Weed eater friction drive

If the engine runs, don't touch the carb unless you know what you are doing.

I've used two different weed eater motors and I think that carb adjustment is absolutely necessary. On both carbs I've attached a long tab to the screw on the intake side so I can adjust while riding. My Homelite motor needs a good half-turn adjustment between winter weather and summer weather. If you run too lean it will have very little power and will destroy a motor. If you are too rich it will four-stroke, providing little power and the motor will flood and foul the plug.

From my experience these motors are touchy. Once you get used to adjusting them it's easy to get max power and tens of thousands of miles of life out of them.

"Unless you know what you're doing...."

Building a DIY weedwacker rig takes a lot of custom crafting. If you can do that, you shouldn't be afraid to play with the carb. If you don't already understand 2-cycle motors, the best way to learn is by experimenting as you go. As I said before, I highly recommend modifying the carb screw so you can adjust while riding, but it's not crucial, you can always hop off and adjust if necessary. But you should definitely have the choke positioned where you can adjust it while riding. Working the choke lets you know if the motor is running rich or lean and if the carb needs adjusting.