I have an ECHO SRM 2601 string trimmer. I have a problem starting it after not using it for a while. This is especially true the first time I try to start it after the winter. I drain the fuel and run it dry at the end of the season. It has a manual choke, but it just does not seem to draw the fuel into the carburator without many pulls with the choke activated. If I remove the spark plug and squirt some fuel into the cylinder, it will start right up and run for a second or two until it runs out of fuel. I usually have to do this two or three times, and try to pull the choke out while it is running on the fuel I inject into the plug hole. Once it starts, it runs fine. If I pull the choke out while it is running, it will smoke and stall out because it is too rich, telling me the choke works. It just seems like the carburator needs to be primed before it will draw the fuel from the tank. I removed the tank fuel filter last year, and cleaned it. I thought this would take care of the problem for this year.

Is there a fuel pump in the carburator that could be be causing this problem? Again, it runs great as long as fuel gets to the engine. I was thinking if putting some carburator cleaner in the tube that goes from the fuel filter to the carburator, but am afraid it might damage something. What am I missing? Charles Ranheim