I thought I would share my experience so far with strikemaster customer service. For some contrast, I had an issue in the past with an Eskimo auger (stingray 33cc) and they sent me a brand new powerhead immediately with one phone call – The auger was well out of the warranty period.
10/27/2019
I have a Lazer Mag that I bought last winter on Craigslist. It was a couple years old but had not been used. The auger was brand new and it looked like the power head was unused. I ran it last winter and it worked great. I have only ran one tank of gas through this auger. I just started it yesterday except it died every time I took off choke and gave it some throttle. I decided to test the compression and I got 75 psi. I put a few drops of oil in the cylinder and got it to read 95 psi. Then I ran it and it stalls whenever I take the choke off and give it throttle. I checked compression again after that I got 75 psi again. I got this auger because I had the same problem with an Eskimo. They gave me a brand new power head and I sold it on CL. I thought this would have a higher quality engine….really disappointed. It is not under warranty but the fact remains, after one tank of gas it has low compression and won’t run. What now? Ready to switch to electric!
10/28/2019
Russell,
Would you please attach a pic of the engine or the model, series and ser # as the “Lazer Mag” name was used for many years, on many generations of engines and even different engine brands. I would like to know which version we are discussing before we proceed with our thoughts.
For some generations 75 psi is normal and it will just need carb work, other generations must have closer to 120 psi to run correctly.
StrikeMaster Customer Service
10/29/2019
Picture is attached.
Thanks,
Russell
10/30/2019
Russell,
Thanks for the pic, that is Solo 142 engine from 2013.
Unfortunately these do require at least 100 cylinder psi to run correctly. Normally 120 is found. When you do compression test be sure you do three pulls and makes sure the decompression valve is out (sealed combustion chamber) otherwise you won’t get an accurate reading.
We have never seen a Solo 142 lose compression from simply use, unless it was ran without oil, or carb had been adjusted too lean. Both which will cause cylinder, ring and piston damage. This could be a reason for low compression. There are a few anomalies that are possible to cause a low compression reading also, like a sheared fly wheel key or crank seal leaking, but highly unlikely.
If you want to ship that engine into one of our master service centers or to us, you can, and we can take a look.
Again, we don’t ever see this, so no guarantees on what we can do, will find or if it will be repairable or replaced. We cannot promise any warranty until we are able to inspect this engine.
Technically, it is far past any warranty, but Solo is phenomenal when it comes to covering any manufacture defects found, even if past 2 year warranty.
11/01/2019
Can I drop it off or is shipping required? I live in Twin Cities Metro area. Do I need any documentation or anything else besides my name and contact info? If I drop off should I leave gas in the tank and auger attached?
11/04/2019
Russell,
Since our focus at our Rapala, Minnetonka Facility is warranty and current model repairs, I would suggest unit be taken to H20 or D-Rock, they have complete powerheads that they can sell you if internal damage is found with your current engine as well as they will have the parts to possibly fix yours.
We would not have the parts on hand (because the Solo is not a currently built model) and we wouldn’t have a replacement engine on hand if this is needed.
So to make it a one stop shop for you I would suggest H20 or D-rock.
They both are StrikeMaster authorized master service center.
Unit can be dropped off at either location, fuel in tank can be left and auger can be left attached.
Only info needed when dropped off would be your name number and problem.
StrikeMaster Customer Service
11/05/2019
I went to D-Rock today and spoke with the mechanic there. I explained that my auger has low compression. He pulled on the recoil and thought it had plenty. I asked him if he had a compression tester. He said no. He insisted that he didn’t need a compression tester and that it needed a carb kit. I figured I would give him the benefit of doubt so I purchased a carb kit and the fuel line kit he recommended. I installed and it does the same thing. It starts on choke and as soon as you open the throttle and take it off full choke, it revs for about a second and then cuts out. I tested compression again and am getting 70 psi. I tested several other small engines with my compression tester and am confident it is working. Please send me a new powerhead.
Russell
11/05/2019
Russell,
After a carb kit is installed the carb jetting has to be reset and adjusted accordingly, this could be the issue. If it has not been adjusted it could definitely run like that still. Essentially if it doesn’t have internal damage causing a compression issue, it is too lean. (carb issue or vacumn leak)
We would suggest taking it back to d-Rock and have them do the tune-up or take it to H20 and have Bill work on it. Have him pull the jug to check piston, rings, and cylinder bore any damage. That will be the way to tell with 100 percent confidences whether it is a compression issue or not.
StrikeMaster Customer Service
November 5, 2019 at 8:41 am
#1889017
