This SCREW can SEIZE Your Engine!

Join Steve's Small Engine Saloon for a wild ride as he shares a crazy story from his days at a small engine shop. Steve uncovers the truth behind a supposedly seized weed eater engine that was thought to be a "catastrophic internal engine failure". You won't believe how a misplaced screw led to a simple fix and a happy customer in the end. Hit subscribe for more fascinating small engine repairs!
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👉How To Adjust Or Tune The Carburetor On A Weedeater ➜ • How To Adjust Or Tune ...
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#stevessmallenginesaloon #smallenginerepair #smallengine #lawnandgarden #weedeater #trimmer #trimmers #stihl

[@StevesSmallEngineSaloon]

✅CLICK HERE FOR THE ADJUSTING TOOLS ➜ amzn.to/3McdXHI For more videos like this, check out: 👉How to Adjust or Tune the Carburetor on a Leaf Blower ➜ kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoizhoyAnqtpga8 👉CORRECT WAY To Tune The Carburetor On A Chainsaw ➜ kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2e3Zn2lfL2Wfrs 👉How To Adjust Or Tune The Carburetor On A Weedeater ➜ kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ7LqYesfLeneck You can connect with Steve here too: ✅Visit Steve’s WEBSITE ➜ www.stevessmallenginesaloon.com/ ✅Visit Steve’s PARTS & TOOL STORE ➜ www.amazon.com/shop/stevessmallenginesaloon ✅Follow Steve on FACEBOOK ➜ facebook.com/stevessmallenginesaloon ✅Follow Steve on INSTAGRAM ➜ instagram.com/stevessmallenginesaloon/ ✅Follow Steve on TWITTER ➜ twitter.com/SteveSaloon ✅Follow Steve on TIKTOK ➜ www.tiktok.com/@stevessmallenginesaloon

[@vladorlovsky6623]

The art of fixing small engines is hard to come by where I live. I try to learn as much as I can so I can work in my own equipment. I love watching your videos Steve. Please continue posting them.

[@lorinkramer5805]

Lesson two: pay attention to which screws come from where. As shown, they are not all the same length and it does matter where you re-install them.

[@donaldshimkus539]

I bought a Homelite 18" chainsaw from a repair shop for $10. He said it was seized and only good for parts, which is what I wanted. I started to strip it down and when I pulled the spark plug all this oil came out and I sez hmm. Put the cover w/ pull cord back on and gave a yank. Don't ya know that thing spun over and spit oil out all over. Slapped it back together and filled it up and fired that dang thing up. Ran great so I gave it to a friend. WOW! Thanks Steve for proving it's always worth a 2nd look.

[@TruthIsNotTemporary]

Ive got an old FS80 that the service center told me my carb was junk and couldn’t be replaced. Got it home and noticed that the allen head bolts were still full of grass and dirt, so I investigated and found that the fuel tube was broken where it enters the tank. After throwing a screaming fit for about 10 minutes for him trying to get me to spring for a new one, the store owner came out and fired him…still using the FS 80 today, it just wont die

[@kenbrown2808]

reminds me of working with my dad to try to get an old bolens running. it would fire off gas in the carb, but it would run it out and die. finally remembered we had a fuel shutoff under the tank.

[@Mackeson3]

Don't even ask me how many times I have tried to start an engine only to find out the ignition is switched off 🤦☺️

[@kenbrown2808]

@@Mackeson3 for some reason I do that with my wood splitter, but it usually only takes me one or two pulls to remember. actually, when i think about it, the reason is obvious - the splitter is the only machine I have with a separate ignition switch. the rest have it integrated with another control.

[@hagerz]

Didn't even think about that. As always Steve you are the MAN 👊👍

[@quarlow1215]

I had an old craftsman mower that was completely rusted out and it was getting hard to start. I didnt want to mess with it so I hauled it to the dump. While there I noticed another mower sitting there that was the next better model than mine with wheel drive so I asked the guy if i could take it. He said no so i said "well can I swap it for the one I was bring in". He laughed and said sure. I had check that it wasnt seized and took it home. At home I grabbed the the cord and gave it a pull. It started as it had gas in it already. I tried to cut the grass but it shook violently. Hmm. Flipped it on its side and the blade was absolutely beat to hell. $16 for a new blade and it served me well for 15 years. ❤

[@sapelesteve]

This proves that Steve is the "Sherlock" of engine repair for sure! 👍👍

[@tadeuszmichaelwlodarczyk3120]

Your the Man Steve ✔️💯. From Melbourne AUSTRALIA 👍🤠

[@Bailey-y9b]

Now that is troubleshooting

[@bencoffee8737]

I had a similar situation but it was the screw out of the spark arrester. It fell down into the plastics and I didn't realize it. Thought the engine was seized up and took it to the local shop. I ended up feeling pretty silly.

