This is a great trimmer. I purchased mine about 8 years ago and it is still working fine. The only maintenance I have done to the trimmer is replace the trimmer head once because it quit feeding the line. Every year I change the spark plug, clean the air filter at the start of the mowing season, and grease the bearing in the trimmer head a couple of times a year.
Changing the trimmer line is easy. You just pop the cover off the trimmer head, pull the spool out, and add the line. There are direction arrows on the spool so you wind the trimmer line in the right direction. If you would like to see my YouTube video on how to replace the trimmer line, click here.
To start the trimmer I just push the primer button 4 or 5 times, lift the choke lever, squeeze the trigger, and pull the starter rope 3 or 4 times. In 8 years, it has always started by the 4th pull on the starter rope. To see how I start the trimmer, see my YouTube video on how to start a gas powered string trimmer by clicking here.
Safety tip: Always be sure to wear protective glasses and ear plugs when operating a gas powered trimmer.
Have a FS55R that gradually became harder to start. (8 yrs old with light use)
Good compression, Good switch, Fresh Gas…
Clean spark arrestor and Muffler… No Start
New Plug…(Old, NKG BPMR7A) (New, Champion CJ6Y), Both Gap .025…No Start
Didn’t feel it had enough spark so replaced the coil (Stihl 4140-400-1308) gaped @ .012 with feelers gauge.
No start
Removed the flywheel and there was a little slop in the key. Maybe 1/16 at the outside diameter of the Flywheel. Centered and LockTighted (High Strength) onto the shaft. Got a little sputter, That’s all.
Put on a new Carburator (Stihl 4140-120-0619) :
Still won’t start.
If I set the plug over the open port, and spin the shaft with my D/C drill (CW) it did ignite the gas in the cylinder. I am just assuming the spark is good.
Note: the old carb had #’s S153 and S48B on the body.
The new Carb. Had #’s S186D, 4140/19D and 647A on the body.
Hello Sir.. How do you suggest a person could get a STIHL trimmer, outside of the US, maybe something similar to youe above post? Is there an online store which sells and ships to Belize, Central America? Thanks.
I would go online and look up Stihl dealers in the US and then contact one of the dealers via email and ask them if they can ship a string trimmer to Belize.
Hey, I live in Guatemala, which is next to Belize, and I was just seeing a stihl fs-85 used, like new in us$100. I think that maybe it could be easier for you to find one in guatemala and take it to belize.
I think i can not tell you the website for this, but you can search for chapeadoras (that is spanish for string trimmers) in guatemala and maybe someone can send it to you.
Great post. Great trimmer. I have one. Quick question… which string do you use? I have just ran out of what came in the trimmer, which is whatever Stihl’s orange line is with little groves in it. I had a heck of a time trying to get it to feed reliably… I see what you’re using in the video is yellow… is it a smooth line?
I bought a roll of Stihl trimmer line when I bought the trimmer. It’s .095 diameter and a lime green color. It’s not round, more of a square shape with small grooves one each side. I don’t have any trouble getting it to feed. I have replaced the trimmer head because the old head wouldn’t depress to feed the line.