Edger: Engine Will Idle But Dies At Full Throttle

A clean and properly adjusted carburetor is essential for your edger to run at top performance. A dirty, gummed up or improperly adjusted carburetor can cause your engine to run poorly and die. When your engine accelerates to full power, it requires more air and fuel from the carburetor to do so. If the carburetor is clogged or damaged, it may not be able to provide the additional fuel and air that it requires. You may be able to clean and/or rebuild the carburetor to solve this problem, and the best way to do that is to install a new carb kit.

The air filter in your edger is designed to keep dirt and debris from entering your engine. It is important that the filter remains clean so it can continue to do this job properly. It is recommended that you inspect and/or clean your air filter as part of your normal maintenance routine. A clogged air filter can starve your engine of oxygen by not allowing it to pass through the filter normally. This can cause your edger to idle properly, but to die when you increase the throttle, requiring more air. If you cannot clean your air filter to an acceptable level, you may need to replace it before your edger will operate normally on full throttle.

Like the air filter, the fuel filter on your edger blocks dirt and debris from entering the engine. However, instead of filtering the air that enters your engine, the fuel filter prevents this debris from entering the fuel lines and carburetor. The fuel filter can become clogged over time, particularly if fuel is left in the tank for an extended period, like over the winter months. Usually the fuel filter can be cleaned and your edger will be able to run at full power again. Ensuring the fuel filter is clear should be a part of your edger’s normal maintenance routine. If the fuel filter will not come clean, or is damaged, a replacement may fix this symptom.

When too much air enters the engine as it’s running, it can cause the engine to stall. The gasket under the carburetor in your edger acts as a seal to prevent air from entering the engine in an uncontrolled manner. The carburetor is designed specifically to inject the correct mixture of fuel and air to your engine, so that when you engage the throttle, your edger will work properly. You will likely need to replace a damaged gasket so that your edger gets the correct fuel/air mixture, and your engine will continue to run when you accelerate to full power.

The primer bulb in your edger draws fuel into the carburetor by creating suction. If the primer bulb is malfunctioning, your engine can become starved of fuel. Sometimes, enough fuel can reach the engine for it to idle properly, but when you throttle up, the engine may not have enough fuel to keep running properly. When the primer bulb is to blame for this issue, it is usually because a crack has formed in the bulb itself. This can prevent the vacuum required for the primer bulb to be created, and cause the engine to stall.

Picking up a new carb kit can be a great way to rebuild your carburetor and restore it to its original performance. Over the course of your carburetor’s life, debris and carbon deposits can build up and reduce its ability to run properly. Some of the smaller parts can even become brittle and break because of this buildup. This can result in your edger idling properly, but as soon as you increase the power, the engine dies. A new carb kit can be installed so that your carburetor will run properly again, without having to replace the carburetor entirely.