You can also buy quart cans of pre-mix non-ethanol at home depot, lowes, and most chain saw dealers. It is a little expensive that way but easy to find to test in your saw. http://www.lowes.com/pd_468926-8688...rSearch=pre-mix+fuel&productId=4650519&rpp=32 Welcome aboard... KaptJaq
Thanks for all the non-ethanol suggestions and links. I'm gonna go on a hunt for some this week and will report back. According to the website linked, there may be a few gas stations within reasonable driving distance that has it. If not, I'll do as KaptJaq suggests and head to HD.
Hey Woodchick! Welcome aboard! Glad you finally came in from the cold and joined us It is really great here. I kinda think of it as a "small town feel"
Most 390's did have a decomp, the early ones did not. If it did have one, it looks a little different than the previously posted pic, it's a large rubber cover on top of the saw, offset to the right. If the top cover to your saw is all orange then you do not have a decomp valve. As others have stated, moving that little control lever up one notch just after the saw shows ANY sign of life, is absolutely critical. On a cold saw that has sat awhile, this should not take more than 6-7 pulls. If the saw has run within the last 24 hrs or so, it probably will take less. If you think you might have missed the "burp", then go ahead and move the lever up a notch and give it 3-4 more pulls. That just might get you started. Here's a couple vids that might help you as well. Welcome to FHC Woodchick!
Welcome to FHC! I'm from an area home to a different #12 qb that is also known as the best qb ever. Hopefully the packers will get to face the patriots again this season. We've had ethanol in our gas down here for about 20 years. It's not as evil as some think. My still 029 has never run on noon ethanol gas, and it's been pull and go, and it's never had is carb apart.
From one newbie to another, welcome to the FHC Woodchick Definitely some great people here who know their stuff! Great idea of moving to Ethanol free gas going forward, but the damage may have already been done. I would recommend having the saw looked at first. Having sat with stale gas for long periods of time has most likely left the carburetor pretty gummed up. A good tune up might save you a lot of effort and frustration. Maybe one of the members on here can recommend a reputable service shop in your area. Proper mixing of the fuel is important too. Mixing to rich can cause fouling and running to lean can cause other issues. If you are not sure on the mixing or don't use a lot of fuel over the season, I recommend the pre-mixed fuels mentioned above. They can be found in most hardware stores and contain premium fuel and oil and they also have a long shelf life. Now lets talk about that big saw you're using. I really don't think you need a 65 cc saw that weighs almost 15 lbs when fueled to cut up what looks like mostly fallen dead limbs. I'm a big guy and I don't use a saw that large. I think you would benefit from a more manageable saw in the 10 lb 30-50 cc size range. There are also some Easy Start models of chainsaws available out there. If you consider trading or selling your saw, the great and knowledgeable members here will be able to tell you the value of your saw, or heck maybe even broker a deal with you here in the Classified section
Welcome to the forum woodchick. XXL beat me to the punch. I fully agree with him about the saw size. Perhaps you do not need a saw that large? In our case, the trees we cut does not require a long bar nor a heavy hitter for a motor. We've used a Stihl 290 for many, many moons and have got along just fine. It has a 16" bar which means I can cut a 30" diameter tree very easily. But for many years my wife was after me to get a lighter saw. She thought I could at least use it for cutting the limbs or on small trees. Why? Because I have a terrible back and do not need to lift the extra weight. I fought the idea for a long time until a couple years ago when I fell (again) over the sideboards of the trailer and landed squarely on my back. Needless to say, that put me out of commission for way too long. So I finally gave it but not before trying a couple saws. A neighbor brought his 250 and I really liked it and I tried one other but don't remember which size. Then talking to the man at the saw shop who has done the repairs for many years, he told me I should get a 180. I said, "What?!" I figured it was a toy. But we ended up buying it and have been very happy with it. Now I wish we had not waited so long! Good luck.
Woodchick give us better coordinates as lots of us are in the New England area and maybe one is close enough to take a look at that 390. Welcome to FHC!
