I would like to point out that most lawn and garden equipment is equipped with a carburetor. Most lawn mowers have automatic chokes, some don’t require priming and some do.
Two stroke engines have carburetors, with a manually operated choke. The purpose of the choke is to regulate the air flow, so that the engine runs a bit more rich (more fuel) while it warms up.
I have found that in the age of “instant on”, people have forgotten that a carbureted engine needs to warm up before it works at 100%. Please remember to warm up your equipment, before taking it off the choke, otherwise it will still stall or run and perform poorly.
I realize that my age is showing, but my first couple of cars had carburetors, and it was generally understood that if the vehicle was cold, you would depress the gas pedal three times to the floor, and then turn the key to start the engine. This set the choke, and primed the engine prior to starting the car.
It is the same procedure for starting two stroke engines. These are engines the require a fuel and oil mixture in the gas tank, and do not have a separate compartment for engine oil. You will find them on Weed Wackers (trimmers), chain saws, some mini bikes, and some go carts among others. If you feel you are unfamiliar with the equipment that you are working with, consult the paperwork (manual) that comes with the product, as the fuel/oil mixture could vary and some require 10 pumps on the primer bulb, and some only three.Please also be aware that if you don’t put enough oil in the fuel, you will burn out the piston, rings, and possibly damage the cylinder walls of the engine. A burnt piston from a two stroke, will look similar to the example below. This amount of damage only takes, usually, under a minute.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I will continue to try to post tips and information on a weekly basis.I would also like to thank all of the awesome customers that I have had so far who have enabled me to start making a living, by working for myself.
Rolly