chainsaws?

[splitshot]

i average about 10 hours a week on a chain saw for the past 20 years.  i use a stihl 192, 230 and a 250.  my problem is when they slow down , dont start, or dont idle, etc i cant find anyone who can get them to run properly so i buy a new saw.  i live in othello and have taken saws to moses lake and pasco with no help.  all they do is put in a new plug and an air filter and charge $50 .  i will go to spokane or wenatchee to get a used saw to run.  mike w

[Biggerhammer]

Yep, lots of saws running right around Wenatchee.

[netcoyote]

Not sure what your usage pattern is or maintenance schedule but something that may help is using ethanol-free gas in the saws. Ethanol gas plays hell on small engine carburetors. Here is a list of ethanol-free gas stations in WA.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=WA

Never leave gas set in a tank for more than a few weeks, month at the most. Run the carb empty before storage.

[jess]

adjust carb! Sounds like a simple fix to me.. And i spend 50+ hours a week behind a 460 so i kinda would know... 

[bloodhound]

correct me if im wrong but if those are on a points ignition system, when they do the plug and air filter they should replace those as well. if your using the stihl brand mixing oil it comes with a blend of stabilizers to deal with the ethanol so that shouldnt be the problem. but a carb adjust and maybe a carb cleaning couldnt hurt.

[silverslayer12]

My saw recently blew up.  does anyone got a mid sized fairly new stihl for sale by any chance? like an 036 044 or smaller???

[Whitpirate]

Send your saw to Madsen's in Chehalis, WA.  If they can't get it to run right no one can.

[NRA4LIFE]

Use Seafoam in your gas and the Stihl premium oil.  When they won't start, put a new carburator on them.  The new carbs are now only about $30-$40 for most of their saws.

[whacker1]

For high usage saws like that, I would bet that they need a carb cleaning and/or adjustments.  I would call Harbor Saw & Supply in Hoquiam and find out if they have someone they would recommend or a common problem that causes the poor idle.  Maybe they could teach you how to do it yourself.

[silverslayer12]

It was a cheap poulan..... its not worth fixing and i want a more dependable saw and a little bigger as well.

[deleted BGS]

My saw recently blew up.  does anyone got a mid sized fairly new stihl for sale by any chance? like an 036 044 or smaller???

take it to wayne's, he might be able to fix it, sometimes he has used saws for sale for a good price! I am in there a couple times a month usually

[splitshot]

 i am very interested in the carb kits.  is it very hard to do the carb thing?   i am a bit talented as i was born and raised on a dry land farm.   i do the stihl oil deal and use premium gas.  will add the seafoam thing.  i have been using stabil.  do i do both?  mike w

[BigGoonTuna]

if you're putting 10 hours a week on your saws, you may be better off investing in a commercial grade model.  the 192, 210 and 250 are all homeowner grade(well, they call the 192 professional because of lawyer reasons, it's a top handle), for someone who cuts a couple cords of firewood a year, they're great, but just don't seem to hold up with day in, day out use.  if you're strapped for cash you can pick up a good used 026 for under $200 if you look, about the same weight as a 250, but about twice the saw.

most of the carb problems these days are directly related to sitting for months on end with fuel in the system.  odds are, if you're using your saws that regularly, and a basic tune up isn't putting them back into working shape, it sounds like you might have an air leak.  could be a blown crank seal, cracked fuel line or impulse hose, or a cylinder gasket.  that'll cause them to do weird things like not idle or scream at high RPMs, and will usually blow a saw up if you keep running it.  ask your shop if they pressure and vacuum test saws - that's a good way to make sure that's not your problem.

carbs are pretty easy if you take your time, there are a lot of how-tos on the net.  biggest problem with the ethanol we've got now is that it tends to corrode the carb body itself, and a lot of times this will screw up the internal passages.  a lot of manufacturers(stihl being one) have brought down the cost of complete carburetors to the point where it makes more sense to replace them than rebuild them(for example a carb for a plain jane MS250 is around $30, a rebuilld kit will set you back around $22).

[Cougar125]

Like everybody else said, carb issues?  If air and spark isn't fixing the problem, it has to be fuel related.

[TheHunt]

You need to send that saw to the West side when it starts to run poorly.   More timber on the West side more good saw mechanics.     

[silverslayer12]

Took my saw to the best mechanic around and he said its toast it's not carb problems there is a hole in my piston and mechanic said its not worth fixing.

[dreamunelk]

Next time your saw starts to loose power check the spark arrestor.  If there is a lot of soot on it take it off and put a torch to it.  Propane torch is fine.  Don't ruin it just burn the crap off.  If that is the problem it should run fine.  10+ years on my husky and sthil and thats all I have really done to them except for a plug once in a while.  Harbor Saw in Hoquiam taught me that little trick several years ago.  I was looking at a new one and they told me to take it home and try this.  If did not work they would look at it.  Well I never had to take back.

[washelkhunter]

Hmmmmmmm. I will be looking at my saw tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up about that.

[elkslayer99]

Like was said before check the spark arrester and but some Sta-bil in your mix or Amsoil makes a product called quick shot for small engines. Also check that you do not have a pin hole in your fuel line that will also cause you problems.

[summit creek]

never run old gas in em try superunleaded also have your carb rebuilt should be around 125 with labor

[BigGoonTuna]

man i'd love to work in a shop where we got $125 for doing a carb kit.  if i tried pulling that, i'd end up wearing the saw in some cases!