Honda again...

[mrbrian200]

Go figure... one month out of warranty my Honda string trimmer decides to mess.
Carb problem it appears (Wallbro), probably diaphragm.
Floods out when you give it throttle. Could also be a very weak spark or bad plug, but not likely.
I shouldn't be messing around with rebuilding or replacing the carb after maybe 10 hours of total use, Following the OCI and proper storage.
$400 for a more expensive trimmer under the expectation it go trouble free for years. Nope.
For that money I could have bought cheap, then bought another when anything went bad, been covered for 10 years or more + old ones on hand for spare parts.

We here in the US have just become a dumping ground for useless cheap crap with a high tag all in the name of 'unfettered capitalism', haven't we...?

At least the Volvos seem to be worth the money we pay for them, or at least mine is.

**vent/rant over**

[June]

It sounds like maybe you learned something. June

[jblackburn]

Are you running non-E in it? Ethanol gums up small engine carbs like you wouldn't believe.

Our Honda lawnmower has been amazing, but I didn't even know they made string trimmers.

[mrbrian200]

I wouldn't even know where to find non-E close to home. There used to be a station in town that sold it. Not any more. I'd have to go to the nearest lake big enough to have a marina. It's not terribly close.
The problem is the metering diaphragm. I took the carb apart and it was all wrinkled and deformed/not allowing the valve to operate properly . After it dried out it returned to a normal shape.

It's beyond my comprehension that Walbro/Honda hasn't updated their designs to accommodate modern fuel blends that people actually have access to. This is supposed to be a California CARB certified trimmer. I would think compatibility with e-10 + typical additives found in gasoline sold in the modern world would be a no brainer.

After some research, it appears that for many owners these never run properly from the day they were new. For most others the problems begin after a couple months or years. The engine (GX25) is used on other Honda other small equipment: lawnmowers, tillers. Single cylinder 4-stroke 25cc 1.0hp.

According to a fair number of references I found via google, and then a plethora of Amazon reviews - the permanent fix for it is a OE clone carb from china sold on Amazon for $13. A fair assumption would be that this aftermarket carb is assembled with diaphragms and seals which can tolerate e-10. It's already ordered. I'll put it on when I get home next week.

It actually is a pretty nice trimmer- and one of the most expensive. Which is why I find it somewhat disappointing that the carb Honda used can't handle modern readily available gasoline from the pump.

[June]

I bought a Husqvarna in 2005 that upset my husband for buying something so foreign, but he never killed it. He sent me to carry his heavy old weed wacker in as it needed repair and I felt it more sensible to buy a new one rather than throw good money after bad on a old wore out machine. I bought the Husqvarna because it weighed less than any other for sale and I thought he would be happy as it was quite a bit lighter than all others, but he didn't see it my way.

We owned the farm from 2005 through 2016. All those years it ran without fail and with 10 acres he kept cut it saw hundreds of hard hours of use. I can't remember the exact amount I payed, I think it was like $800.00. All gas in that little town the farm was in sold 10% ethanol gasoline and it never hurt that machine. June

[mrbrian200]

If $13 really fixes it, it should from everything I've seen, in a year I will have forgotten about the annoyance and be happy with it again.
https://www.amazon.com/Poweka-Carbureto ... carburetor

Literally $13. Looks exactly like the OE carb right down to details in the casting. Read the reviews, they're pretty telling.