# Primer Bulb is Hard to Push



## tperk100 (Jun 19, 2013)

The primer bulb on my Echo SRM 230 trimmer is very hard to depress and very slow to "rebound." It does move the gas and once started the trimmer runs just fine.

Any idea of what is going on here? Thanks much.


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## Sir Thomas (Dec 7, 2013)

tperk100 said:


> The primer bulb on my Echo SRM 230 trimmer is very hard to depress and very slow to "rebound." It does move the gas and once started the trimmer runs just fine.
> 
> Any idea of what is going on here? Thanks much.


Could be some debris stuck in the primer base or it's gummed up. Pull the primer base and clean it and blow it out. Be care what cleaner you use and don't use high pressure when blowing it out. You can damage the check valve built into the base.


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## RKDOC (Jun 20, 2006)

With the gas we have now days, it affects the plastic in the bubble and makes them go stiff. You may just need to replace the bubble. Most small engine shops willl have a replacement. Best of luck.


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## paulr44 (Oct 14, 2008)

Sir Thomas said:


> Could be some debris stuck in the primer base or it's gummed up. Pull the primer base and clean it and blow it out. Be care what cleaner you use and don't use high pressure when blowing it out. You can damage the check valve built into the base.


Thomas is right. When you depress the primer bulb, what's happening is the fuel/air in the bulb is being pushed through the primer body(base) which has a simple check valve in it (actually 2, 1 inlet 1 outlet), through the return line to the tank.

Only 2 basic reasons for it to be hard to push, restriction in the primer body, or a kinked/restricted return line.

Primer bulbs DO become hard and brittle with age, but what some may deem "hard" to depress vs. "stiff" is subjective...even when brittle they are usually realitively easy to depress.


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## tperk100 (Jun 19, 2013)

Thanks for the help guys. Will be dismantling this thing in a couple of days.


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## Sir Thomas (Dec 7, 2013)

tperk100 said:


> Thanks for the help guys. Will be dismantling this thing in a couple of days.


Be real careful what you use to clean it with and do not try to dry with high pressure air. The internal checkvalves on these things are sensitive and most are irreplacable


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