OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Garthfromsandiego

Long shot, but I had a similar issue years ago. Turns out that the rubber hose directing gas from the tank to the carburetor had cracked due to age. Replaced the hose and it fired right up.

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Tom Dunlap

I rarely replaced fuel filters. They don't really capture the crud in the tank and become clogged becuase they flop around on the fuel line. I would fish them out, swish em around in some clean mmix fuel and use a burst of low pressure air from the barb out to clean.

Fuel line is a good guess.

Put a little mix gas in a squirt bottle. Spray in a bit and then try to start it. Keep spritzing fuel to keep it running. If it does but stops after the fule is used up...its fuel line.

Look at the wiring to make sure it hasn't cracked.

Don;t mess with carb adjustments though. If it runs leave them unless you've read up on how to tune a chainsaw. That isn't too hard and of coursea You Tube will show you how.

Let us know what happens.

Same Saw

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

bought in 90'

3 years and the old formula gas line rotted out from the ethanol.

Replaced the line and ran fine for the 20 years.

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Jim Dillon

Tom, after 20 years, is it possible that the spark arrester screen is clogged? Mr. Google is your friend here to learn how to clean the screen. Hope this helps. Jim

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Tom Norton

Thanks for the replies! I am going to fuss with it today. Not heard of the spark plugs arrestor screen. I found a site that has exploded drawings so I will look at that.

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Don Goodwin

The spark arrestor is inside the muffler. On my Stihl of similar vintage, the muffler is held with two screws. The spark arrestor is a metal plate with holes on my saw. Taking it out and cleaning it with engine cleaner (Gunk) and scrubbing with a wire brush solved my problem a couple of years ago. Yesterday, it started acting up again, so I'm repeating that process today.

if the fuel line is exposed anywhere...

David Weaver

..turn the saw on its side and see if fuel runs out. If not, then just check the fuel line. You probably burned the gas in the carb and near to it quickly and that's the end of that.

I have a saw around the same age as yours, and same thing - fuel line wasn't able to handle any ethanol in gas. replaced it, and only sold it last year after treating myself to a bigger saw.

I think a length of ethanol resistant line was $3 at home depot (I had the saw for about years after replacing the line and it was fine, just in case anyone is interested in decrying buying fuel line at home depot). It was a pain to change on the saw that I had, though (husky) as it was routed in a way that the service instructions involved removing the carb. I think that's stupid, but that's the way it is. One could get quick at it, but it took me about 40 minutes to read and then follow video procedure and do the same thing.

Next suggestion would be carb if you had spark and the saw ran for more than a second or two (if you got through a cut vs. starting up and snuffing itself on the muffler screen, but if the latter was a problem, you'd have encountered it when using it last time).

Re: OT- Chainsaw Maintenance

Tom Norton

Spent a bit of time on the bench. Removed the carb so I could install the fuel li. Got it all out back together then noticed the new line was still on the bench!! But got it done.

Then I noticed a small plastic line with a brass screw in it coming out of the top of the gas tank. It was broken. From a drawing bit is called a Tank Vent. The lawn equipment place is closed so Monday I will get that part.

Chainsaw running now?

John K Jordan

Tom,

Just curious, did you get your chainsaw running?

I recently "refurbished" all three of my gas-powered Stihl saws, none of them very new! The oldest two got cranky and didn't want to start and run so I left them sitting unused for a couple of years.

The newest one (Stihl 250c with an 18" bar) ran fine until a few months ago when it started to idle erratically and was a pain to use. (I've never used gas with ethanol in any of my small engines.)

I removed and cleaned the carb inside which didn't help. I found out a new OEM carb was cheap so I installed that and adjusted the coil to a smaller gap. For good measure I put in a new sparkplug and air filter. It's been starting and running nicely since (I did adjust the mixture and idle settings.)

The same procedure got the second saw (250 with a 16" bar) gave the same results.

A new carb for the biggest saw (Stihl 361) was about $100 so I put in a rebuild kit instead and made the carb adjustments.

All three are starting easily and running great now. The biggest one has a 25" bar which is a big help cutting up a 30" red oak that came down across the drive last Sunday.

If you replace the hoses and parts you mentioned and it's still not running well you might check into getting a new carb. Those I bought for the 250 saws were only about $30. Or at least put in a rebuilt kit. A saw repair guy told me with age some of the diaphragms can get stiff and the there can be leaks around the gaskets and other parts. He said he likes to leak test by applying no more than 10psi air pressure to the fuel inlet.

JKJ

Do you leave fuel in it?

Steve D, CT

I don't use my 2-stroke equipment that often so I will drain the gas after use, then restart whatever it is and run it until it stalls out.

I've had good luck with that approach. I've only had to replace one fuel line and that was because the filter was clogged.

Re: Do you leave fuel in it?

Bill Howatt

For the use 6 months/don't use 6 months stuff like lawn equipment, winter snow equipment, I leave the fuel in and I use Sta-Bil in even if I'm using some of it right away. This way I don't scratch my anatomy wondering if the stuff has had Sta-Bil put in it later on.

I also spend a bit more and get alcohol-free gas.

My generator and gas chainsaws are very rarely used so I store them dry.

This method has served me well. Draining the 6 month-use equipment did not work as well.

Bill

Re: Do you leave fuel in it?

Ray Mtn. Home Ar.

I put staybil in my empty 5 gallon can, then fill it up. Never have to think about it again.

Re: Do you leave fuel in it?

John K Jordan

I use Shindaiwa 2-stroke oil that contains fuel stabilizer.

Re: Do you leave fuel in it?

TomD

It would perhaps depend on what "not that often means". However, from what I have been reading, the new idea seems to be that even for over-winter storage, you, now add stabilizer and just leave it. I normally have run nearly dry, then put in a cap of Seafoam, and then run it dry. That has always worked, and there are reasons for not leaving tools that hold a lot of gas, with gas in them, that are aside from what the engine might want one to do.