Ne'mind, I just got home with a new one and it runs great and is easy to start. I like to never got the previous one started and it was cantankerous from the git-go. I'll never forget the day I was leaving Home Depot and a guy had the manager outside reading him the Riot Act over the same model I had. They literally would not start or run until you got the special tool (which Ryobi will only sell to dealers) and constantly fiddled with the mixtures.

So I found the power head only for $79, came home, put it together, gassed her up and went to work. There do not appear to be any mixture adjustments but the trimmer seems to be a tremendous improvement in quality from the one I had, a 'CS26'. Not only the carburetor but it also has a crankshaft supported at both ends. Oh yea, I did get another 2-cycle. :)

Actually I have rejetted a few Ryobi,s , way to lean from the factory . But that would not affect the primer bulb. I still have my trusted Toro , 4 yrs not a wimper , religious use of Amsoil Premium no need for any other fuel treatment . Might simplify your 2-stroke engine storage Sax . For $80.00 bucks hell its a throw away unit not worth losing any sleep if you get a few yrs at that price lol .

I agree - it acts like the suction side of the primer has gotten stopped up - hence the bulb cannot refill and remains flat. This could have happened when the original fuel lines rotted away and I replaced them, never thinking something might already have been sucked in to the carb because the line was open behind the filter. I always use stabilizer for Ethanol fuel so I really don't have gummy carbs. No matter - what's done is done and I suspected the clutch was getting weak anyway. Plus the old head unit doesn't fit the newer attachments well. I'm happy about the new one and how it runs - doesn't seem to be as much of a disposable unit as before. I gave the old power head away on Craigslist so some lucky owner will get great enjoyment out of getting it to run. :)

Your a Bad Dude Sax lmao :)

Seriously, the guy has a lawn business and he was glad to get it for free - drove an hour each way to get it.

Wow 1 hr each way for a free Ryobi?? I mean their motors are fine just every thing else falls apart (my experience). I thought driving 30min out of the way for a 20$ hs80 was pushing it...

I would pay $20.00 buck for a Stihl hs-80 all day ! Commercial Grade with 3 adjustable jets , not so with the Ryobi . However for the price Sax purchased and religious use of fuel treatment the Ryobi will get the job done !

I use it frequently in the summer. Last week I used the hedge trimmer, the string trimmer and the blower. Yesterday I just used the blower after mowing. In leaf season I use the blower a lot, so I do rack up some hours on the power head. My 2-cycle mix is: 89 octane fuel, synthetic blend oil, Sta-Bil 360 and a dash of Marvel Mystery Oil.

The new Ryobi continues to start and run fine. I find going by the starting instructions works best, believe it or not.

Sounds like a great investment 3 power units in one !

The chain saw attachment (intended for light pruning) also works great and it came with an extension shaft so you can get around 9' high with it. I actually have 3 chain saws (1 electric and two gas). Sometimes you need a real chain saw and other times you can get by with the attachment. One thing I like about it is you can cut stuff down while standing off. It also helps you cut a small stump off at the ground line.

Three summers I was in a squeeze and needed a trimmer that accepted a cultivator attachment, I needed it pronto and it had to be cheap. Quickest place was home depot, I forked over the $89 for a Ryobi 25cc balanced crank two-stroke.

I'm no stranger to two-stroke powered tool. I own and have repaired many top brands out these such as Echo and Stihl, I'm always fiddling with some small engine. I've become very proficient at using Dremel cut-off discs to bypass the EPA carb needles. Lol!

I love Ryobi 18V tools, IMO they are the best value out there, especially the impact driver, I actually use them every day as an electrician, but I had bad experiences with past Ryobi gas powered tools(non-ethanol related).

Anyway, I wasn't expecting much with the trimmer, To my surprise, it's actually a powerful, reliable trimmer/"power head". As soon as I took it out of the box I took one look at the non-adjustable carb (grrrr!) and figured it would rear its ugly head at some point but so far it hasnt. One thing I think that's really made a difference is right before the fall/winter months I switch from 50-1 gas/oil mix and start using pre-mix fuel. I just keep the pre-mix in the tank for the slow months. In the spring when I start using it bi-weekly again I switch over to reg gas with 2 stroke oil.

It really does start on the second or third pull every time. Its a great value for a home owner. Just make sure to use the pre-mix fuel in the can before storing.

Just buy a Premium Synthetic oil and use any fuel you wish , it has stabilizer and Efuel conditioner already added and is much superior to Dino oil for overall engine protection . Ryobi Gas Engines are not the finest , however with proper preventative care that you have taken should serve you well !

Still working great, but I just stopped by to repeat that the new one will start on the first pull if you follow the directions to the 'T'. Just forget all your experience and previous tricks and do what it says - it will start.

Hello, Just a shout out to you guys!...ewalk, Sax....I have been reading your posts for years...even back in the Bruce Perault per.com days. 2 stroke carbs and engines...so much fun! I posted a few times regarding seals, compression, carb check valves etc.

Hey HG55 , still kicking just busy as usual playing with Toys . My newest addition a 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 660 from my Buddys Wifes Sister . Long story only 200 hrs running time and 2500 miles on the odometer . Stored for 4 yrs in a cold strorage garage . Bad news , no fuel treatment or draining of gas . rebuilt the carb and cleaned and drained fuel system and shes running great . Never a dull moment . Have you heard from Loger ? Site appears to be rather slow the last yr , to bad had a lot of great individuals . Take Care Bro !

Hey, I ran into fuel starvation with it today. Took the fuel out of the tank and checked the fuel line/filter weight and all was good. Refueled it and it still would not speed up without putting it on half-choke. For some reason I decided to hit the primer bulb and the engine took off. I mean I expected it too run better momentarily but it apparently 'fixed' it. Now I'm thinking I had a piece of foreign material somewhere in there and pushing the primer bulb with the engine running dislodged it.

Hey ewalk, No sir, have heard nothing out of Loger. Has he even been on this site since it became HOUZZ. The site changes and the format changes put some folks off I fear. Good to hear from ya though! Sax, you got lucky with that Ryobi! If we continue on posting like this on here...this thread will become immortal, and never die. Hey, glad all you guys are still at it.

'Immortal thread' - AKA 'zombie thread' LOL!

But seriously, why not? We're contributing bit by bit to the pool of knowledge on these trimmers which have been pretty much the best sellers ever since they first came out. The new ones, including mine, are now fully-supported-crankshaft with a main bearing on each end. I'm looking at that as mainly a marketing item because I never had any internal engine trouble on the one I had for 14 years, but it can't be a bad thing.

Trimmer is still running right with no more primer pushes required after starting so I guess I'll call it fixed although I'm not sure what happened - maybe some kind of air lock in the carb that I broke by pushing the primer while running.