Top 20 Homelite Consumer Products 4.0 Amp, 13 In. Trimmer Questions & Answers

40:1

Look at the arrows printed on the outer cup...counter clock wise is the direction I believe

The plastic stops are called limiter caps and they are required to be on there by EPA. You can remove them and make the adjustments and then put them back on.

there are plastic caps on the adjustment screws they are there so you can't adjust them but if the fell off you can

You may have a broken drive shaft. Some are braided and flexable and used on curved shaft units. The solid shaft is used on most straight shaft units. Remove the string head and pull the shaft out to look at the ends to see if they are broken or stripped. George

The fuel line in the tank connects to the nipple. It then goes into the small hole in the tank and then the fuel line from the carb connects to the nipple. This line is the line that is attached to the body of the carb, not near the plate.

These things can be very sensitive with how the sting is coiled on the spool. Take your time and try to get it perfect. Look at the pre strung replacement spools for an example. also inspect the lever, usually under where the spool sits. Make sure its not to dirty and moves freely. After that when you want it to feed quickly pull and release the trigger a couple times. If you dont want it to feed the when you pull the trigger be sure to maintain how far you have it pulled back, then release it a little slower than usual. Lastly wait a few seconds before pulling again. If this doesnt work the lever may be worn out and defective. But they are super cheap and easy to replace.

The fuel system is probably gummed up from the gas sitting in the unit. Change the gas and use a fuel additive such as Star Tron in the new gas to help clean it out. If that doesn't get it, you may end up needing to replace the fuel filter and/or rebuild the carburetor. You can get the model # from your carburetor (usually stamped into the housing of the carburetor, itself) and enter it at PartsBuggy's website here to get a list of the available repair kits.Ethanol in fuel shortens the shelf life of fuel dramatically and using Star Tron can all but eliminate the problems of ethanol in today's fuel.

Rebuild or replace the carburetors and change the fuel filters.

This is an instruction for replacing the starter cord, but your problem involves the same steps to repair.
This is a messy frustrating job, and if you had to put a price on the hassle that it is, it is probably better to pay somebody else to do it. That said, remove the starter cover with the cord and pulley inside. If there is a plate holding down the cord pulley, remove it and carefully lift out the pulley, try not to dislodge the recoil spring as this is where the frustration part comes in. Remove the old cord and insert the new cord end into the hole and copy the old knot - pass the other end of the cord through the eyelet in the cover. N.B. At this time take note of the direction that the recoil spring coil is orientated. Wind about 3/4 of the cord around the pulley and attach the start handle to the outside end of the cord. Carefully fit the pulley over the spring and place the cord into the cutout in the pulley. Wind up the pulley so that it engages in the curl in the inside of the recoil spring and further wind up the pulley in the opposite direction of the normal pulley start pull, holding the cord in the little cut-out so that the cord does not wind up as you wind the spring. It probably takes about 5 extra turns on the pulley to get the recoil tension right. Always hold the pulley in place to prevent the spring from jumping out. Release the cord so it can retract and replace the retaining plate. This is all if the spring does not jump out - which it so often does.
If the spring jumps out, hold it by the inside portion and start winding it up, pulling it tight to keep the coil small enough to fit back into its receptacle, . Once the spring is wound up and will fit into its position the problem starts. I found that gripping the spring with an alligator jaw vice grip will allow you to replace the spring and carefully release it without it going wild again, engaging the outer hook in its retaining slot or around its peg. Trying to feed the spring into position coil by coil seldom works, it has to be wound up outside and then inserted, especially on a small motor.
This procedure is as difficult to explain as it is to carry out. I have done many cord replacements and always dread the next one. If you have any problems, feel free to come back to me.

Please see the instructions for this procedure from your owners manual. Look at page(s) 13. There are written instructions with good diagrams to view.

http://www.homelite.com/system/manuals/stringtrimmers/UT41110_221_eng.pdf

Remove the shaft and pull the drive shaft cable out and check to see if its broken or stripped at the ends.

Hi mft571...


Sounds like you have dirt/debris in your caburetor jets,fuel passages or a diaphgram that is becoming non-flexible.
Be sure to Check/Clean/Replace your Air Filter, a dirty air filter can make your engine run to rich with fuel.
NOTE: Before you disassemble the carburetor:
Make sure you mark each piece with a awl, or some kind of instrument that will make an alignment scratch before you disassemble the carburetor into separate pieces.
That way you will know which way it goes back together when you reassemble it.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or by using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that, and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Be sure to check your fuel tank for water and dirt/debris, if there is water/debris then you need to clean your tank.
Also check you fuel line condition after a while they will degrade and need replacment.
Make sure you are getting spark at the spark plug, to do this:
Remove your spark plug and check to be sure you are getting fire at the spark plug.
You do this by grounding the plug on the head of the engine and pulling the crank rope, if you are getting spark then:
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one, normally they are located in the fuel tank of weedeaters.
When you remove your fuel lines from the carburetor be sure to make a drawing to how the lines are connected to the carburetor.
Normally the big line will be the line the fuel filter is connected to inside of the tank.The smaller of the two lines is the return to the fuel tank from the carburetor after it is pumped thru the carburetor by the primer bulb.
Also make sure you are using fresh fuel...and oil mix if your using a two cycle mower or weedeater with the oil to the right mixture and not too much oil as it can cause hard starting.
If the mower/weedeater is over a couple of years old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
I recommend that you use a laquer thinner type cleaner to clean and dissolve the laquer build-up in the float and needle jet passages.
Be sure to remove all plastic and rubber parts before using the laquer thinner because it can dissolve the plastic parts and render them unuseable.
Be sure to use COMPRESSED AIR to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Keep in mind that the float (if you have one) for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their original position before you started.
Once you have your carburetor rebuilt that should solve your problem.
This is a FREE answer,Please take time to rate me

