Routine problems with Stihl Chain saws that break down with little use....

[ma96782]

Stabilizer.

BUT, But, but....maybe/additionally......it has to do with the gas not being 100% gas?

I've been told that even some outboard motors have their share of problems with the new stuff.

Aloha, Mark

 

[arakboss]

Ethanol free fuel, usually the premium stuff.
Dump the tank of fuel after each use. Fire it up and let it idle until it dies. Then store it. Even if it is until next week.
Only use one fuel additive at a time. Dumping 3-4 products into gas is like making a concoction that doesnt achieve anything and might actually be gumming up the works. My preferred additive is Stabil, and that's it.
I had some gas that I dumped recently because my saw wasn't firing up. I got some fresh stuff in the can and filled the tank on the saw. It fired on the 3rd pull.

Last but not least ask them for your old carb telling them you want to learn to rebuild them. Then take it home and start learning how to rebuild them. Buy yourself a rebuild kit. Watch some of the instructional stuff out there, tear it down, clean it, replace parts, put it back together, put it on the saw, and see if it fires.

I always do that too, dump fuel and run it until it won't run no more.

 

[CLT65]

I've had trouble finding the non-ethanol gas, so I've used whatever I get at the pump, for years. I've also been lax about draining it out for storage at times. I've probably been fortunate to have never had serious problems with it.

We always used Stihl chainsaws on the farm. My dad had several and they were rugged farm tools that put up with a lot of abuse.

 

[arakboss]

I don't add stabil because good two stroke oils already have stabilizer additives in them.

 

[arakboss]

I've had trouble finding the non-ethanol gas, so I've used whatever I get at the pump, for years. I've also been lax about draining it out for storage at times. I've probably been fortunate to have never had serious problems with it.

We always used Stihl chainsaws on the farm. My dad had several and they were rugged farm tools that put up with a lot of abuse.

It is harder to find and more expensive but worth it. Check gasbuddy.com I think they let you filter search results for clear gas.

 

[slimmer13]

I've had trouble finding the non-ethanol gas, so I've used whatever I get at the pump, for years. I've also been lax about draining it out for storage at times. I've probably been fortunate to have never had serious problems with it.

Same with me until I did. Now it's only NE in all my small engines.

 

[Heyjoe]

I'll echo the knockoff carbs from Amazon suggestion. I have replaced carbs on several small engines and they work great. How the Chinese can build and ship something as complex as a carb and throw in fuel line, gas filters, and primer bulbs and ship it here so cheap is beyond me.

Slave labor, friend.

 

[ORhutner]

I ran it on regular ethanol fuel with additive water removal and gas storage supplement when in use and drained after each season. I had little seasonal use out of both.

Find non-ethanol fuel. We had a smaller Stihl saw that had to have a carb replacement/rebuild every year or every other year until we switched to non-ethanol. We sold that saw to a friend at a friends and family price and full disclosure on the issues we had with it early on. He continues to run that saw into the ground to this day without a single issue and only feeds it non-ethanol.

We upgraded that saw to an MS260 due to the recommendation of an independent saw shop. They said part of our problem was the non-ethanol fuel and that another piece of the puzzle had to do with the small carb due to being a small saw (think it was an MS180) and that any little debris was clogging up the carb jets and we would always be fighting that problem. Their recommendation was to bump up to a slightly bigger saw and thus a bigger carb. We have never regretted getting the MS260 which has been a great saw and never given us a single problem in 15 years of service.

The only thing that gets ethanol gas in our house is the modern fuel injected cars. Everything else from ATV's to weed wackers to chainsaws to lawnmowers all get non-ethanol and they just keep running without issue. As soon as something gets non-ethanol put into it, the problems start. People think the gun lobby has power, the real power resides with the damn corn lobby and all the garbage they keep cramming down America's throat.

 

[SpudBob]

Same/same here Non ethanol gas ALLWAYS. I run Pri-G fuel stabilizer- far superior to Stabil. Pour out the tank and then run it till it stops. The final step is to pull the plug and Fog the cylinder with Stabil fogger. Got a MS441, a MS290 and a MS211 Arborist saw and they all fire right up in spring.Not a bad idea to put a new plug in then also or just pull the old one and take a peice of sandpaper to it to clean winter corrosion if any. For my motorcycles I use only Non ethanol, unless im out on the road and cant find it. If so I run it low then fill with Non eth when I find it. I always fill to the very,very top of the tank with stabilizer in winter with my metal tanked bikes-prevents surface rust forming. The plastic tanks no problem! Just my 2c!

