Your lawn edger is not operating well (8 Things to Troubleshoot)

If the engine on your lawn edger starts to misbehave, it will not provide you with the necessary amount of force to create a smooth transition from the grass to the sidewalk.

When an edger’s engine isn’t receiving the necessary amount of air, fuel, and spark for combustion, the machine will begin to operate in an unstable manner.

This may be the result of a filthy carburetor, old gasoline, a blocked fuel line, a fouled spark plug, a plugged spark arrestor, a fouled spark plug, a plugged air filter, the improper setting for the choke, a plugged spark arrestor, a fouled spark plug, a plugged fuel filter, or a

Maintain your safety at all times by reading and following the instructions in the operator’s manual. This involves withdrawing the wire from the spark plug and waiting for all moving elements to become still before continuing.

The Causes of Your Edger’s Bumpy and Sluggish Performance

1. Using stale or contaminated fuel in an edger

There is a possibility that you may cause harm to your edger if you use gasoline to power it. It is really essential to make use of the appropriate fuel and to keep it in the appropriate condition. The presence of moisture in stale gasoline may result in the formation of varnish and sticky deposits; both of these substances have the potential to clog the fuel system and cause the components of the system to fail. The presence of moisture in stale gasoline may also result in the formation of gum, which may also clog the fuel system.

Since gasoline may start to lose its quality as soon as 30 days after it has been purchased, it is very important to always use new fuel and to consume it within the time range that has been allocated for it.

You should stabilize the fuel by adding an addition such as Sea Foam if you are unable to consume a whole tank of gasoline in such a short amount of time. If this is the case, you should apply an additive. This will not only slow down the rate at which the gasoline deteriorates, but it will also lessen the potential adverse effects that the fuel might have.

Two-cycle engines provide the power for the great majority of portable edgers, whereas four-cycle motors are often used in walk-behind edgers. In spite of this, it is still feasible to get handhelds that have a 4-cycle engine, and walk-behinds that have a 2-cycle engine. Handheld devices are less prevalent than their walk-behind counterparts.

Several types of edgers, including those with 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines, have varying fuel needs.

• 2-cycle engines: Need a gas and oil combination. Each producer has their own unique ratio for the mix. In most cases, the ratio is either 40:1 or 50:1.
• 4-cycle engines: Demand unleaded gasoline only. While working with these kinds of engines, gasoline and oil should never be mixed together. There will be a separate fill port designated only for the engine oil.
  * The 4-MIX engines produced by STIHL are an exception to this rule. These engines are intended to run on a fuel-to-oil ratio of 50:1 at all times.

Be careful not to put the incorrect gasoline into your edger. It’s possible that doing so will do irreparable harm to the engine.

2. A spark plug on an edger that is dirty

It is possible for the spark plug to get soiled or damaged, either of which would cause the engine to not fire correctly, which in turn will cause the edger to operate erratically. An edger that runs poorly and bogs down might also be the consequence of a spark plug wire that is not firmly secured or an insufficient space in the distance between the two spark plug electrodes.

Take out the spark plug from the engine using a socket wrench. Investigate its present condition. You need to replace the spark plug if you find that the tip of the spark plug has a very dark appearance, the porcelain is shattered, or the electrode is burned.

If you find that the spark plug in your engine is dirty, you have the option of either cleaning it with a wire brush or replacing it with a brand new spark plug.

Examine the spark plugs using a feeler gauge to determine the space between them. Put in a spark plug that has either been recently cleaned or changed, and double-check to make sure that the wire attached to it is tightly fastened.

3. Plugged Fuel Filter in an Edger

In addition to being housed inside the gasoline tank, the fuel filter is attached to the terminal of the fuel line. To stop dirt and other particles from getting into the fuel system, the gasoline itself is filtered.

When the filter gets clogged to the point where a nice steady flow of fuel is unable to pass through the filter, the edger will begin to run roughly because it is not receiving an adequate amount of fuel. This is because the filter is not allowing enough gasoline to pass through.

A blocked gasoline filter must be changed.

Change an edger fuel filter:

• Position the grass edger so that it is level on the ground.
• Clean the area surrounding the fuel cap by wiping it down to eliminate any dirt that may have accumulated there.
• Take off the cap of the gasoline tank.
• Make a mental note of the location of the gasoline filter so that you can replace it in the exact same spot with the new filter.
• Using a clean wire that has been bent into a hook or needle-nose pliers, remove the gasoline filter from the tank.
• Take the filter out of the gasoline line, and then put in a new filter in its place.
• Place the replacement filter in the appropriate location within the gasoline tank.
• Put the cap on the gasoline tank.

