i have a weedwhacker engine that wont idle for anything it acts rich but spits no smoke the idle will steadily drop till it quits yet has no exhaust smoke coming out i know there is oil in the fuel because i checked that it just wont idle unless i give it gas i hate having to tap the throttle to keep the damn thing running or ittl stall what is wrong with this thing

What are the needle vaves set at?

i havent touched them from breakin and that was spot on but dont know the exact settings like i said its acting rich but spewing no smokedid i mention its still in the weedwhacker

378:
While it's idling, pinch the fuel line. If it quits right away, its to lean. Open up the needle valve closest to the engine 1/4 of a turn. If it gradually speeds up quite a bit and quits,its to rich. turn the same needle valve in 1/4 turn. When it's set right it will rev up a bit before it qiuts. If it stalls when you rev it up, open the needle a bit till it doesn't stall. Used to run a small motor shop before I retired. Hope this helps.

i woulda done that but the tank is bolteb right on the carb its got loads of power but idles like crap

Turn the idle needle in 1/4 turn. If it works better, turn it in another 1/4 turn. If you go in to far it will hesitate when you open the throttle quick. If it does that, back it out just enough so it doesn't hesitate. By the way, do all this after it's warmed up. When you get it right you may have to back out the idle speed screw to slow it down.

Either the idle speed is too slow or the idle mixture is too lean, best bet is to turn both needles ccw 1/8 turn and if that cures it don't touch the low speed needle but set the high speed for best top speed performance, not necessarily the max rpm.

it cuts fine and has plenty o power but wont idle for crap

Gradual slowdown is usually to rich. If its that lean, it would quit when opened up. the newer synthetic oils at 50-- 100 to 1 mix dont usually smoke. This is where the pinch test will tell you wether it's to rich or to lean. Only testing will tell.