[@Foxx_69]

Really enjoy your videos!

[@berjo77]

Nice lesson. Thank you.

[@SollersScrappingandDiving]

Wow Steve 675k subs now👍

[@pietrosenerchia1786]

Your amazing Steve.. cheers....

[@michaelglynn2638]

Nicely done Steve. 👌

[@stevez340]

My God, April would have figured that out in 2 minutes😮

[@adus123]

I had one just stop all of a sudden Would not pull over and felt like it was seized. I was very busy I needed it so I went to the shop. He told me it was seized so i got a new one. I took the old one back home and out of curiosity I took it to bits I couldn't see anything wrong so I put it back together and it worked just fine. never did know what was wrong with it. It had never been to bits before.

[@lastgameplay]

Great video....now for another beer for me....

[@sheilam4964]

Another great vid. Thx.

[@TwoCaptainsOneShip]

Great lesson to be learned!

[@marklaramie7393]

To cool man, another great tip, thx Steve......cheers 🍻

[@StevesSmallEngineSaloon]

Any time!

[@williamwelch7]

Thanks Steve. What did the first mechanic say?...did you tell him?

[@billmalec]

Let this be a lesson to you guys. The length of the screw is very important...

[@leahcimthgirw3163]

A year or so ago I had to replace the clutch on my chainsaw and on the chainsaw it show rotation of the bolt ,I didn't think anything of it and I fought with the bolt and snapped the crankshaft , further inspection it was opposite threaded ,because of the rotation I caused myself to need to buy a new chainsaw

[@donaldmcpherson3226]

Thanks

[@StevesSmallEngineSaloon]

Welcome

[@user-JamesLacy]

Sounds like some thing I would do lol. James out.

[@keith6872]

What is the small engine hourly labor rate now days?

[@KathySheppard-gs9bj]

Can you please tell me what would seize up?My self prevailed mower to where I couldn't pull the rope.I cannot do it can't pull it??

[@markschoenhals4816]

Just pay attention where the screws come out and put them back where they came from. Not hard. But I guess it is for some people.

[@kentcostello5286]

Hay been there and done that . 😮😂😅

[@WatZ-In-Ur-Head]

Damn... 🤯

[@canoetipper019]

A bit of a screwup I guess??

[@richardrandall1852]

Your video sound not coming in clear!!

[@gremlin5813]

You have beautiful eyes.

[@StevenEverett7]

I'm a total amateur but one thing I always do is check the length of all the screws/bolts that I take out... and put them back the same way!

[@petemoore8923]

You read my mind.

[@Damoinion]

@@petemoore8923 I've been making my living as an automotive mechanic for over 30 years and I still double check bolt specs and locations. Especially on later model stuff. Edit: In all honesty, I have made the mistake of not checking bolt lengths in the past and wound up with a sump bolt cutting a groove down the center of a cambelt. 4D56 Mitsi diesel.

[@BWGPEI]

Good story Steve! Sort of like the day I went to do an inspection on a cash register, and saw a bunch of lawn mowers in the store hallway. Sign says "Trade in your old mower, running or not, and get $25 off a new mower. The hardware boss saw me looking and said "give me $25 and take any one you like!" Being newly married, and about to buy a place of our own, I went down the line and found an old Lawn Boy that had good compression. Bought it, loaded it in the service van and then did what I'd been doing for years with small engines. Drain out the old fuel, clean the carb, clean the & gap the spark plug, then mix up fresh fuel and it ran like a champion for another 15 years.

[@loriokronglis7339]

Small stuff will bite ya everytime lol

[@sweetlou5902]

Steve, I for one am really glad you're still creating videos, thanks pal!

[@markplautz6842]

If I’ve never taken something apart before I either take pictures or videos of each step of the process when I do it. It’s so easy to set up and will save making little mistakes like this that may result in big issues. Thanks Steve!

