[AT] Troy Bilt Junior Tiller issues; Now: New gas

[Larry D Goss]

Speaking of today's gas (please notice that for once I have changed the 
subject line) I now routinely add stabil to all the gas containers in the 
garage and shop.  The new formulations seem to have zero shelf life.  There 
is no way I can keep the dozen or so small engines I own clear and running 
if I don't put that stuff in.

The current shop rate ($65 per hour) has changed some of my repair 
procedures for customers.  I now no longer repair 2-cycle carburetors for 
any reason.  It's cheaper for the customer to install a brand new carburetor 
than for me to tear it down, buy the repair kit (which always contains twice 
as many parts as needed) put it back together and get it running right. 
Some of the carburetors on Echo equipment are "purposely" not repairable. 
Last week, I installed a new carb on an Echo string trimmer.  The cost was 
$34 for the carb, primer pump, and fuel pump as a bolt on unit.  Total bill 
to the customer was $65 whereas the teardown, boiling in solvent and 
reassembly would have cost over $100.  I hate it, but that's where we stand 
in today's market.

Larry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Francis Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 5:04 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] Semi OT....Troy Bilt Junior Tiller issues


>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Larry D Goss" <rlgoss at evansville.net>
>
>
>> Your next to last sentence holds the answer -- It's a Tecumseh.  :-)
>>
>>
>> Larry
>
>
>
>
>    ROTFLMAO... That was my first reaction exactly as I read that 
> message...
> ;-)
>    It could need a carb cleaning. "NEVER" assume that just because a
> "professional" worked on it that anything he did was done right. Also even
> if his work was excellent a similar or unrelated problem could pop up in 
> the
> same area minutes after he did his work.
>    Always begin at the beginning... If it has fuel and air in the right 
> mix
> and compression and a good spark at the right time it will run. Everything
> else is secondary. A lot of things can make it lose power but if it dies 
> it
> has to be one of the basics. Throw a new plug in it and then look at the
> carb. It may not be the plug but a new one is a cheap easy way to rule out 
> a
> problem there.
>    Larry can tell you all about how cranky these things can be in spite of
> most of the right things being done...   :-)   (especially with today's 
> gas)
> They are, I'm sure, the work of the devil. That is why they tend to 
> attract
> guys like "Evil Dave". (Hi Dave)  ;-)
>
>
>
> --
> "farmer"
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
>
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