Solo fuel vent Line.

Hello, I recently have been having issues with my 2.5 HP solo. It runs perfect for about 10-15 holes then I simply cannot keep the auger running. When I give it throttle it bogs down and want to shut off, doesn’t seem to have an issue when at idle. I have talked to a few other solo owner who have had issues with their vent line having gas in this. Does any one have any pics or tips on how a guy can check this/ fix this if that is in fact the issue. I have recently switched plugs so I kjnow that isn’t the issue. I want to check this before I bring it up to Big Lake to have them take a look at it.

Thanks

I just bought a slightly used solo 3HP, it ran great and I mounted it to the front rack of the ATV. Today I ran the ATV around the yard and by chance checked the auger. Low and behold the fuel line feeding the primer bulb was off. I proceeded to dismantle the air cleaner and carb and secured all fuel fittings with zip ties. Now, to address your problem, if any of those connections are not fuel / air tight you can loose your fuel delivery to the carb. This may or may not be your problem. I also noticed that if filling tank to full some fuel will sit in vent line and saturate the one way vent. I think that not overfilling tank would be better for that vent fixture. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Thanks, do you or anyone on here know how to get the gas if there is gas in my vent line out of it? I am for sure not filling mine all the way up.

If you set the auger down in the wrong way I think it’s possible for fuel to get in that line as well.

Make sure you are setting it down on the handle so that the gas cap faces the sky, as seen on page 5 here:

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aagv_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-rapala-Site/Sites-rapala-Library/default/v1423257284962/downloads/strikemaster/solo-owners-manual.pdf?id=11

I’ve had issues with the fuel line feeding the primer bulb, that causes the auger to die when it just shook loose.

Call D-Rock in Little Canada (651-639-0446). They have a new vent tube which will fix the problem. It did for me with my Solo. Mine was having the same problem.

I bought a brand new lazermag in late 2013 and after a couple weeks I couldn’t drill a complete hole with it. It would start and idle fine, but when u would drill the hole and put a good load on it, it would bog down the die. I’d take it out of the hole and have to turn it around so I could run the throttle wide open with my right hand and pull it with my left and it would finally Fire up, but do the same thing. Finally got the ok to send it to Strikemaster in March of 14 and they had to rebuild the carb on mine and reset the carb settings. Now it sounds like a 2 stroke should, crisp and clean and cuts awesome now. They said it could have been a unit that sat for a while and the diaphragm dried up and got hard and caused the problem. They took care of everything so Im very happy with it this year!

Its interesting to hear all the problems we have all had with StrikeMaster Solo engines. My old SM (I think Tecumsah motor?) was a freaking work horse that never let me down. The Solo fuel lines issues are huge, I’ve seen at least 10 threads on this topic this year – this is clearly a defect. I’m surprised SM continues to work with Solo…

I want to support a historically great Minnesota company but c’mon, give us something to work with!

How many guys are just fixing the problem themselves or contacting SM customer service? I’ve sent two letters off to them about it with my experience. Excluding the fuel line coming off the primer pump, mine runs like a champ

Randy I haven’t contacted customer service I just saw online how guys are fixing it. Mine runs like a champ as well! It rips right through the ice faster than other augers I have used.

I have to agree that the Tecumseh motors seemed far superior. I have a 2.5 hp lazer and currently it will only idle if you play with the choke-on and off. It will run fine wide open with the choke off. I pulled the carb apart and cleaned it and it got better for awhile, but went back to how it was. I cleaned the carb once more, but didn’t help at all. I have a Honda lite now and haven’t dealt with the solo yet. My first solo locked up before I even had a chance to drill one hole and had to exchange. I would still have my Tecumseh if it hadn’t burned in our garage fire.

I used a strike master with the Tecumseh motor on it for the past couple years and while it’s been a reliable auger, the new solo cuts way better.

The fuel line thing is annoying, but I can’t blame them for not recalling 1000s of units of an extremely seasonal product to fix a $1.00 plastic hose. Seriously, primary selling season for SM augers is like late Nov-Jan.

Sucks for the consumer, but it’s the right business move as long as they make it right for the people who contact them.