[@ZombieDaveAZ]

This is why I watch this channel. Nice catch, nice fix. 🍺

[@StevesSmallEngineSaloon]

Thanks 👍

[@j.chrisbeck7492]

Excellent example of some of the things I've seen go wrong on things I've acquired in the past. Usually quite simple fixes, but the previous owner/users had written it off as being seized, won't start, etc etc

[@Kirk_Mcgurk]

Excellent problem solving skills! Have a drink on me....

[@maitajack]

In accordance witoh the mechanic bible, Machinery Handbook, the difference is simply in the vocabulary. Bolt and nut go together and a screw is screwed in the material it fixes.

[@kriduro1956]

Hi Steve,i just suscribe to you channel, question,if you can help me,i have a stihl ,i believe is 130 R,, but my problem is when i pul the starter ,he get tence,stock,i have to put extra muscle to started ,is that normal?

[@geoffbrumpton8544]

Steve, fs 85 clutch drum bearing are moulded in, what’s your magic trick to change them(don’t say buy a new nose cone with the new bearing in there)

[@Ethan7s]

This video has to be fake. There are not 58 weed eaters in all of Canada.

[@xinferiorx3]

I actually picked up a stihl fs38 and had the same issue. The previous owner took it apart and placed the wrong screw in the wrong spot. Paid $50 for it, and ended up selling it for $140. He stated that the drive shaft kept slipping out of the trimmer head. Turns out that the screw was applying tension to the drive shaft causing it to slip out. Was an easy fix, and an even easier flip.

[@NovaBill6264]

Awesome video God Bless you and your family Amen

[@MrMnmn911]

They’re screw bolts.

[@humblewarrior6585]

Appreciate you Steve along with your channel and your willingness to help us DIYers on YT !!!...IMHO the BEST small engine repair channel on YT !!!...God Bless You and Yours Always !!!

[@Secondarysavage05]

Couldn't agree more one time I picked up a stihl BG 85C blower in the trash that had a seized engine, got it home and found out that the muffler had fallen off melting some plastic behind the fan causing it to drag on the fan and keep the engine from Turing. Got the muffler back on got rid of all the melted plastic put the fan back on and it spun freely and ran perfectly.

[@SollersScrappingandDiving]

Yep, that is probably exactly the kind of thing I'd do, that is why I'm better at taking things apart lol. Easy fix for you that one 😂, great video👍

[@bulldogms]

Amazing Steve. You are saving people thousands of dollars.

[@indianachrisUDX1313]

Screwed up! i get it & Thanks. It's something we can all look for!

[@twocyclesmoke]

Picked up a Maruyama & Shindaiwa trimmer for $60.00 off FB... The guy said I haven't started either of them in over two years. That's fine, idc... Only replaced the fuel fines & both fired right up. Nothing beats Made In Japan.

[@jayytee8062]

Wait till you find one of the carburetor mounting nuts has come loose and is swallowed in the engine......FS38!

[@Steven-jn2cw]

Steve I have just bought a Stihl KM56 RC-E and when I start it up on choke it revs to full RPM without me touching the throttle. If I start it on no choke it works normally, any ideas!?

[@markinator8826]

Same with Laptop computers, if you put the wrong screw in the wrong place, bad things happen :-)

[@brendanfromnz]

That sounds exactly like the sort of thing a Stihl dealer "mechanic" would do. Look at it for 30 seconds, "nah she's knackered, can't fix it, sell him a new one". Easy money, quick turnaround, screw the consumer some more. That's the difference between them and a real mechanic with diagnostic ability and nous to spend some time and save a perfectly good piece of equipment. If you hadn't been there that day, the poor customer would've been several hundred bucks poorer for no reason at all.

[@armchairtin-kicker503]

In the electronic board-level repair business, it is referred to as "long screw damage," a situation where a long screw is driven through multiple layers of a printed circuit board (PCB).

[@petepeabody8905]

your skill and knowledge goes great with LUCKY beer

[@hughbo52]

Did the other mechanic get pissed? Sounds lazy.

[@willievanwyk7396]

Thx steve. Always good to watch your videos. Almost same finding as the hidden screw at the head part lol. But i love your videos.Thx and God bless

[@jeffwatson6804]

I did the exact same thing working on my friend's sthil trimmer! Thank God I took it back apart and found the long screw

[@joem807]

Excellent video with great information!

