# Chainsaw troubles



## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

I've got an issue with my relatively new chainsaw. It's got gas and bar oil. The chain is sharp and properly tensioned. I blew out the air filter(should've done that sooner). It starts just fine, but it seems to bog down and die about 3 seconds into the cut... Nice curls then nada. The wood is silver maple, and I'm not 'standing' on the saw during the cut. Any thoughts?


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

Will it idle for a long time?

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

It'll go for more than a minute... It's just sitting at my feet and running right now...


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## WoodLove (Dec 1, 2013)

sounds like a small piece of trash in the carb clogging the high idle jet..... when you give it the fuel it clogs up..... just my guess..... possible time to rebuild the carb.

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

WoodLove said:


> sounds like a small piece of trash in the carb clogging the high idle jet..... when you give it the fuel it clogs up..... just my guess..... possible time to rebuild the carb.


That sucks if that's the case... I bought this thing new, and I only drive it to church and back.

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

I just ran it wide open for about 20 seconds(air cutting)with no troubles...


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## WoodLove (Dec 1, 2013)

DKMD said:


> I just ran it wide open for about 20 seconds(air cutting)with no troubles...


there may be a metal shaving in there from the manufacturing.... again, just a thot. if its still new take it back for a non-stupid acting chainsaw. lol

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

The reason I was asking if it would idle for a long time was to determine if it ran Ok on the low speed circuit of the carb and was getting fuel. If it runs cutting air at wide open throttle but boggs under a load then it may just need a simple carb adjustment. Run it up here and I'll fix it for ya. LOL

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

Looks like the carb adjustment is right here... Maybe I'll fiddle with it a bit.


 

I took it back out to the wood for a second, and it dies if I do any more than point it at the chunk of wood. In other words, it dies under load of any kind.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

Well it definitely sounds like the carb. Be carefull if you fiddle with the carb, Only turn the high speed screw counter clockwise to richen the mixture. If you don't know what you are doing you can damage the motor with a bad carb adjust. It may also be a dirty carb or a hardened diaphragm in the carb from alcohol in our fuel these days. If you adjust it richer and it does not improve, take it back to the dealer and have a pro fix it. You wouldn't want me performing my own surgery now would you? LOL

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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

Bummer. And no nurses around to throw it at nor administrators to blame!

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

SENC said:


> Bummer. And no nurses around to throw it at nor administrators to blame!

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

SENC said:


> Bummer. And no nurses around to throw it at nor administrators to blame!


I'll get to you people in a minute... I gotta sick patient to tend to first!

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

The adjustments need to be made with the air filter and cover in place, The adjustments are done in very small increments, an 1/8 or 1/16 turn will make large changes. I do it while it is running and by ear, I listen to the motor, I adjust it to run rich, when it starts to slow down from a too rich mixture I back it off a tad until the rpm comes back up but still runs rich for safety's sake. Any off this making sense? I can show you easier than I can tell you. I usually advise people that if they don't know how to tune a 2 stroke to let the pro's do it or you can destroy the engine.

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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

Sorry, but you did kind of walk into that one!

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## Kevin (Dec 1, 2013)

Doc just saw an extra arm off this week and buy that new saw.

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

A big thanks to Greg for the carb adjustment advice... I tweaked it a tad and finished up the piece I was trying to break down. I'll take it to the pros to make sure I didn't do anything bad.

No thanks to Henry and Kevin... You two can go back to leaning on your shovels!

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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

As if you would have taken any advice from an administrator, regardless of how much you were running into a brick wall.

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

SENC said:


> As if you would have taken any advice from an administrator, regardless of how much you were running into a brick wall.


At it again!


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## SDB777 (Dec 1, 2013)

What kind of fuel/oil mixture you running?
Gas old?
Gas have ethanol in it?
40:1 or 50:1?

I run Stihl's..... 

Both run like crap on old gas(low octane w/ethanol) and 40:1(standard mix oil crud)
They will both run at WOT with no issues without a load on the above, but drop the hammer even in a piece of pine and I get the same!

Both run like super hero's on steroids on fresh gas (highest octane no ethanol I can find) and 50:1(synth)
Start second pull, idle all day, WOT in any wood I choose to stick it in...as long as the chain is respectable and such.



See what I'm getting at...maybe? Sometimes the simple things are the easiest to check first.
The saw should have been set up by the shop you bought it from. Carb adjusting should not have been necessary?




