Ryobi RY29550 starts, won't idle, dies off

[dmmahone]

Just bought a new Ryobi trimmer RY29550 and it will Start, warms up, does not idle, and dies off after I squeeze the trigger. I'm amazed how easy it starts. However, after two or three minutes (way too long) for the motor warm up, I can only reach running speed with manipulation at about 1/2 choke. It's impossible to reach an idle even after the idle screw is turned all the way in. I have searched throughout the internet for a repair guide, no luck. I tried ryobitools.com and only found the site was down.

This is a bad feeling from my first Ryobi purchase. Unless something pops up to help, this lemon is going back to HD.

DonM.

[UtahAV]

Hi dmmahone,

With the trimmer being brand new I would guess that the carburetor needs to be tuned. The manufacture sets the carb to operate at sea level. The higher in altitude your house is from sea level, the more likely you are to need the carb adjusted. I would suggest having a small engine shop, such as a lawn mower repair shop, take a look at it. Most will only charge a small fee or might even make the adjustment for free. If you don't already know how to tune a carb it probably isn't something you want to do yourself as you can easily damage or even ruin the engine if you adjust carb and run the engine with the mixture too lean.

If you end up returning the trimmer I would suggest looking at a new trimmer from a local lawn and garden equipment dealer. You will pay a little more than what you will find at the home center but you will likely get a better trimmer and much better service. Most lawn and garden equipment retailers cater to the pro's but most also have a few models geared towards homeowners. You will usually find entry level models manufactured by the same companies that manufacture for the professional lawn care market. A good shop will help you find a trimmer that fits your budget and needs. They will set it up and tune it before it leaves their shop. In fact I often tell our customers that if you bought a gas powered tool and it was still in the box when you took it home, you bought it from the wrong place...

Good luck!

-UtahAV
-Mark