Another hard starter

[flh69]

I have an 028 that is hard to start. I pulled about 2 dozen pulls & it would not fire. Checked for spark, it was good but the plug was dry. Poured some gas in the plug hole & she fired right up. This has an aftermarket air filter & the choke was not even close to seating so I reworked it with emery cloth to try to get a better seat.
It still is hard to start and the plug is still dry after a dozen or so pulls.. I use non ethanol gas. Any ideas?

 

[countryhog]

When you started it with a prime did it stay running?

 

[flh69]

When you started it with a prime did it stay running?

Yes & it runs good. I had an 025 given to me because the previous owner always had to prime it on the first start. I sanded on the air cleaner to make the choke seat better & it took care of the problem. I don't care for the air cleaners with the chokes.
I just looked at the air cleaner on the 028 & it is still not seating to my liking. There is still a pretty big gap where the choke seats. I am going to sand some more & try to get a tighter seat.

 

[flh69]

Update on this problem. I sanded some more on the choke seat and got a tighter seat. The saw set for four days & I just tried to start it. Fired up on the 5th pull.
Hopefully the problem is fixed. Anyone having problems with hard starting may want to take a look at the choke to see if it is seating. These chokes that are part of the air cleaner could be the problem. Especially on the aftermarket air cleaners.