Homelite Trimmer Troubleshooting Tips
- You can troubleshoot your spark quickly in the field. Remove the spark plug from the engine and fit the plug, with the tip facing out, back into the rubber boot that was just connected to the top of it. Set the trimmer on the ground and brace it with your left foot. Hold the metal tip, with leather gloves on, about an inch away from a metal spot on the engine block. This metal spot needs to run down and touch the ground without stopping. With your other hand, tug on the starter rope and look for a blue spark.
If no spark is present, the ignition wires are touching metal somewhere or are faulty. Check and replace all ignition wires. If the spark is a weak yellow, you'll need to likely replace your ignition module, as the coil is about to go. If a blue spark is present, your ignition system is fine. - Start your engine and let it run until it gets hot, if you can. If it's dying when it gets hot, unscrew the fuel cap halfway to vent some of the exhaust. If the engine runs normal again, you are getting vapor lock in the carburetor, which means something isn't allowing those gases to escape. You'll need to clean the cap and fuel tank and replace the fuel filter and both fuel lines to get the gas flowing properly and the heated gas to move out.
- Open the air filter on your Homelite trimmer, slide the choke lever until it's halfway open, and try to start the engine. If you're having acceleration problems or power problems, try squirting a blast of starter fluid into the open neck just after the engine pops. If your engine dies, you'll need to clean your carburetor. If it burns off a bunch of white smoke, repeat the same process but squirt carburetor cleaner into the open choke instead. If the engine dies after you squirt the carburetor cleaner, you'll need to clean and maybe replace your carburetor.
- A compression gauge works much like a tire gauge, by measuring the pressure in a closed system. You can hook the compression gauge up to the same cylinder hole where the spark plug fits in. Pump up the gauge and watch the reading for one minute. If your reading starts to drop off, you have an air leak somewhere in the system, which can cause any number off different starting and running problems. You'll need a professional to find these leaks and get your Homelite running again.