[@p51mustang31]

Steve, I was running my 2 stroke trimmer (while adjusting the carb settings) and I heard some kind of snapping sound in the engine and it immediately shut off. Now the starter rope is siezed and I can't turn the engine over. After removing the spark plug I noticed that somehow the piston contacted the spark plug and bent the ground electrode in and make a circular mark in the piston. Could this be the connecting rod that broke and allowed the piston to travel up higher than it should have? I'm at a loss here.

[@jonsteele7227]

This is so true. I was fixing my neighbours strimmer it needed a new clutch drum and at some point I mixed up a bolt attaching the assembly to the front. I put it back together and it wouldnt move. Panic I have broken next doors strimmer. Had a beer or two and took it apart again. Sure enough a bolt was sticking into the engine so it could not move. Problem solved, Perhaps it was the beer or two I had before starting the first time that caused this idiot error and I needed two more beers to sort it

[@dano9215]

Ya, I cant even count how many riding mowers I have bought for $50 because of these kinds of things. Water in the fuel, broken wheel hub, seller thought the rear end was bad, and so on and so on.

[@stephenkrampert3430]

Great video kind of like scope mount screws being too long on a rifle contacting the bolt ! I have to ask ,have you ever stripped or broken any screws using your drill?

[@eastcoastwilly1373]

Alot of portable A/C units you see outside waiting for garbage pickup are clogged with animal hair and dust...need a good cleaning....8 out of 10 fire up and start working after a good pressure wash and dry. A good source of cash money and if not still a good source of spare parts.

[@rickwashek478]

Is that what you call being screwed !!!🤣🤣

[@CalkoLouie]

I knew you would find the smallest tinny little screww or something that was the main problem. I knew that.

[@Syncop8rNZ]

Years ago my brother scored a Walkman that his flatmate had discarded - it wouldn't work and was obviously broken since it rattled. He found there was only one battery inside instead of two. 🙄

[@carlhendricks349]

Your the best. I learn so much from you. Yes don’t be so quick.

[@krowbar23]

Stihl mite send you a case of superman beer now. 😅😅😅

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍

[@DIYVariety]

Wow, excellent story, great advice

[@billhacks]

I don't know if this is the proper way to define them but I've always assumed that bolts require a nut and screws bite into the material directly.

[@radiotubes]

I've found sometimes the recoil is jammed as well or frozen pump

[@danbbrawner]

A similar thing happened to me this week when I took my dishwasher apart to clean the screens. I mixed up a long and a short screw and ended up punching a hole in the bottom of the unit. I ran the dishwasher and when I came back, there was water all over the floor.

[@daneyre5813]

Boo to "the mechanic" who would not take the few minutes to remove 6 screws and a couple more on the muffler to check the piston. Well done Steve!

[@cypeman8037]

Never seen you wrestling with your equipment before.

[@radiotubes]

My hero. Mechanical troubles never assume

[@Leonardokite]

I remember as a young pup I was so anal about repairs that I would line up every screw and it didn’t matter if they were exactly the same they went back to the same whole they came out of.

[@stephenzies8867]

Great Troubleshooting 👍 Never Give Up So Easy

[@captainhiltz73]

An engineering miss by Stihl there. The housing should have been designed such that all bolts could be the same length.

[@revbikerbigd8664]

Not screwed anymore 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍lol

[@PhillipDrumz]

Great video- sad that many techs just turn and burn and miss the obvious

[@gav6808]

Steve i have a sanli mower as soon as it starts it revs high then gooes approx 1 metre then dies,the fuel is new,the carby is new and the air filter.

[@eustaciosaucedo7745]

I worked on a echo blower last night it needed a coil how to take it all apart to replace the coil I put it all back together then I noticed I forgot to put the kill wire on the coil how to take it all apart again

[@bobbyb322]

Ain't that the truth, good job as always.

[@Peter-od7op]

Great vdo. We are running short on smart people. Love the beer

[@alan-dr8uo]

Owners manuals use to be moore helpful than now but good eye on the repair

[@chuckhuff7123]

How many was there, did you say. Six?😮

[@onenikkione]

If not for you, that owner could have been screwed.

[@patodwyer721]

Nice one Steve Money can't buy experience

[@rolandlewis2356]

When you pull on a cord and there's no give, most people would've thought seized. Thanks for the lesson learned : always put fasteners back where they came from ! There was an engineering reason one screw was shorter. Your a smart guy Steve. Take care and thanks for the tip. Rol

[@sk22ng]

Thank you, Steve. Cheers!