AA7483
Well-known member
What would cause fuel to leak from the intake filter on a gas edger? I have an older one fires right up but leaks fuel from the filter
Small engine question
- Thread starter AA7483
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laser3kw
Well-known member
without knowing much about the particular edger (model, engine, type twocycle / four cycle, carb type, diaphragm / float bowl & manufacture)
I will go right to a float bowl type carb with a bad inlet needle and seat.
I will go right to a float bowl type carb with a bad inlet needle and seat.
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SGKent
Banned
carb bowl float needle failing to seal. It recently had it start happening to mine and can't seem to stop it by rebuilding the carb. Use a small shut off valve that goes in the line after each use.
Bretny
Well-known member
An edger most likely will not have a bowl. The main jet is leaking fuel by. Spray it with carb cleaner and if that dosnt work just spend the $20 on a new carb.
rlitman
Well-known member
A STICK edger won't have a bowl. A walk behind probably will.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
******** !
Every 4 stroke small engine I have seen has a carb bowl. Even some 2 strokes.
rlitman
Well-known member
Easy there. There are many types of edgers. Mine is a Stihl, and it uses a string trimmer engine on the end of a shaft. That's what most of the pros use nowadays, and stick edgers like this don't have bowls (string trimmer engines in general do not).
If you look at the walk behind edgers that are based on mini-tiller designs (like a Mantis) with a cheap imported engine sitting over the gearbox, these too use the same sort of engine as a string trimmer, and again, no bowl.
Its really only on the older (and heavier) edger designs that you see the typical engine with a bowl.
Mick56
Well-known member
Could use a pic of whats leaking so we can have an idea of whats going on.
PassnThru
Well-known member
If it has a bowl then the float needle is letting fuel leak by. First thing you need to do is check your oil because when this happens fuel generally gets in your oil. That thins your oil. If there is gas in your oil then you should be able to smell it not to mention the fact that it will be overfilled.
txvwnut
Well-known member
My four cycle Ryobi trimmer doesn’t and neither did my MTD. I’m pretty sure the main reason was so you could turn it to trim in awkward spots without having fuel spill out the bowl vent. Or it could be that they use the pressurized carbs that the two cycles do and didn’t want spend the coin on tooling up for another carb style.
laser3kw
Well-known member
what happened to the OP?
need more info and pics
need more info and pics
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Very unusual !
So someone explain to me how a 4 stroke engine does internal lubrication when it is held upside down ? Pictures would be useful.
laser3kw
Well-known member
Sure! The oil runs onto the underside of the piston and the piston slings it around the crankcase. The typical non-pressure feed oiling systems rely on a fog of oil in the crank case to provide lubrication. If you ever have a oil fill cap come off while a engine is running, you will know what I mean
rlitman
Well-known member
Stihl (like mine) has valves, but uses mixed fuel. They call it 4-mix. Honda has an eggbeater like thing that whisks around the crank case oil.
Bretny
Well-known member
Easy there "wizard" not every edger is 4 stroke and not every gas piece of equipment has a carb bowl.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Hmmm... my TB 4 stroke trimmer has a priming diaphragm and no float bowl either - it uses the fuel tank below it and vacuum-syphon action for supply.
I don't even think my super 2 (which is almost as old as I) had one...
Just saying...
What would cause fuel leakage? Yeah, if it has a bowl, a leaking needle will do it. Some of the old edgers had a conventional engine and carb on them, so that's #1 - but without knowing make, model, and engine we're all shooting blanks in the dark.
Serious ****. Where IS the OP? There are questions we need answered to properly diagnose his edger problem.
I don't even think my super 2 (which is almost as old as I) had one...
Just saying...
What would cause fuel leakage? Yeah, if it has a bowl, a leaking needle will do it. Some of the old edgers had a conventional engine and carb on them, so that's #1 - but without knowing make, model, and engine we're all shooting blanks in the dark.
Serious ****. Where IS the OP? There are questions we need answered to properly diagnose his edger problem.
rustyjames
Well-known member
I think most responding to the OP is thinking that it's a trimmer/edger. He stated that it's an edger, not an edger/trimmer. I have an old edger with a B&S gas engine (with a bowl). It's only purpose is for edging, consequently, it's not meant to be turned sideways for trimming.
Mick56
Well-known member
And the OP also states its coming out of the "intake filter". That would seem to mean gas is running out of the air filter. Stuck float then?
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
There is typically a "dipper" attached to the bottom of the connecting rod that picks up oil in the sump and splashes it inside the crankcase.
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LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
Easy, Mr. Grumpypants.
One of the most common B&S carbs out there. No bowl. Tecumseh has no bowl carbs, too.
Tommy
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One of the the most popular 2.5 to 5 hp engines ever is the little briggs with the pulsa-jet carb attached directly to the gas tank. Pumps from the tank to venturi, no bowl. Must be millions of those out there. I have one on an old edger.
But to answer the OP's question we need some info. does it leak only when running or when not running. And, where is the gas tank in relation to the carb? Under? Over? a pic would be great.
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rslaback
Well-known member
Once again the thread morphs into a ***** fest without any real answers to the original question. It's all too common around here.
Actually it is both.
The original post cause is likely because of a poor needle or seat on the fuel intake. A carb bowl has an atmospheric vent to allow the fuel to move. This vent is behind the intake air filter so that it can't pull in dirty air. When the needle/seat doesn't work, the bowl overfills and gas gets pushed out that vent and into the intake tube. When enough is there it leaks out past the filter. This was mentioned.
The post about all engines having float bowls was also addressed. It is incredibly incorrect information.
Easy, Mr. Grumpypants.
Tommy
well actually, that does have a bowl. two of them to be exact. the fuel tank is the bowl. within the tank is a 2nd bowl (where the 2nd suction tube sits--older suction carbs only had one) which aids in starting--which is why you are supposed to fill the tank completely when starting cold to make sure it is full and has "less distance to be lifted". it's also why mixture adjustments are made when the tank is half empty, since there is no float to keep a constant fuel level it's adjusted where the level is most often during operation....it's just not a "traditional" bowl with a float and needle.
diaphragm cards don't have a bowl and aren't exclusive to 2-strokes, as pointed out, Ryobi 4-stroke string trimmer heads use diaphragm carbs, as do other machines where a float bowl would be inappropriate if the machine is used on the water or in random positions...
engineer2
Well-known member
Ethanol in gas gradually eats rubber parts. Your choice is to run ethanol-free gas or replace affected rubber parts every couple of years or as needed.