Scott (WOT = wide open throttle, before someone asks) B

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## Kevin (Dec 1, 2013)

DKMD said:


> No thanks to Henry and Kevin... You two can go back to leaning on your shovels!

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

Now that's funny!

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## Mike1950 (Dec 1, 2013)

Kevin said:


> View attachment 36178




Wow I need one of those- I bet if I drug it out in the spring Kathie would not ask me to do any more digging!!!!!

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

SENC said:


> As if you would have taken any advice from an administrator, regardless of how much you were running into a brick wall.



It's been my experience that administration generally is responsible for erecting the wall in the first place...

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

SDB777 said:


> What kind of fuel/oil mixture you running?
> Gas old?
> Gas have ethanol in it?
> 40:1 or 50:1?
> ...



Standard mix(40:1), low octane, no alcohol. This can of fuel is less than a month old, but I don't suppose it would hurt to swap it out though. Any downside to running a leaner mix?

I'll drop it off at the dealer and let them tune it up, too.

I'm also gonna look for one of those shovel launchers... That looks fun!


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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

Touche. I'd respond that such walls are generally only constructed to protect staff and others from hard-headed, my-way/highway surgeons, but that would just touch off a string of tit-for-tat that would consume bandwidth and bore everyone else while amusing only us. Glad you got your chainsaw humming. In all seriousness, I was going to make the same recommendation as Greg but knew you'd then do the opposite and foul it up. See, I'm looking out for you.

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## SDB777 (Dec 1, 2013)

Depends...

Newer saws(2012 and younger) like the 50:1 mix, the dealer should have told you. Ethanol free fuel is best for saws, well everything actually..... I wouldn't think just a month of sitting would make the fuel bad, unless there is water in it?

Which model saw are you 'sportin'?



Scott (between a Stihl and a hard place) B

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## Mike1950 (Dec 1, 2013)

I wonder if they used some of the stimulus funds for that- it looks like a shovel ready sort of contraption...........

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

SDB777 said:


> Depends...
> 
> Newer saws(2012 and younger) like the 50:1 mix, the dealer should have told you. Ethanol free fuel is best for saws, well everything actually..... I wouldn't think just a month of sitting would make the fuel bad, unless there is water in it?
> 
> ...


Shouldn't be any water in it. The saw is a farmboss(290), but the dealer is the only game in town... Less than helpful actually. The only thing they told me when I bought it was the price. I'll check with my arborist buddy before the dealer... He's running a bunch of Stihl saws, and I believe he does all of his own maintainence/repair work.

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

There should not be any noticeable difference running 40:1 or 50:1, I run 40:1 in all my saws, the carbs have all been tuned for this mix. Oil is cheap, motors are not. If you have been running 40:1 I would not change it. When you said can, are you running the store bought cans of pre mixed fuel? the reason I am asking is they do not have alcohol in them and that would eliminate that problem from the equation. Some manufacturers are doubling the warranty if you use those cans of fuel mix. The fuel is a little on the pricey side for someone like me who goes through gallons in a milling session. But for an occasional user it is good stuff, already has fuel stabilizer, no alcohol, and quality oil pre mixed.

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## SDB777 (Dec 1, 2013)

Guess I'm lucky here, plenty of good knowledge in the backroom of my dealer....

Would love to know what the arborist says?




Scott (290 is a fun handfull) B

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

DKMD said:


> Shouldn't be any water in it. The saw is a farmboss(290), but the dealer is the only game in town... Less than helpful actually. The only thing they told me when I bought it was the price. I'll check with my arborist buddy before the dealer... He's running a bunch of Stihl saws, and I believe he does all of his own maintainence/repair work.


Then give it to him! I would trust him more than a dealer that just see's dollar signs and is full of bs. It's a shame there are so many dealers out there like that.

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## DKMD (Dec 1, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> There should not be any noticeable difference running 40:1 or 50:1, I run 40:1 in all my saws, the carbs have all been tuned for this mix. Oil is cheap, motors are not. If you have been running 40:1 I would not change it. When you said can, are you running the store bought cans of pre mixed fuel? the reason I am asking is they do not have alcohol in them and that would eliminate that problem from the equation. Some manufacturers are doubling the warranty if you use those cans of fuel mix. The fuel is a little on the pricey side for someone like me who goes through gallons in a milling session. But for an occasional user it is good stuff, already has fuel stabilizer, no alcohol, and quality oil pre mixed.



