I have a McCulloch Cabrio 246 trimmer that won't start.I stupidly left fuel in it between jobs and the fuel caused the inlet line to breakdown. We hadn't noticed this and started up the trimmer. It worked for 5-10 mins them stopped so I guess we've managed to get some of the inlet pipe debris stuck in the engine. I've replaced the inlet & outlet pipes and the fuel filter but it still won't start up. Any ideas what I could do next?

Jo singer, July 2007

Hi there - try pouring a small amount of fuel into the hole where the spark plug goes. Put the spark plug back in and try starting. It should fire for a second or two until the fuel is used up. This will tell you whether the fuel line is a problem.

Also, take the carburettor apart and try squirting air through to clean it up. Look on the internet for details on how to reset the carb after this. If this does not work, take the engine apart. They are very very straightforward, but keep a good plan of the bits and the order you remove them in. Clean everything up, put back together and it should work.

Good luck!

Sean Lawrence, October 2007