Chainsaw Repair
Husqvarna - Stihl - Poulan - Jonsered - Dolmar chainsaws and more => Chainsaws not listed - Gas OPE => Topic started by: TexasErn on March 28, 2014, 07:40:09 pm
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Big Mystery Problem:
God bless Sears. I am on my fifth (5th) Craftsman saw from Sears. Each and every saw has cut well for 4 12 inch diameter slices from a tree trunk for firewood and then frozen. Four of the saws were sent to Sears Warranty Service where each time they replaced the cylinder, piston, carb and exhaust. Each time the saw was burned up with zero compression. Each time I used NEW Gas and the prescribed 3.2 ounces of oil mix supplied with the saw. Today, I went in and exchanged the saw for the 5th. time and got a 51cc Remington. It cut like a charm for 10 pieces off of the same tree trunk and then abruptly stopped just like the others. Pull cord has no compression when pulled.
WHAT IS WRONG. I have used chainsaws for 40 years and am a fairly good mechanic but I don't understand what is happening.
Any Thoughts?
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Just my WAG. Learn to tune the saw as soon as you get home.
The newer saws from box stores etc I have seen are tuned really lean from factory. Just a matter of time before they self destruct IMO.
I tune them from the get go and save the headaches for me and other folks.
What craftsman saw and cc?
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The four Craftsman saws were 2.6 CU 18 inch 42CC ,Model 358.341900. Two of those went back to Sears Warranty Service where they replaced almost everything including the cylinder, piston, Rod,rings and exhaust.
The latest saw,which I picked up today was a Remington 51CC Model RM5118R. It stopped in the middle of a cut and now will not fire.
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+1 on learning to tune a saw as I have no experience with the remington (mtd I believe? ) but I do know the poulan/craftsman saws are extremely lean....Also few quick questions, I know you mentioned how much oil you were adding but what gas/oil ratio are you trying to achieve? Also what brand/type of oil are you using? And 1 more, what type of gas/octane level are you using? All could play a part in what might be happening. ..
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I think your first analysis was correct. All big box store supply saws with very lean setting. I use stand gas which is 10 percent ethanol and the oil mix supplied with the saw that came from Sears and the spec amount 3.2 ounces per gal at 40 to 1. The first saw lasted for about 6 hours of cutting and I think it was because I started in on trimming the small branches from the top and worked my way back to the trunk. The saw had time to break in. Later, when I was cutting sections from the 18 to 20 inch trunk it got hot and gave out. The other saws crapped out because I started right in on 12 and 14 inch trunks with the saw wide open. It cut about 5 or 6 slices before freezing up. I have done a lot of reading and talked to a fellow at a local small engine shop. He agreed with you that because of EPA emission rules the saw are initially set as lean as possible and will rapidly burn if they are not broken in slowly. I am going to to tune my next one as rich as I can while still getting good revs and operation. The specs in the manual say you can run it on 10 percent ethanol but the fellow at the store said I should run it on non-ethanol. Sears and other places sell quarts of regular premixed gas at $5.35 a can. That's 24 bucks a gallon. Where do you set your high jet to? I appreciate your reply's.
I also read that the EPA makes it illegal for us home fellows to even own the tools for setting the jets. As you know, here are 4 sizes. A Spiral, a Pac-Man, a 'D' and a 'Double D". Craftsman, Poulan Husvarna and Remington are all Spirals.
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You can still get the splined tool or homemade redneck make one ;). Just do a search here for info.
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I'm a Redneck. I made a nice one.
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It is best to use non ethanol fuel but very hard to find in bulk and the truefuel is expensive. I run premium with Lucas synthetic mix @ 40:1 and I use Lucas ethanol treatment in all my small engine stuff. I typically take the low needle out about 3/4 turn and raise the idle back up on the poulan products. I usually don't have to mess with the high needle after this. I recently purchased 4 pp4218avx saws off of feebay as customer return items and each one has been the same adjustment.......
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As far as I can tell, there is not a single place in Texas where one can buy bulk ethanol free gas. Yep. The quart can stuff is very expensive.
Do you find the Lucas mix better than the stock oil that says 'Stabilized' on the can?
Ernie
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http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TX
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I run ethanol gas with Klotz Original techniplate KL 200 https://klotzlube.com/techsheet.asp?ID=54 never had a problem. You may need to retune your carb even for use at 40-1.
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Thanks for the list Magnum. Unfortunately, none of them are within a hundred miles of me.I'm in the Austin, Central Texas area. Nothing
here.
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I was looking too and I didn't find anything close.
It's a shame that in some parts of North America the ethanol is no problem and in other parts of the country, it is nothing but trouble?
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If you have a boat marina local, check with them. They will know where to send you for ethanol free gasoline.
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Good post . . .
Right in the area where the OP lives, it is some 20 miles to the closest lake big enough that it might have a marina but if so, it wasn't listed on the no ethanol website.
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It's a shame that in some parts of North America the ethanol is no problem and in other parts of the country, it is nothing but trouble?
Agree, I don't think the ethanol fuel comes mixed directly from the refineries but is mixed by the local distributors so there is much more variance based on the diligence of the distributor.