Stihl Chainsaws

[pickle]

Just been on an American site and the guy says (his opinion) that Stihl make some of the shittiest homeowner clamshells around. Just to put you straight I rebuilt this saw at great expense with genuine Stihl bits including the carb some years ago. It had done mebbe 2-3 hours work in total. It never ran well from the start and went back to the retailer workshop in Boreham for the tech to have a look at. He didn't get it running any better than me. The firm has since gone bust. So I persevered and it did a little more and it was laid up in my garage with fuel and oil drained - three years ago. Recently tried to get it started and it ran for a bit and then bogged - flooded. So i purchased a new coil pack as the original Ducati HT lead had come adrift from the the resin pack. New copy carb and plug. The spark is not brilliant but the saw will start and then bog. I have checked the plugs on a Lucas magneto and they are fine. Have swapped carbs and rotated the three plugs until blue in the face. Have checked compression, fuel line, stripped out the oil pump and removed filter which works fine now with low viscosity oil. Have checked fuel tank breather. The only part not replaced is the flywheel and I do see a lot of them for sale on Ebay. The carb floods very quickly when it bogs. It will not tickover properly now and never has. The crankshaft oil seals are fine and not leaking or inverting. I loathe two strokes but their isn't much option with chainsaws. Now I appreciate that you professionals out there use large Stihl industrial chainsaws (for want of better description) and I'm sure they run well and are reliable. However there are hundreds if not thousands of users like myself worldwide who have purchased this series of Stihl chainsaws and regretted it. The internet is full of problem Stihl 025's amongst others. Some of these user guys purport to be professional foresters. I'm sorry but we can't all be wrong! I have been stripping and re building engines since I was about 14 and nothing ever beat me like this I am ashamed to say. It has to be an inherant design fault right from the start. And yes some of these saws do work - apparently. Chap I know had the small magnesium bodied single handed Stihl pro jobbie and swore by it - not at it.
I meant to add that the pattern carb is loctited one side and cannot be stripped - just in case anyone is tempted to buy one.

[hairyyoda]

There are breather holes and vacuum passageways that should be "CRITICALY LINED UP AND FREE OF ANY OBSTRUCTIONS BETWEEN THE CARB AND THE INDUCTION PORT" Check that you have all gaskets the right way round and lined up . "Fuel starvation" your not pulling sufficient fuel. If you need to brake the seal on anything that has been "locktighted" immerse in very hot water or use one of those small Kitchen hand steamers to soften the "locktighted seal"
Phil

[sunndog]

Why is the internet full of problem stihl saws?.....because the world is full of stihl saws.....and why is the world full of stihl saws?

As i said before the 025 might be a crap design. Your particular one might be a lemon.....but the fact remains stihl are the world leaders. Thier homeowner saws are just as good as husky, the brands are two sides of the same coin

[pickle]

Understand where you are coming from sunndog - do you work for Stihl by any chance. The latest consensus seems to be that this type of saw is designed to be run flat out from startup. Not ideal for an average home user - so in this respect if mine is typical of the breed then it is unfit for purpose and clearly Stihl must have been aware of its shortcomings. You may be right and mine may be a lemon and as you say lots of lemons out there in the orchard. And no hairyyoda it is not fuel starvation but overfueling. I think this carb was designed to run as much fuel as it could meter without much recourse to tickover and or gravity - am understanding it a bit better now. And if you call it a Huskyvarna one more time I shall send certified Druids to your door. Am impressed with your CV by the way. I have gone beyond the call of duty here and would rather suck Volkswagon diesel particulates through a straw than consult with a lawnmower spannerman.

[sunndog]

Nah i don't work for stihl, not even a stihl fanboy....the husky 540 would suit me better than my ms200 or 193, and if you stole my ms660 and and left a husky 395 in its place i'd be a happy man

You just seemed determind to have stihl be a poor brand. In pro saws or homeowner thats simply not the case mate



And why wouldn't you run a saw at full revs?........rev it like you stole it

If you arent confident with the saw do a course, learn how to use one safely. Chainsaws are about the most dangerous thing you can buy without a license

[rodp]

Nah i don't work for stihl, not even a stihl fanboy....the husky 540 would suit me better than my ms200 or 193, and if you stole my ms660 and and left a husky 395 in its place i'd be a happy man

You just seemed determind to have stihl be a poor brand. In pro saws or homeowner thats simply not the case mate



And why wouldn't you run a saw at full revs?........rev it like you stole it

If you arent confident with the saw do a course, learn how to use one safely. Chainsaws are about the most dangerous thing you can buy without a license

I thought they should be used like that, it's how I use mine, and the Stihl saw




Branston , you sure it's over fueling ............ and not under sparking? is it coil pack inside flywheel on those, if so have you checked the air gap and all surfaces for no corrosion? Does the flywheel still have all it's magnetism ?

[sunndog]

Yep, always cut on full throttle. I might back of a bit towards the end of a cut for more control

Saws are designed to work at full revs. They can run lean on part throttle and be more liable to kickback

[pickle]

Sunndog, i have a confession to make. Have just changed back to the old original carb, and in deference to hairyyoda turned the steel gasket plate around but this fits either way up against the rubber sleeve and also turned the paper gasket to green side out and refitted. I then threatened Frau Stihl with immolation inside a church of my choosing then she started (with my help) and she started a second time as well. Both mixture and air screws are the regulation one turn out pretty much as before and the butterfly tick over screw adjuster is probably a bit too far in. She almost ticks over now at idle. I have done nothing to really change any parameters but interestingly it is damn warm out there. I can only apologize for this debacle and the trauma created herein and the perceived slight of Stihl chainsaws. I shall now slide into anonymity and consider buying a Husky that i do not need so that when the time comes we can be buried together in the same shroud ready for the afterlife. In deference to you sunndog I am not tarring them all as the problem only seems to affect 021,023 and 025 in the series. I have no experience of any other saw in this regard. Rodp the coil pack is located on the crankcase outside of the flywheel. The new copy pack was a boogar to fit but the HT lead is much longer. I trust some allowances will be made for my prejudices.

[hairyyoda]

Have you had the cylinder off the crank case ??? during your DIY rebuild and titivations ??? what "NEW GASKETS" did you fit ??? You have to go back to basics and do a step by step appraisal of where you have gone wrong, it is going to be doubtful that you would have "parts failures" "IF ??? YOU SAY THAT THERE ARE LOW WORK HOURS ON THAT SAW ???
DO NOT OVER THINK THE ISSUES GO BACK TO BASICS AND REBUILD STEP BY STEP degrease everything and blow off with compressed air, the correct gaskets fitted correctly are critical, less than a evenings work for a hobbyists who is hands on and fussy about getting it done properly Don't take any short cuts
Phil

[rodp]

Yep, always cut on full throttle. I might back of a bit towards the end of a cut for more control

Saws are designed to work at full revs. They can run lean on part throttle and be more liable to kickback

Lean isn't good on a two stroke.