Champion 2k in storage for three years. Advice starting it?

If not too late remove the spark plug and pour in a tiny bit of motor oil. Pull the starter slowly to coat the walls.

Like others said drain fuel tank and if easy drain the carb. If it runs on starting fluid or brake cleaner but dies instantly then clean the carb. Or if it looks simple just clean the carb now. It might run but not at full potential if you have a partial blockage.

Smell the fuel to see if it still resembles fresh gasohol smell. If it smells “old” drain the carb and tank and put in fresh gas.

If the gas smells reasonable, or you have drained and refilled give it a whirl.

If it starts and runs but has a case of the sniffles, Sea Foam fuel treatment generously administered to the fresh gas you put in the tank can rescue the situation by clearing deposits in the carb.

Warm him up and then let it work on a load like an electric heater. Remove the load so it idles down running on the idle jet which is smaller, out the load back on, do this a few times till it smooths out then let it work until it has burned a gallon of the treated gas or more.

bighatnohorse wrote:
Always use premium "top tier" gas. One of my small engine machines sat for two years and still started without drain gas or other measures.

That's the key. No ethanol in small motors that sit. Fuel stabilizer helps as well.

I drained the tank and refilled it with fresh fuel + sea foam. The only way it would run was when I was spraying carb cleaner in the intake. What do you guys recommend I do next?

Is the carb bowl filling with gas? If not make sure if it has a on -off valve it's on and gas is flowing through the valve - if so needle could be stuck to the seat. If bowl is full then time to pull and clean maybe at that time a rebuild kit or new replacement carb.

Sounds like a fuel problem. Check carb for fuel.

qwerty1111 wrote:
I drained the tank and refilled it with fresh fuel + sea foam. The only way it would run was when I was spraying carb cleaner in the intake. What do you guys recommend I do next?

Buy a new carb 20-25 bucks, check fuel lines while changing. I have done a carb kit on a Mantis tiller, new carb was a few dollars more and it worked.

I have sworn off ethanol gas in all my small engines, no carburetor problems in years!

Shelf life on ethanol gas is claimed 60 days, non ethanol 1 year claimed.

With the Honda generators when traveling I do not go out of the way looking for non ethanol, but run ethanol. The last tank is always non ethanol and run dry!

my champ 2K had a fuel shut off and also a carb drain.

I would checkey checkey for a fuel shut off being close and then open the carb drain and see what runs out.

qwerty1111 wrote:
I drained the tank and refilled it with fresh fuel + sea foam. The only way it would run was when I was spraying carb cleaner in the intake. What do you guys recommend I do next?

First thing I would check is the fuel pick-up orifices. I've seen these get clogged up from sitting. Carborators differ in design but somewhere in the parts that go down into the bowl there are small holes that fuel is drawn up into the carb through. I've seen them in the bolt that goes up from the bottom to hold the bowl on. Two small holes in the side of that bolt go to a hole drilled down the middle. A paper clip will do the job or any other metal object that will fit in the hole.