Hi mshanko...

Sounds like you have dirt/debris in your carburetor jets or fuel passages.
Be sure to check your fuel tank for water and dirt/debris, if there is water/debris then you need to clean your tank.
Also check you fuel line condition after a while they will degrade and need replacment.
Make sure you are getting spark at the spark plug, to do this:
Remove your spark plug and check to be sure you are getting fire at the spark plug.
You do this by grounding the plug on the head of the engine and pulling the crank rope, if you are getting spark then:
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one, normally they are located in the fuel tank of weedeaters.
Also make sure you are using fresh fuel...and oil mix if your using a two cycle mower or weedeater with the oil to the right mixture and not too much oil as it can cause hard starting.
If the mower/weedeater is over a couple of years old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
Sounds like you will need to clean the carburetor or replace your carburetor internal rubber parts like the diaphgram and O rings.
I recommend that you use a laquer thinner type cleaner to clean and dissolve the laquer build-up in the float and needle jet passages.
Be sure to remove all plastic and rubber parts before using the laquer thinner because it can dissolve the plastic parts and render them unuseable.
Be sure to use compressed air to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Keep in mind that the float for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their orginal position before you started.
Once you have your carburetor rebuilt that should solve your problem.
This is a FREE answer,Please take time to rate me

I know that on Black and Decker there is a button down on the head near where the shaft enters that when depressed will allow the operator to rotate the head to a new position 90 degrees away from start position. On my Craftsman, the joint between the power unit and the driven unit there is a little pushbutton that allows the head to be oriented in four different directions.

Hi bright eyed8...


Sounds like you have dirt/debris in your carburetor jets or fuel passages.
Be sure to check your fuel tank for water and dirt/debris, if there is water/debris then you need to clean your tank.
Also check you fuel line condition after a while they will degrade and need replacment.
Make sure you are getting spark at the spark plug, to do this:
Remove your spark plug and check to be sure you are getting fire at the spark plug.
You do this by grounding the plug on the head of the engine and pulling the crank rope, if you are getting spark then:
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one, normally they are located in the fuel tank of weedeaters.
Also make sure you are using fresh fuel...and oil mix if your using a two cycle mower or weedeater with the oil to the right mixture and not too much oil as it can cause hard starting.
If the mower/weedeater is over a couple of years old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
Sounds like you will need to clean the carburetor or replace your carburetor internal rubber parts like the diaphgram and O rings.
I recommend that you use a laquer thinner type cleaner to clean and dissolve the laquer build-up in the float and needle jet passages.
Be sure to remove all plastic and rubber parts before using the laquer thinner because it can dissolve the plastic parts and render them unuseable.
Be sure to use compressed air to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Keep in mind that the float for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their orginal position before you started.
Once you have your carburetor rebuilt that should solve your problem.
This is a FREE answer,Please take time to rate me

This is how a major diaphragm carburetor manufacturer suggests doing it:
http://www.zamacarb.com/tipspage.html

Check your fuel filter in the fuel tank, if you have one.
It may need replacement or cleaning.
Also check your fuel tank for debris/trash and clean it out if necessary.
If the mower/weedeater is over a year old, then I recommend that you buy
and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard
and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
Sounds like you will need to clean the carburetor or replace your carburetor
internal rubber parts like the diaphgram and O rings.
Be sure to use compressed air to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small
rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or using starting fluid
and letting it run a few times like that and it will flush the gunk out of
the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Keep in mind that the float for the carburetor must be level when you go to
reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the
carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need
to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes
to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first
and then turn them back out to their orginal position before you started.
This is a FREE answer,Please rate me

could be possible blocked filter check the spark plug also spray some brake / clutch cleaner into the spark hole that would sure get it going

You will need the correct size fuel line first. Follow this:

1. Remove the old filter/weight from the fuel tank.
2. Take a new fuel line piece about 8 inches long and cut about a 45 degree angle cut on one end.
3. Lightly moisten the cut end of the fuel line and insert it into the tank from the outside, pushing it in while turning as far as possible.
4. Use a needle nose plyers to reach in and pull the line to the fuel line cap. Cut the line and replace the filter.
5. Pull the line back the way you put it in leaving about 4 inches within the tank and re-attach to the carburetor or primer bulb (depending on the actual model/age)

It will work, but it is extreemly important to have the correct size fuel line to work with.