Echo Dealer Says My Trimmer and Blower Need New Carburetors

[Section VIII]

I had dropped off my Echo handheld blower and trimmer to get the carburetors adjusted because of difficulty starting and being rough at WOT.

The technician called back and told me that both would need new carburetors. I was a little frustrated because I was told to use non-ethanol fuel so this didn't happen when I had them serviced at a dealer in Georgia for the same reasons. Since then, I purchased "ethanol-free" fuel for all of my equipment. When I told her this, she said that "ethanol-free" and "non-ethanol" gas isn't really ethanol free. "The government allows a certain amount of ethanol in the gas and as long as it's below 10%, gas stations can advertise that it's non-ethanol."

Is this true?

I got frustrated with her and asked her if that meant that I would need to get new carburetors every year no matter what gas I used and she said not if I use the pre-mix in a can (which I was using for the past couple months).

She quoted me $300 total for new carburetors (and labor) for both the blower and trimmer. I had paid $380 total for the trimmer and blower when I bought them. This seems a little high to me. What say the pros?

 

[alderman]

Sounds high to me. For that kind of money I would take a crack at putting a carb kit in each. Once you learn how, it will be easy.


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[GlynnC]

I would try adjusting high speed jet 1st. New carbs can be found for the trimmer on ebay for approx $25. No way would I spend that much to have new carbs put on--not a complicated process to do it yourself!!

 

[ANewSawyer]

Don't spend that on them! We might could souce a Chicom carb for much less than that. What are the carbs? Walbro or Zama? And the carb model numbers.

Also, throw your mix out after about four weeks, even if you use a stabilzer. I prefer Startron.

 

[Section VIII]

xcqa

Don't spend that on them! We might could souce a Chicom carb for much less than that. What are the carbs? Walbro or Zama? And the carb model numbers.

Also, throw your mix out after about four weeks, even if you use a stabilzer. I prefer Startron.

I'm not sure which brand the carbs are. I'm selling the trimmer to an acquaintance for a loss because I bought the Stihl trimmer to use while the Echo trimmer was in the shop. I was going to sell the handheld blower as well but I'm not going to spend $150 fixing it since that one was ~$160 when I bought it new. It runs but takes forever to keep it running and I have to fiddle around with the choke to get it to stay running (hence why I took it to the shop in the first place).

If the same thing happens to the Stihl trimmer and blower, I'll definitely be figuring out how to replace the carbs myself. However, it still doesn't answer whether or not "ethanol-free" is truly ethanol-free. if I should be throwing the "ethanol-free" mix out every four weeks, I might as well buy the pre-mix can stuff and not waste the gas since the pre-mix can stuff is supposed to stay "good".

 

[alderman]

Can't answer the ethanol question but will say the only time I've had trouble with older fuel is when I've left it sitting in equipment for a long time. I've stored it in a fuel can for much longer than four weeks without issue. I do add stabilizer to the mix.


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[ANewSawyer]

I don't exactly throw it out. I pour in my car. Having to play with the choke is a classic carb symptom. Definitely has a carb problem or needs adjustment. I would open the carb and look at the diaphram. Bet they are wrinkly or the carb is dirty inside.

 

[CR888]

Not sure what to say... but find a new dealer or lean the basics of saw repair. Many guys here would have both units up & running properly for under $30 not $300.

 

[Section VIII]

Not sure what to say... but find a new dealer or lean the basics of saw repair. Many guys here would have both units up & running properly for under $30 not $300.

I'm planning on not ever going to that dealer again. Shouldn't be a problem since I won't have any more Echo products. I had actually recommended the dealer to a neighbor who was looking for a lawn mower. I'm thinking that once the warranty ran out, the dealer upped the prices.

I'll be teaching myself as required if my Stihl equipment ever needs a new carb....

 

[GrassGuerilla]

New carbs should be $20-30 each for those. And should take even a noob less than an hour to swap (5-10 minutes after you do a couple). Add new fuel lines and a fuel tank grommet and I'd wager problem solved.

$300 for installing a couple carbs would flat piss me off.

