"matt... unless im blind, no mixture screws....my booklet covers gt1100 and gt2100... the 2100 had mix. screws..." I doubt you're blind, but I might be a moron. I totally forgot to look at my dad's trimmer over the weekend. I'm sorry about that. Nonetheless, it sounds like you know what to look for, so you must be correct. Plus, it sounds like you're close to getting it running just right, too. Keep up the good work.

i've been using ethanol gas for a long time. for my 2 strokes, i don't mix more fuel than i can use within a reasonable time, don't let it sit. when i had a little lawn service business, i could mix a gal at a time without it going bad. since i've cut back on customers i can get by mixing only what i'll use. when i'm mixing small amounts i mix 8oz gas to 1 tsp oil. i buy and sell a lot of "broken" lawn equipment, more often than not the problem is fuel related. gummed up carbs, deteriorated lines. usually because the owner stored the machine with fuel in it. the gas you bye in cans (premix) is fail safe but expensive. if you like to store fuel, google "pure fuel" or ethanol free fuel in my area, there might be stations still selling real gas. there are people that swear by fuel stabilizers but i don't use them.

Zep, thank you so much for all you time and advise. I truly appreciate it. Can I ask you about the log I posted at 14:41 particularly the double entries? Acrobat.com Acrobat.com Ad-Aware Ad-Aware Adobe AIR Adobe AIR Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 CyberLink DVD Suite CyberLink DVD Suite Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer HP MediaSmart TV HP MediaSmart TV HP MediaSmart Webcam HP MediaSmart Webcam LabelPrint LabelPrint etc? Why are there doubles? I have to log off for the night, but if you have any more suggestions I will check back tomorrow. Thanks again. Carol

Are these 2-cycles? If so, you may need to adjust the Hi and Lo mixtures or at least move the needle valves in case there's some crud built up there. Using treated gas, you should be nearly immune from carb trouble but sometimes mixtures get a little cockeyed over the years. Typically hard-starting is a fuel starvation issue and running issues can go any number of ways. If they are '4-cycling' (firing on every other stroke) it usually is too rich. If they don't have a good throttle response and tend to slow down its usually too lean. Then if this doesn't fix it you can go with the new carb. You probably will have to get a special screwdriver to fit your particular application on the needle valves. The government forced them to make them difficult to adjust because of emissions. Unfortunately it also makes most of these tools impossible to use. I got my tool on ebay and it was the best $3 I ever spent. My Ryobi is tame and sweet as a house cat now, but I was ready to shoot the darn thing before I was able to adjust the mixtures. It would not start or run, basically. That pretty much does it as far as being able to use the tool you paid for. I buy mid-range gas and use Sta-Bil 360 Marine in it plus about an ounce a gallon of Marvel Mystery Oil, plus my regular mix oil (synthetic blend at 50:1). Same for the 4-cycles except for the mix oil, of course. Every gas engine on my place, vehicles included, stay happy and sweet. The vehicles do not get the MMO except in the oil a few days before an oil change.