
- Before you begin cleaning you should first ensure that the weed eater has no power and is fully turned off.
- You should work in a big, clean and safe space away from possible dangers such as water.
- You may also want to ensure that the outside of the weed cleaner is clean as you will be handling it.
- You could also consider putting old sheets on your work surface so as not to get it dirty.
- Consider wearing gloves if you feel they are needed.
- Also, our top tip is to make sure you have your phone or a camera on you so that you can take pictures of how everything looks before taking out the carburetor.
Step by step cleaning guide
- The first step is to remove the plastic shield from your weed eater. To do this you should remove all the screws by undoing them and then pull off the plastic to expose the components inside. You may only need to remove the top part of the weed eater.
- Next, you need to remove the air filter from the inside. We recommend cleaning this thoroughly with soap and water first of all and ensure that you do so until the filter looks as close to its normal color as possible. After this, you can leave the filter to air dry before putting it back together at the end.
- The next step can get messy (hence why we suggest putting down old sheets). You need to disconnect the hose going into the engine’s crankcase and then disconnect the carburetor diaphragm. To do this we recommend using a wrench that fits the nuts exactly and placing the weed eater on the sheets whilst you do it as it is inclined to leak.
- Now you must drain the carburetor filter of all the build up that is likely to be inside. This buildup is from the oil that it mixes with air as fuel for the weed eater. It can all get thick and gunky and can wind up getting so sludgy that the whole thing will stop working. This step will require a pipe cleaner and a cleaning solution that is suitable for a carburetor.
- The next step is about cleaning the carburetor itself. You should crack the case open, and if there are bolts, unscrew them to reveal the float bowl. This is highly likely to be covered in the most build up. You should use steel wool to clean this, along with a putty knife. Under no circumstances should soap and water be used. You may even want to use a specialized carburetor cleaner if you wish.
- When the carburetor and filter are clean, you should ensure each part is dried thoroughly before you attempt to put the weed eater back together. Even more importantly, you should not use the weed eater for at least a few hours, and perhaps longer, after cleaning it to ensure that it is totally dry.
- When reassembling the weed trimmer, you will hopefully have photos of how it should have looked before you took it apart. Use these photos to help you ensure that you put it back together correctly. Do this carefully, taking the time to get everything where it is meant to be.
- Before you use the weed eater again you should put a whole new batch of fuel in there and test it on a small area first to ensure it runs properly.
Final word
….and there you have it! A step by step guide telling you exactly how to clean a weed eater carburetor. We bet that was much simpler than you thought it would be, right?!
Even the least handy of people will likely be able to do this. Trust us, it saves the cost of forking out for a whole new weed eater, or worse still, the expense and time it would take to replace the old carburetor with a new one.
Of course, sometimes weed eaters and carburetors do just break. We cannot promise that if your weed eater suddenly stops working that this will magically fix it for you.
However, we do know that it certainly has been the case for many people, and in our opinion, it is worth checking and giving it a go!
