Elk Hunting season last fall-- this machine ran flawlessly in demanding conditions. I ran it a couple of times this winter, no problems....
New battery... and winterized the gas after hunting season.

So the current problem started a couple of months back:

Won't start and won't idle. Has spark....if I pull the plug, dry.
If I add a couple drops of fuel directly in cylinder, replace plug-- fires immediately and runs pretty well at higher revs, but wants to stall at low revs.

Is this a clogged needle? Don't know much about this carb....and currently don't have a Repair manual.

Any suggestions about things to try to troubleshoot?

T.
Replaced inline fuel filter, fuel looks good.
PS Point me to any other threads if this is already been addressed-- I searched, but didn't find anything close.

 

I would pull the carburetor and run a small piece of wire through all the jets and blow through any passages with carb cleaner or compressed air. It does sound like an issue with the carb if it fires right up when you add fuel.

Also make sure the carb is getting fuel to it. Sometimes the petcock can have issues and cause problems like this. Good luck with it and keep us updated!

 

A couple of questions before I dive into the pulling carb:

1. Should the fuel line/filter always be "full" -- meaning no air in the line?
Currently the inline filter seems to have fuel only in the bottom 1/4 of it-- if I jiggle the line a bit, I can get it to fill to about half full. That normal? If I disconnect the line at the carb...like to drain the tank...should gas flow out of line fairly quickly or drip slowly?
I should probably make sure its not a problem with the line before tearing into the carb.

2. If I pull the carb, can I clean the jets without tearing it completely apart? Should I order a carb rebuild kit before I even start or can you partially reassembly and reuse the same gaskets? Carbs rebuilds aren't in my toolkit yet.....although I've done them on lawnmowers long ago and my kids scooter

Also don't have a repair manual yet-- Clymers as good as any? Any other free online sources?