Howdy Gang,
Just wanted to pass on a little love to my fellow hard water warriors out there.
So after three years fighting with my Strikemaster Mag 2000 I finially got her figured out. From the begining....
I bought it used for a song. She ran...poorly and also leaked gas from the carb. Ok I thought to myself too easy... Either rebuild the carb or just replace it. I ended up replaceing it with an Oregon brand one. The carb new cost as much as a rebuild kit. So that was an easy decision. After getting the carb on and tinkering a bit I got her running ok..... not right but just ok. The only way she would run good enough to cut a hole was to run seafoam, sythenic oil, and premium fuel. She would never run with the choke completely off and no matter how I adjusted the idle screw would never idle by itself. I could drill a hole good enought but it was a constant battle between having just the perfect amount of throttle and choke and I would have to adjust it as the hole was being cut. Needless to say it was a pain in the a$$. I knew that the auger was starving for fuel and since the carbs nowadays come preset there was nothing I could do. It bugged me to the point that I would tear the carb off several times a year just to rip it down and clean it thinking that maybe some dirt was resticting it somehow.
Fast forward to this season. I brought her out last week and it was the same thing. Tore down the carb and did my usual cleaning. Put it back and same thing. I was all but done with the damn thing and was commited to buying a new auger. Well after shopping around and finding what one to buy I decided to give it one last ditch effort. I figured it was time to get drastic and since I was already committed to replaceing it if I destroyed it the most I would be out would be a few bucks in selling a crappy running auger on craigslist.
The new carb that was installed was non adjustable and I couldnt switch out the jet. But that couldn't mean I couldn't enlarge the pilot hole in the jet somehow. I had done it before on a couple of 4 wheelers and dirt bikes so I figured it couldn't be that hard. Well I ripped it down this morning only to discover that the pilot hole in the jet was waaaayyy smaller than any drill bit that I have, or could recall ever seeing. Well I got to thinking. Is there some way I could maybe ream out the hole...... hmmm... well since the jet was brass all I had to do was find something that was steel and just a litte bigger. My magic jet adjustment tool ended up being a simple pin out of a sewing kit. It was just slightly larger than the pilot hole. after I centered it I tapped in the steel pin into the brass jet with the handle of a screw driver. It was to much of a finesse job for a hammer. Once I pulled the pin out I could see that the pilot hole was slighly enlarged, but still smaller than any drill bit that I have seen. After another cleaning and blowing out of passages with air to make sure she was good I reinstalled everthing.
After the initial couple of pulls to prime the fuel system. She fired right up and immediately I noticed a difference in how it was running. I let it warm up for a couple of seconds and took off the choke slowly and to my surprise she kept purring. A quick adjustment to the idle speed and she was idleing all by herself. Also I now have full and I mean FULL throttle control. She revs to full power and speed with the choke off and any and all sputters and stalling is done. This auger now runs better than it ever did for me. I couldn't be happier.
I am no longer in the market for a new auger.... at least for now.
I just wanted to pass this along because I can't see this being an isolated incident, and even if it spares just one guy the frustration that I have had the last three years then it was worth typeing this. All I know is that my strike mag is purring like a kitten and now I need to find some hard water to swiss cheese with it.
Tight lines Gents.