I haven't tried the premixed stuff. This is Stihl oil and gas from the pump... A gallon of gas and dump in the tiny bottle of oil for an instant 40:1. The pump said "no ethanol", so I'm assuming they're truthful. I don't run much gas through this saw at all... Maybe four or five gallons a year. I bought it in March of this year, and this is the third or fourth gallon of gas I've used. For somebody like me, the premix might not be a bad deal.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

DKMD said:


> I haven't tried the premixed stuff. This is Stihl oil and gas from the pump... A gallon of gas and dump in the tiny bottle of oil for an instant 40:1. The pump said "no ethanol", so I'm assuming they're truthful. I don't run much gas through this saw at all... Maybe four or five gallons a year. I bought it in March of this year, and this is the third or fourth gallon of gas I've used. For somebody like me, the premix might not be a bad deal.


Agreed, but what you have been doing with clean pump gas and a good oil like the stihl oil is perfect as well.


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## Kevin (Dec 1, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> There should not be any noticeable difference running 40:1 or 50:1, I run 40:1 in all my saws, the carbs have all been tuned for this mix. Oil is cheap, motors are not. If you have been running 40:1 I would not change it. When you said can, are you running the store bought cans of pre mixed fuel? the reason I am asking is they do not have alcohol in them and that would eliminate that problem from the equation. Some manufacturers are doubling the warranty if you use those cans of fuel mix. The fuel is a little on the pricey side for someone like me who goes through gallons in a milling session. But for an occasional user it is good stuff, already has fuel stabilizer, no alcohol, and quality oil pre mixed.



I was chewing the inside of my cheeks not to make a similar response after the 40:1 vs 50:1 comment. The difference is negligible once you truly understand the topic. Which I don't really enough to explain it so I didn't try. But I've read numerous articles on it over the years by guys much smarter than me - and I have actually purposefully run both over the past couple of years with and without Star Tron and I think the only way to tell what works is to experiment with it like I have. Scott has too and 50:1 lets his Sthils run but 40:1 doesn't. So if your name is Scott B and you run Stihls, we know that 40:1 cannot work. If your name is Doc Bones I assert that it can.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

Kevin, and for what it's worth, with today's fuel I run star tron in all my equipment, even my boat outboard. And I run 40:1 in everything except the outboard, it's oil injected.

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## SDB777 (Dec 1, 2013)

Not quite what I was trying to say....

I can tell the output of the saw using differing types of fuel mixes....that said. I have run 22:1 through my big saw while milling. It runs but it doesn't have the output like it would on 50:1

Does that make sense?




Scott (hope so...) B


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

SDB777 said:


> Not quite what I was trying to say....
> 
> I can tell the output of the saw using differing types of fuel mixes....that said. I have run 22:1 through my big saw while milling. It runs but it doesn't have the output like it would on 50:1
> 
> ...


Yes it does. But let me see if I can shed some light on this topic and try to keep it simple so people that are not well informed on 2 cycles can understand it, with out some idiot like me getting all technical. lubrication of the internal engine parts is done by the fuel mix and fuel mix only. Why was old equipment run at 20:1 ? Because the materials and tolerances where not what they are today. And the oils where not as good as today's either. Why are 2 cycles run at 50:1 today? 2 reasons, better materials and closer tolerances in the bearings etc, and to meet emissions standards set forth by the government. Ever wonder why some of the manufacturers quit making big cc saws, they could not meet the emissions. Saws today are built so much better than the antiques, Chrome cylinder bores, better ring material, anti friction coated pistons, all to reduce friction and drag, better fan cooling helps too. The biggest thing we struggle with today is a quality fuel, we have quality oils but the fuel today is crap.

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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

Thanks, Greg. Takes a lot of smarts and effort to make something simple enough for me. You did. Thanks!

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## Kevin (Dec 1, 2013)

SENC said:


> Thanks, Greg. Takes a lot of smarts and effort to make something simple enough for me. You did. Thanks!



Henry your tolerances aren't all that tight. Greg knows that. He was trying to pump as much neurological oil into your cranium as possible. For you it's about a 1:1 ratio. We know that, and love you anyway.

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 1, 2013)

Oh boy, Kevin's on a roll tonight. drum roll please.


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## SENC (Dec 1, 2013)

It was a good one, I must admit!


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## okietreedude (Dec 21, 2013)

SDB777 said:


> Guess I'm lucky here, plenty of good knowledge in the backroom of my dealer....
> 
> Would love to know what the arborist says?
> 
> ...



