jiffy auger problem

[cgw]

Was wondering if anyone had some advice on a problem I have been having with my auger. It is only 2 years old and ever since I first bought it it doesn't start without pouring some gas into the spark plug?

[joshb]

is it a three horse?. they have lots of carb problems, if you don't use high quality fuel and mix there oil with it to the precise specs the mix will just turn into glue. i got a three horse and it has never once ran correctly. saving up for a two horse strikemaster!

[Steve Foss]

I've fooled with lots of small engines, but always with the owners manual for reference, so I'm no expert. But if you have to pour fuel into the cylinder to get it to fire then it's not getting enough fuel on its own. It's set too lean or there's a fuel blockage somewhere. Check to see if there's fuel coming to the carb. If not, your blockage is between the tank and carb. If there is, you have a carb problem.

But I don't know how far you want to get into it. If you're handy, it's worth doing yourself. If you're not, give it to a professional.

Surface Tension, what's your take?

Tecumseh makes all the motors on Jiffy and Strikemaster. I have a 7-year-old 3 hp Strikemaster XL-3000 that runs like a champ. I've been hearing the last couple of years from a number of peope that the Tecumseh 3hp on both brands have been running like crap, and I'm wondering what Tecumseh might have changed.

------------------
"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 11-28-2003).]

[Skeets]

The carbs are really touchy.
If you are not comfortable messing with the carburator settings, take it to an authorized reapir shop. It may cost a few bucks to get it fixed, but it sounds like it needs to be done.

Good Luck!

[knoppers]

I have a jiffy legend with the 3.5 hp, it always starts tough, and is hard to keep running, untill it warms up, when this motor warms up, it runs just great, maybe the 3.0 needs to warm up also.

[river-rat4]

I've got a friend that bought a Jiffy 3-hp in 2001 and has had nothing but trouble, I bought a StrikeMaster 2-hp @ the same time and runs like a champ, it cuts faster and is lighter. I talked to a Buddy at Rapid Sport Center(Mister Ice Fish), and he said that if you get a newer 3-hp Jiffy or StrikeMaster(Tecumseh) you'll probably have troubles due to the recent air quality laws and the companies trying to comply, it makes the units very hard to keep tuned and run reliably. That's my 2 sense.~ RR4

[Steve Foss]

Thanks river-rat. I figured it was something like that.

[pj4]

i have one for many years. are you using the primer? mine would not start till i prime it 4 to 7 times. nice thing is almost imposible to flood them.yes it is cold blooded, but once warm i usually out drill most other brands.good if you drill 20 holes at each stop.

[This message has been edited by pj4 (edited 11-28-2003).]

[joshb]

i've heard that the big difference from jiffy to strikemaster is that strikemaster tunes all there carbs's before they get sent out, i sent mine back to jiffy last year after three years of hell and they went through it, hopefully it will run better from here on in.

[Surface Tension]

All these engines sit around for months and then when they do get used its not for any long periods. Gas gets old and starts to plug things up. How many of you store your engines with gasohol(oxygenated gas.
I've been advising not to use oxygenated gas for seasonal use in small engines since it can out. You naysayers RTFM Read The Friendly Manual Tecumseh tells you not to store the engine with oxygenated gas in it. Drain it off and replace with unoxygenated gas along with proper oil ratio and a stabilizer. Then start the engine and burn the oxygenated gas off that is in the fuel line and carb.

A lot of guys start their augers and start to drill with no warm up.
All engines are designed to run optimal when their warm. When not allowed to warm up engine parts wear faster, the plugs load up and carbon builds up faster.

Store your engines with fresh unoxygenated gas and a gas stabilizer.
NOTE: Please read the Tecumseh owners manual before adding comments about not needing oxygenated gas!

During the summer take the auger out and start it up every few weeks. This lubes the crank and cylinder along with replenishing the gas in the carb. You may think whats the difference its the same gas that was in the tank. Very small amounts of gas like gas in a carb goes bad faster then gas in a tank. You could also store the auger empty and run dry. I don't like this method of storing a carb dry and I don't like running a 2 stroke dry because you burn the out of the crank also leaving the cylinder walls dry. If you do run the engine dry then fog through the carb while turning over the engine then pull the plug and spray the fogger into the plug hole without the straw so the fogging agent is atomized instead of a heavy stream.

Theres basically 2 different carbs used on all the augers. Some augers have a primer and choke. Some have just a choke. Figure out which you have. If you have to pour gas down the carb to get it to run and it runs good after its warm then you may not be choking, priming or both.

I've seen new augers start hard and its most often a fuel problem as in not getting enough gas. In fact I've seen ATVs with the same problem. Factory settings are just that, done on the assembly line. No tweaking has been done. After all what store wants a the smell of gas from an auger.
If you do a search I've got a few posts on cleaning along with adjustments. Just remember your not looking for the highest RPMs when adjusting. Always back the screw out(counter clockwise) a little after reaching the highest rpms on the low and high speed adjustments. Otherwise you'll be running lean. These augers have a Governor linked to the carb that have to be put back exactly right and can be tricky. If you plan on taking the carb off take pictures of the linkages.

[This message has been edited by Surface Tension (edited 11-30-2003).]

[Big Dave2]

Joshb, Did Jiffy charge you for going through the carb or are they doing it for free? I have had a 3 hp Jiffy for about 4 or 5 years now and it has ran like crap ever since I took it out of the box. I have taken it to a small engine repair guy and it runs better but still not quite right.
I fixed it this year though, I came across a slightly used 2hp Strikemaster, so the Jiffy has been replaced.

[willowcat]

There is a diaphram in the feul inlett of the carb that can go bad,I've had that problem with mine in the past. The primer might not be sucking the gas in properly,on mine I prim it untill gas starts to run out and it pops off on the first pull. One other problem is if they get stored for the summer with old gas in the carb.They will gum up then you'll have to take the carb off and clean it out.