 

[CR888]

I started learning to fix my own gear due to costs of dealers doing the work being really steep. For under $100 in the US you can purchase a Wiha chainsaw kit which is 10 hand tools that will be adequate for 90% of saw repair. I think its $59. Made in Germany & will last you many years. Top quality tools that pay for themselves fast. There is plenty of people here to steer you through ANY ope related issue. IPL's can easily be downloaded in PDF... its not rocket science. Back yourself & learn a new skill.

 

[alderman]

My issue with my local driver besides the money was the long drive to drop off and pick up the equipment, the long wait for parts and the feeling he was always jacking me around on what the issues were.

I struggled to change a spark plug when I first started, and although I'm not to the total rebuild stage, I can remove, rebuild and replace a carb in a short amount of time.

When you start, take pics and make sure your little parts are contained in a little magnetic parts dish.


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[fossil]

xcqa


However, it still doesn't answer whether or not "ethanol-free" is truly ethanol-free. .

Good info here on state requirements for ethanol in gas labeling.
http://www.fuel-testers.com/state_guide_ethanol_laws.html

There is an easy way to check if there is ethanol in the fuel.

Have a look at this vid. You don't need a graduated cylinder to do the test unless you care what the percentage of ethanol is.
A glass jar or clear plastic bottle will do. Add the water and mark the water level with a marker on the bottle before you add the gas. The vid will explain the rest.

 

[bikemike]

Sounds high to me. For that kind of money I would take a crack at putting a carb kit in each. Once you learn how, it will be easy.
Best answer award

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[Section VIII]

All good info in the replies. Seems how there are no gas stations in Delaware that sell non-ethanol gas anyway, I'll be looking for marinas and checking the fuel before I use it.

I got my trimmer back and the total was just shy of $130 (if you count the deposit I paid when I dropped them off). I told them not to bother putting a new carb in the blower since I could just buy a new one for the cost of repair. They charged me $35 to tell me I needed a new carb...and didn't even give me the old carb back so I could see if I could rebuild it. I know I could've gone back and demanded I get the old carb back but it wasn't worth the drive (they had loaded the trimmer and blower into the back--I didn't think to look at the equipment since I was naïve and thought they surely would not screw over a customer who has spent over $1300 over the course of 5 years) and I was so pissed off, I didn't want to risk doing something I would regret later.

Live and learn. That's just the last time I buy anything from them or have any repairs done by them.

 

[backhoelover]

if it is a srm 225 there is a tech bulletin about stalling

 

[CrufflerJJ]

...I got my trimmer back and the total was just shy of $130 (if you count the deposit I paid when I dropped them off). I told them not to bother putting a new carb in the blower since I could just buy a new one for the cost of repair. They charged me $35 to tell me I needed a new carb...and didn't even give me the old carb back so I could see if I could rebuild it. ...

So they basically stole your carb? No need for you to go back there, just demand that they send it to you in the mail. Threats of small claims court if they don't return your carb might also put a fire up their rear end.

Idiots.

 

[CR888]

That's bad business. No need to go there again, I'd ask for the carb so you can rebuilt it & do what they should have done. I bet they find it easier to replace carbs at a customers expense as they lack the competence to do proper repair themselves.

 

[ray benson]

10% ethanol in our gas since about 1990. Use it in weed whacker, chainsaws, snowblower and mowers. Dump the mix in my pickup when it is 2 months old. Run the equipment dry when it is not going to be used for a couple months. I have an Echo cs3000 top handle saw that was bought new in 2002. It has gone through 3 bars and sprockets along with many chains. But only needed 1 fuel filter and 1 plug. Carb and fuel lines are original with no problems.

 

[rd35]

I have swapped out several carbs on Echo trimmers. The are, pretty much, unserviceable from the standpoint that they get debris (microscopic debris) stuck in the jets and it won't come out. So far, (knock on wood) I have not had a single call-back on the $15.00 AM replacements I have installed....and I don't charge big $$ to do the labor because it takes me all of about 2 minutes to swap out a carb. If I ever crack the shell on how to get one of those carbs cleaned I'll post for all to see! But for $15 it's probably not worth the effort.