Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Echo Weed wacker not idling, echo weed wacker, fuel stabilizer

Question
hello,

I have an echo week wacker that is only about three years old and it only gets about three hours of run time each year.  I can get it to idle for about ten seconds if I remove the air filter, set the choke on the 'cold' setting and pull the cord.  When it does start up, I have to adjust both the idle control at the same time as I pull the throttle.  When I do this, it will idle and even get the string to spin slightly, but it will only work for about ten seconds.  If I don't work both the idle switch and the throttle together, it will only idle for about two seconds.  I have replaced both the spark plug and the gas/oil mix but this did not change anything.  
Any suggestions?
Any help you are able to provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

Answer
How often do you purchase fuel?  Old/stale fuel will deteriorate the carburetor diaphragms causing them not to function properly.

What model do you have?  Have you read the owner's manual?  Echo recommends that you do not store fuel in the unit and do not use fuel older than 30 days.  Fuel stabilizer can be used to store fuel for up to 90 days.

Reason I stress the fuel is this is the number one problem causing trimmers and mowers not to run properly.  Customers who do not use the equipment very often do not use much fuel and hence the fuel they have turns stale causing the carburetor to malfunction.

You can try the carburetor adjustment as directed in the owner's manual.  If the carburetor adjustment does not solve the problem the carburetor probably needs to be rebuilt.

You can find Echo manuals on the website.  The link below is for SRM2100 model.

http://www.echo-usa.com/pdf/documentation/SRM21002110eST1E_020199_1.pdf

Let me know if adjusting the carburetor solves the problem.

Eric