My homelite generator always starts on the first pull. i start and run it every month with no problems. its three years old and i have change gas every year to keep it fresh and i use a stablizer too. this month it would not start. i cleaned the petcock and filter, not dirty at all. removed and cleaned carb with carb cleaner and still no start. a little dw40 gets it runing for a few seconds and than it dies out. fuel runs good through carb with plug on side of carb out. suggestions would help. chris at [email protected]

Remove carb bowl, clean . Stem on fastener my b clogged, take needle clear holes at bottom of stem and through top of stem.

Then you will need to check the switch or stop mechanism. If no problem there, then you will need to replace the ignition module.

First dump the old fuel out. It starts to go bad after a month. Use only good fairly new fuel, not old stuff.

Go to homelite.com, ordering parts, locating parts, select Homelite, select string trimmer, then find your ut number which will be your model no.

Most of the old Homelites were 32:1. I eliminated the mix problem for all my equipment when I started using a synthetic 2-cycle oil called OPTI-2. Somehow it works for all 2-cycle saws/trimmers/blowers etc. I've got equipment that's 20+ years old and still running strong with the OPTI-2.

put in new gas, prime, and spray new gas into carb intake until old gas is ran out

Sounds like the engine is not getting enough fuel. Two possible problems:
1) I know this is a dumb question, but did you turn the fuel back on?
2) If the answer to question 1 is yes, then the small fuel filter inbetween the gas tank and carburetor probably has hardened. The inside of the fuel filter is a piece of foam and it is really common for the in line fuel filters to harden when no fuel is present and cause a clog in the fuel line. Try replacing the inline fuel filter and life should be good!

What is the model? Chances are the carb needs cleaning or replaced.

i have the same problem. i took out the air filter and sprayed tb into it and it ran and died. this is the only way to get it to fire up.

i took off the carb, dissasembled it and blasted it out with tb cleaner, took out the jets too, put it all back and it still does the same thing. it is getting fuel but it won't run.

need a profesional answer on this one please.

thanks, tom.

I'd say your battery in the generator is going bad or bad. They are very small and do not hold a charge for very long. The noise you heard was probably the starter shaft hitting the flywheel cogs. I doubt any harm was done as long as you did not repeatedly try to start it with the key. Why Honda put a battery in these is because they are intended for use in a campground setting, where they would be used on a daily basis and the battery would constantly charged. Whereas people like us buy them for emergencies only, they sit for long periods, and the battery goes flat, and the fuel clogs the carb and we get the surging issue. That's my 2 cents. When I brought mine home new, I Sta-bil'd the heck out of the gasoline, this past winter, on start-up, the unit surges. Of course the battery was flat.