A friend told me that flooding could caused the "locked up" issue on starting. I pulled the saw out; it has been a few days since I last tried starting the saw, and it was the same issue with the recoil. I took the spark plug out and the saw pulled freely. Knowing that clogged air filters will change the fuel-air ratio, I took the air filter off to have a look-see and learned something new. I always check the air filter but I didn't know the air filter is double sided; I do now. The back side of the filter was nasty as could be. I need to replace the filter but for now I gave it a good cleaning and reinstalled. I put the plug back in and the same thing, can't pull the recoil quickly; it is like the engine is locked up. I decided to take the muffler off to check if it was restricted. The screen was clear and as far as I could tell there were no restrictions in the muffler. I pulled the recoil with the muffler off to see if it made a difference and the answer was no. I reinstalled the muffler and decided I would just pull on the recoil; it was hard with each umph, umph, umph, as the piston moved back and forth. Then after doing that for a bit the saw freed up and I could pull the recoil normally. I drained the tank and mixed up some fresh fuel and filled the oil tank. The saw started like it does normally and I stopped and started the saw a couple of times. So the question is what could cause the saw to act like it did? Could stuck reed valves cause this? I was going to take the saw to the Stihl service centre today but decided to go over a few things on the saw first. The 290 is running now but I still would like to get that new MS261.
Not sure what the issue is/ was but I'm sure it isn't anything to do with the reeds as it's piston ported, so it doesn't have reeds.
I don't know either. I will use the saw and see if the issue returns. I think I did mix the fuel with a tad too much oil but it wasn't smoking; however, the plug did look a bit fouled when I took it out; I gave it a cleaning before putting back in.
More oil in the gas=lean carb settings. I would pull the recoil and look over the internals and the coil to flywheel gap real good.
Eric, aren't you a moderator on this site? What in blazes does the name on a YouTube channel has to do with the post? Seriously? Do you have anything to say about the content of the article? Do you have anything to say about the saw and what could possibly be the issue? In the Forum rules it talks about "keeping the Firewood Hoarders Club forums friendly and civil." How is this being friendly? The post on the chimney is full of digs and comments that aren't friendly. It is just a channel name. Go to YouTube and you will see channels with all kinds of different names. I am sure that "Wranglestar," "Marsh Rat," "The Tin Man Inc;" just a few of the channels with strange names, are not their real names. For that matter, look at the handles of some of the members on here; they are not their real names either. I posted the video so that members could hear the saw run and give me feed back on if it needed any carb adjustments. I don't know if you and others realise but you aren't helping FHC with these comments. People can read the forums without being a member. My sister has noticed some of the "not so nice" comments to questions I have posted and I am sure others that may have wanted to join may have decided that FHC wasn't for them if posting about help with a saw gets nasty comments in return. I am not talking about jokes; we all enjoy friendly banter and jokes as well as learning and sharing content about burning wood. I was gone from FHC for a very long time; I came back on and decided the best way to handle the nasty or mean posts were to just ignore them. However, you are a moderator; you are suppose to be upholding the FHC's "keeping the Firewood Hoarders Club forums friendly and civil." I didn't join in the Secret Santa this year because of the comments posted on my chimney post; I not feeling like the FHC is a "friendly and civil" place any more. I may disappear again, if the admins want to reach out to me they have my email addy.
You should hear the things mods and close member friends say and the choicest of choice words used when joking around after hours at the fire pit at a GTG… apparently you would melt or spontaneously combust. I am a moderator as yooperdave pointed out the obviousness in my avatar- but we are all volunteers- and we do our best to keep things civil and lighthearted, too… lots of members contribute to the self policing of one another to boot. Did you ever notice how few of the members whine about being reminded to adhere to a certain topic or not to skirt the line so overtly on a given subject? Guess what? I’m a guy that talks sh!t, and takes sh!t like so many people in everyday life- we develop a slightly thicker skin and go on with it… Maybe your style of communication or presentation rubs people the wrong way…? Or maybe if that’s the case and some folks speak up to that situation, you might just ignore people more often? I don’t know, but I’ll say this- if enough members want my responsibilities as a moderator revoked, let it be spoken out loud. I’m an adult too, and therefore I have an opinion, a sense of humor, and a sense of humility. In the meantime - you do you and I’ll take care of me.
So Kimberly about your saw. It is good that you took the muffler off and were able to observe what the piston looked like when going up and down. The fact you did not see a problem is good. I believe the problem is either in the recoil or with something on the back of the the flywheel or something else in that area. Also if the rope size is too small on the recoil it is possible for it to bind up when it retracts after pulling it. If I had it here I would take the recoil off and take it all apart and I would remove the flywheel to make sure nothing underneath it is causing any issues. It just needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb by someone who knows what to look for. Also like fifelaker mentioned there are no reeds in your saw. Also when you pulled the muffler and looked at the piston and cylinder it would have been obvious to you if flooding was the problem. If you want help then feel free to PM me. There is nothing magic about finding these problems just a process of elimination.
