How to Troubleshoot Problems with Your String Trimmer

Why Won’t My String Trimmer Start?

String trimmers, also known as strimmers in the UK can be troublesome garden tools. Difficulty in starting is often due to an issue with the carburetor (carburator). In this article, I explore some of the issues which can affect these machines. I strip down a carburetor and explain how it works and point out where problems can arise.

In This Article

• How to Mix Fuel and Start: The first part of this guide explains how to mix fuel and the procedure for starting a trimmer properly. It’s essential that you’re doing this right and you’ve mixed the gas (petrol) to the correct concentration before you start troubleshooting and looking for more obscure problems.
• Basic Carburetor Mechanics: The next section explains how the engine and carburetor work. You can skip this and jump straight to the troubleshooting section, but it’s worth reading, to understand how the machine works so that you know what you’re doing when you start to troubleshoot.
• Troubleshooting: Here, I’ll walk you through additional steps for identifying and fixing your trimmer.