Here' what his arborist buddy says: "Hmmm, while I work on some of my own stuff, if it aint clear as to what the problem is, I take it to the dealer. Fortunately for me, Im in there all the time and so I can walk into the shop and get an answer from the mechanic which is more on than what the counter help knows."

Doc, you get that thing back yet?


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 21, 2013)

okietreedude said:


> more on counter help



Get it? LOL Moron............
I am the exception to the rule in most shops as I was a mechanic for years before I started working the counter.

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## okietreedude (Dec 21, 2013)

that's funny how you twisted my words...I wasn't calling the counter help morons by any stretch. (well, at least a couple of them aren't)

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 21, 2013)

okietreedude said:


> that's funny how you twisted my words...I wasn't calling the counter help morons by any stretch. (well, at least a couple of them aren't)


I was just making a joke of it, didn't mean to offend, just that when I read it that's what I saw and thought it was funny.


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## DKMD (Dec 21, 2013)

I called on Friday, and the guy that answered said they were waiting on a part... I'm not sure which part or when it might come in. I'm assuming this is covered under the warranty since they didn't call to find out how much I was willing or able to spend. I'm hopeful they'll get it back to me next week... I've got a ton of silver maple and spalted birch to chunk up and rough out.


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## DKMD (Dec 27, 2013)

My wife picked up the saw from the shop yesterday, and it runs better than it ever has! Since it is still under warranty, it didn't cost me a dime!

Judging from the reciept, the carb was bad and apparently couldn't be adjusted properly. Parts were replaced, and it runs like a new saw. Okietreedude has an identical model saw, but his always seemed to run better than mine... Not anymore!

Thanks for the feedback and assistance that you folks provided!

I managed to process a log short of slightly spalted river birch that has been sitting outside my shop taunting me...

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 27, 2013)

That's great David, glad to here you are back in business.

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## NYWoodturner (Dec 27, 2013)

Slightly spalted? You Okie Boys are a demanding lot!

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## okietreedude (Dec 27, 2013)

Runs better than mine? We'll see about that...Ill bring over my 'little' saw and we'll see who's saw cuts better...

Btw, bout time you cut that up..i was about ready to come steal it but ive got some maple that's screaming to be cut up. Just waiting on some new anchorseal.

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## okietreedude (Dec 27, 2013)

NYWoodturner said:


> Slightly spalted? You Okie Boys are a demanding lot!



We only demand the best!

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## DKMD (Dec 27, 2013)

okietreedude said:


> Runs better than mine? We'll see about that...Ill bring over my 'little' saw and we'll see who's saw cuts better...



Mine seems to run as well as yours now... Unfortunately, it's still me running the damn thing!


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## Schroedc (Dec 29, 2013)

I just got to reading this thread and have to chuckle. I bought a saw to replace my old Homelite 14 incher, A Husqvarna 576xp because the dealer was nice to me where the local Stihl dealer couldn't seem to make up his mind if he wanted my money or not. Ran it all out for about a week on a major cleanup project and it started running funny, took it into the dealer, he futzed with it for 3 minutes and then grabbed another off the shelf, set it up with the longer bar I run, (A brand new bar and chain off the shelf, not just my old bar) and said, "Let me know if this don't fix the problem."

That's service and I probably will run a Husqy until he retires :)

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 29, 2013)

Wow Colin, that's service and then some, there must have been a major problem with that saw for him to do that. Husky is probably going to warranty it for the dealer. But the dealer did you right, that's for sure. 
But understand this, someone is going to pay for that damaged saw, the dealer can't just give them away.


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## Kevin (Dec 29, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> .... the dealer can't just give them away.



Sometimes that's the best course of action.


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## Schroedc (Dec 29, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> Wow Colin, that's service and then some, there must have been a major problem with that saw for him to do that. Husky is probably going to warranty it for the dealer. But the dealer did you right, that's for sure.
> But understand this, someone is going to pay for that damaged saw, the dealer can't just give them away.



I'm guessing from talking to one of his techs that the issue must have been obvious to him and something other than an easy fix. My guess it went back to Husqvarna under warranty and would end up in the factory remanufactured category. I'm sure he wouldn't have done it if it was going to cost him.

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 29, 2013)

Being in the business that is what I assumed. The saw probably had a major defect and will go back to husky. Manufacturers want to know about serious issues so they can correct them.......well good manufacturers do.


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