4. a problem with the edger’s clogged fuel lines

It is possible for the fuel lines to get clogged if dirt is able to find its way into the gasoline system. The gummy residues that are left behind after using up all of the fuel in a tank might potentially be the source of the obstruction.

Check the fuel line for any blockages or kinks that might be causing the edger to behave abnormally because of a lack of gasoline. This could be the cause of the problem. You should replace any fuel lines in which you see a limitation, a gasoline leak, or dry cracks as soon as you become aware of these issues.

5. Blocked Fuel Tank Vent on an Edger

It is possible for the fuel tank vent to become blocked or damaged, which would prevent air from passing through the vent and contributing to the optimal air pressure within the fuel tank. It is possible that a blocked vent may cause a vacuum to create within the fuel tank. This vacuum will prevent gasoline from leaking out of the tank and into the atmosphere.

If gasoline is not flowing through the fuel lines and you do not have a blocked line or a stopped fuel filter, then there is a significant likelihood that the vent on the fuel tank is clogged. If gasoline is not flowing through the fuel lines, then there is a significant likelihood that the vent on the fuel tank is clogged.

This may be verified by either entirely removing the gas cap or by just partly removing it and allowing air to enter the tank while doing either of those things. Turn on the edger, and after it’s started, let it run uninterrupted.

Be cautious not to let any gas escape from the tank, and check to be that your edger is always sitting on a flat surface. You should try to tighten the fuel cap and see if you can reproduce the issue to determine whether or not the gasoline tank vent is the source of the problem. If the edger operates without bogging down or running roughly, this is a good indicator that the gasoline tank vent is not the cause of the problem.

If, after installing the fuel cap, your edger starts to act strangely and runs roughly, you may need to repair the fuel tank vent. This may require removing the fuel cap first. On certain edgers, the fuel tank includes a separate component known as the tank vent, which is linked to a pipe that flows away from the fuel tank. This vent is located on the top of the fuel tank. In some models, the vent is an integral component of the cap itself.

6. An Edger with its Air Filter Clogged Up

For proper operation, the engine must have air. If there is not enough air, the edger will have a slow and unreliable performance. A clogged air filter is one of the things that might cause a restriction in the flow of air.

If it is not cleaned and replaced on a regular basis, the air filter may get clogged with dirt and debris over time.

If you notice that the air filter in your home is really dusty, I suggest that you replace the filter. The cost of the inexpensive tiny air filter is often not very high. When it comes to the defense of the engine, it is an essential component to have.

How to clean a foam, felt, or fabric air filter on an edger:

• Take out the air filter and place it somewhere safe.
• Remove any traces of dirt that may still be present in the housing. Take extra precautions to ensure that no dirt gets into the air intake.
• To remove any dirt that may have accumulated on the filter, wash it with a gentle detergent and water.
• Rinse until every trace of the soap is gone. It has to be dried flat.
• When the filter has been cleaned and allowed to dry, a coating of clean motor oil should be applied to certain foam filters. Squeeze to remove excess oil. Air filters made of felt, cloth, or paper SHOULD NOT HAVE OIL APPLIED TO THEM.
• You will need to put in a new filter if the old one has become extremely soiled, is broken, or no longer effectively seals the air intake.
• Replace the dirty filter with a clean one, and then reattach the cover to the air filter.

Go to your operator’s handbook for instructions on how to clean the kind of air filter that is installed in your lawn edger. This is necessary since there are so many various types of filters that may be used, and they change depending on the brand and model of the edger.

7. The Edger’s Unclean Carburetor (if it Has One)

As it is responsible for mixing the appropriate amounts of air and fuel, your edger won’t be able to work properly if you remove the carburetor from it. It is feasible for the channels to get obstructed, which would lead to the tiny components failing to operate as expected.

Because of this, there is a possibility that an insufficient amount of fuel will be mixed with the air, which will cause the edger to work in an unstable manner.

If you take the time to thoroughly clean out your carburetor, there is a chance that you will be able to get it to function once again. In the event that cleaning the carburetor does not cure the problem, you will need to either rebuild it (provided that your carburetor is compatible with repair kits) or replace it.

8. Spark Arrestor on an Edger That Has Been Plugged

A thin screen made of metal prevents potentially hazardous hot exhaust material from blasting out of the edger, where it might cause damage or ignite a fire. This relatively small screen will eventually become clogged with carbon buildup, which will have an impact on the way the engine operates.

Solution: Take the spark plug wire and disconnect it. Take off the engine cover as well as the lid for the engine exhaust. Remove the spark arrestor screen with extreme caution. After using a wire brush to remove any debris, the spark arrestor screen should then be reinstalled.

A new spark arrestor screen should be used in the event that the existing one cannot be cleaned adequately, if it is found to be damaged or to contain a hole, or if any of these things occur.