have a craftsman weedwacker need to know how fuel lines run?

OK After putsing around the net for about 45 minutes I finally determined that there was no answer on the net about how to get the fuel lines situated between the tank, primer bulb, and carburetor so I decided to figure it out by trial and error. After about 2 or 3 configurations I tore apart the carburetor to analyze the flow of fuel. I discovered that the fuel "inlet" was the bottom nipple on the left side (the side with the choke lever) and that the top right nipple was the "fuel return" to the tank. The primer bulb doesn't force the fuel through the carburetor but rather suck it through.

The primer bulb has 2 ports; suction and discharge. The suction port is the one towards the edge and the discharge is in the middle. The fuel tank has 2 hoses that run through it. I do not remember the diameters, but there is a small one and a larger one. The hoses make a tight seal with the tank when pushed through the holes. The small hose should have a weighted filter at the end inside the tank with enough slack to reach the two front corners of the tank. This is to allow the engine to pick up fuel from the tank with it tilted in just about any angle.

The small hose should run from the inside of the tank with the filter on it to the lower left fuel nipple on the carburetor NOT connecting to the primer bulb. Remember to allow enough slack in the line to allow easy disassembly of the carburetor. The larger hose should run from the tank to the middle (discharge) side of the primer bulb. Allow at least 1/4" of the larger hose to stick inside the fuel tank to prevent it from pulling out accidentally. The large fuel tank line does not need a filter as it is a feed back into the tank from the primer bulb. There should be another larger hose that runs from the top right nipple on the carburetor to the outer (suction) nipple on the primer bulb. Basically, the primer bulb when plumbed properly will suck the fuel from the tank through the lower left nipple, through the carburetor and out the top right nipple there fore priming the air out of the carburetor. There will be air bubbles sucking through the top right nipple along with the fuel as the bulb is sucking some air in through the venturi (I think that's how you spell it).

Hook up the lines as described above, fill the tank (Remember it is 40:1 fuel to oil and NOT 50:1 which will destroy the engine), prime the carb, choke engine, pull cord 2 or 3 times, release choke, start engine and have fun!

Hope this helps you guys! God bless and happy weedwacking!

DeWaltMan_Z
September 2009

I have the same peice of cr*p...mabe it's just a 2-cycle thing we all have to live with... but I found this on another post... good luck.. I go tmine running again.. but only on half choke...

When the Craftsman Weedwacker starts in idle and then stalls and the primer bulb will not fill with gasoline or will not pop back after being pushed in, then you have a blockage within the carburetor. The bulb is intended to **** fuel into the supply line, to prime it. To solve the problem, remove the carburetor, open the side that has ONE screw holding it (not the side with four small screws), remove all the two lines remembering how they were attached (the feeder line from the fuel tank attaches to the straight copper tube and the tube going to the bulb intake side attaches to the bent copper tube) and blow out the material blocking the fuel flow inside the carburetor. Then after replacing the carburetor, press the bulb and it should **** and discharge fuel easly. I have had two of these and the fuel path within the carburetor clogs easly.

Dennis-nonCraftsman Fan
July 2009