 

[Member 15244]

Sounds like Stark has lazy mechanics. You can get a carb rebuild kit for $20-$40. YouTube how to remove your carb and buy a cheap ultrasonic cleaner from harbor freight. Than you can strip down the carb clean it leave it to dry and than rebuild it. It doesn't get much simpler than these small engine carbs.

 

[kmk1012]

I ran it on regular ethanol fuel with additive water removal and gas storage supplement when in use and drained after each season. I had little seasonal use out of both.

Has anyone mentioned to run non-ethanol gas yet? LOL. Your problem is with the gas you've been running, ethanol is toxic to small motors regardless of any additives. I have a small fleet of Stihls around my house for all my yard work and year after year they fire right up and work great. Even Walmart sells non ethanol in those smaller metal bottles, yes it's expensive per gallon but how much have you been paying for those ruined carbs?

 

[Forester]

Been running saws for nearly 30 years. I will echo what others have said.
Run clear (non ethanol) fuel.
I've not replaced a carb in many years. You should clean yours prior to replacement

 

[tkdguy]

I just purchased some non ethanol fuel and may pick up the saw from Stark Street and see if it will run on this fuel. Bad idea or let them repair?

 

[kmk1012]

I just purchased some non ethanol fuel and may pick up the saw from Stark Street and see if it will run on this fuel. Bad idea or let them repair?

Would depend on how bad the old carb is from the mandated ethanol content.

 

[Forester]

I just purchased some non ethanol fuel and may pick up the saw from Stark Street and see if it will run on this fuel. Bad idea or let them repair?

If it got fouled up by bad fuel it will need to be cleaned. Run clear fuel from that point forward.

 

[ORhutner]

I just purchased some non ethanol fuel and may pick up the saw from Stark Street and see if it will run on this fuel. Bad idea or let them repair?

You aren't going to hurt anything by giving the clear gas a try without doing anything to the saw carb. I would just drain the old gas out and fill it up with some fresh mixed non-ethanol and run it. Give it a tank or two before you make a decision on whether to repair. This is assuming that you are seeing the saw running progressively better the more you run it on the non-ethanol. I would pick up a new spark plug when you pick up the saw unless they want more than $2 or $3 for them. If they want more than that, get a couple coming from Amazon and swap the spark plug out when you change over to the non-ethanol fuel. I prefer NGK spark plugs but everyone has their favorite brand just like motor oil.

 

[Forester]

Another good tip is to pull the plug and burn the end with a lighter. New is better, but this will clean off residue

 

[tkdguy]

The saw would run but when out on a load to cut the logs it would die out. It would start and run and then, when applied to cut a log, it would die. Ideas? thx.

 

[Certaindeaf]

The saw would run but when out on a load to cut the logs it would die out. It would start and run and then, when applied to cut a log, it would die. Ideas? thx.

Add some carb cleaner?

 

[SpudBob]

The saw would run but when out on a load to cut the logs it would die out. It would start and run and then, when applied to cut a log, it would die. Ideas? thx.

Sounds like you air/fuel mixture is too rich. The saw needs to be tuned to run in the cut. Most shops adjust them too fat.They also adjust them to run at altitude of the shop. You get a tune up at sea level then go to 5/000 feet to cut things change. Air temp is also critical to tuning. If you adjust a saw, or any motor that carb'd , at sea level in the spring(60 degrees) then run it in summer at altitude and 80 degrees your going to have rich mixture stall issues.Simply put higher/hotter conditions need less fuel and more air. When it stalls in the cut let the saw cool, pull the plug and check the color of the electrode. Should be a very light tan. If its dark or blackish your too rich. A lot of the newer consumer grade Stihl's make adjustments difficult-EPA BS. They usually have tabs that don't allow much A/F mixture adjustment. The newer "smart carbs" are not well liked by most forresters!