2 cycle tiller

[jimg.allentown]

I bought a 2 cycle tiller at an auction last fall. Chinese, of course. It was late in the year, so I never actually fired it up. I pulled it a few times, and it tried to fire, but was very low on fuel. I just chalked it up to low fuel and put it in the shed.
So, this spring, I decided to use it to cultivate my asparagus patch. Fueled it up, primed it, and it fired right up. Ran great. Did my tilling and put it back in the shed. Now, I wanted to do some more light tilling and had a terrible time getting it started, but after a fashion, it did start. Would not run. All it would do is fast idle with full choke. No throttle response at all.
I'm thinking something is wrong with the carburetor. It has a nice hot spark, but floods out really easily. I'm thinking about replacing the carburetor. I have seen bad spark plugs cause some unusual running problems, so that also crosses my mind. Very frustrating.
At the same time, I needed to replace a fence post that had rotted off. Got out my Chinese 2-cycle powered auger. Added fuel, primed, and started on the first pull. Ran wonderfully. Drilled out the old remnants of the rotted post, re-drilled the hole, and replaced the post.
This tempts me to take the engine off the auger and put it on the tiller. With my luck, it will be different enough to not work.

 

[cole in mo.]

Take the carb off, pull the jets out, use a can of carb cleaner, and a torch tip cleaner, then drain the tank and add fresh gas.

 

[Gambles]

While it may not be a problem on yours, just about every post I see says to change the spark plug on a Chinese engine.
For a couple of bucks, it may not hurt.

 

[jeffcat]

Best thing for chinese copys of Jananese engines is a NGK plug. Most are BPR4ES or BPR6ES plugs. They are copper core and work wonders. A true Honda works so nicely with these!

 

[ShadetreeRet]

When in doubt, a new spark plug never hurts, but I would agree with what someone suggested, likely in the carburetor. When I pull a carburetor to clean it, I generally replace the diaphragms, and especially if it has been sitting long or you are unsure of it's history. The supply house where I get most of my parts sells a brand called "Rotary", I just carry my model number and serial number (if there is one) as well as the old diaphragms, because sometimes they have to match them up. And as someone said, clean it up good with spray cleaner, blow it out with air and reassemble. Generally works.

 

[Bret4207]

Check the exhaust too and make sure it's not blocked by a mud daubers nest or something.

 

[Blackhole49]

Make sure the fuel line in the tank is in on piece before you replace the carb.

 

[jimg.allentown]

A lot of good suggestions here. Much appreciated. I will go with the spark plug first and then go after the carb if that doesn't take care of the problem.