After 30 years, my chain saw quit..

30 year run is pretty impressive. I'm sure the fellas here will help ya figure it out. After that long, I'd think a fuel system refurb would be in order. Show that squeal a little love...

 

30 years , you can't complain about that one bit.

If it was me ( and this is just me thinkin"")
Upgrade to a new saw and then repair what you have for a back-up or a beater saw of sorts. You know the one that always seems to get pilled out when conditions might not be the best or the saw that lives in your truck for that just in case roadside scrounge.

Our job here as members of this forum is to help and encourage others to spend their hard earned cash on chainsaws and other wood cutting / splitting tools and equipment. Just trying to do my part.

 

Run it for another 30 years.

 

I've replaced the clutch and bar, and this has got me to thinking about what steps I need to be taking next.

A neighbor was telling me yesterday he has a saw I could use, it only has a couple hours on it and he'll probably never use it again. I need to find out more about it.

I had my saw in the local hardware store looking for a new air filter, the lady in charge was impressed with the condition, and joked that I probably never loaned it out. Which is true, not that I wouldn't have if to the right person. LOL

 

Oregon 42-087 For Those of you looking for a good spark tester, this one provides enough gap in an enclosed environment that it represents a spark plug under compression. I have done the tests the way that it was mentioned, but on many power tools built today, it is hard to find a place to ground the plug. This tool allows you to find a good grounding point and attach the spark plug wire to the bare rod. This eliminates the potential of a bad plug. Even new plugs can be bad. I make all of my students use these to do their ignition testing for small engines class.
Glad to see you got it running. And that debris you showed stuck to your flywheel magnet can be an issue.

 

That tester looks handy, I'll have to look that up, see what's involved. It's funny you mentioned the flywheel magnet, I was thinking about this earlier, and since no one else commented on it, I was thinking that it must not be much of a concern. I cut some small wood yesterday, and it performed. I think I'm going to borrow my neighbors saw, and take it the next time I go out. Just as a backup. And think about some maintenance on it.

 

Thanks, good video, explains a lot! Hopefully that doesn't happen again, but if it does, I will keep this in mind.

 

You can also pull the plug and spin it over to blow the cylinder out.

Another way is to slowly pull the saw over while it is sideways so any fuel can run through the transfer port. Then do the same thing with it pointed down so it can drain out of the cylinder. It works better on some saws than others.

 

Working on chainsaws is very similar to me to working on computers. There's typically a set of usual suspects.

First thing I'd do is pour out the fuel in the tank into a clear container and see if you see two distinct layers. If you do, you have water in there. If you don't, then you can reuse the fuel.

With the tank EMPTY next thing I would do now is take the spark plug out, spray 1 or 2 quick squirts of starting fluid into the spark plug hole. Reinstall the spark plug, choke it, and see if it burps. If it burps set to run and see if it starts.

If that works, then that tells you it's an issue outside of the cylinder/piston.

I would then replace the fuel filter and visually inspect the fuel line to see if you see any cracks. I would also visually try to inspect the impulse line.

Try starting again. If it doesn't start, don't keep trying or else you'll flood it just move on to the next thing.

Next I would take the cover off and inspect the carb area. I recently fixed an Echo CS-4600 that wouldn't start because the fuel line was pulled off the nipple of the carb....and the reason it was pulled off the carb was because 3 of the 4 anti-vibe mounts had completely disintegrated resulting in massive flex in the handle which literally yanked the fuel line off. It took a lot more effort than I expected to reattach the fuel line to the nipple it was that tight. Hose was good.

Check that the fuel line is connect and not cracked or cut. I would even take it off and reinstall it just to make sure.

If that looks good then I'd proceed and take the carb out and take both covers off. I'd check to see if the diaphragm looked good. I didn't see you mention getting a carb rebuild kit. They are cheap - less than $20. Just look at the marking on the side of the carb and make sure youi get the right one. While you have the covers off check the mesh screen and see if it is plugged. This can be deceptive because sometimes it looks good but it has a varnish on it. It could also be clogged with sawdust if it has never been cleaned.

So far my experience has been cleaning old carbs doesn't work too well. Getting a carb rebuild (or gasket) kit is probably the easiest way to rule out the carb. When you take out the old diagphragms and gaskets make sure you keep them so you can compare with the new ones. You don't want to install incorrect parts. I'd also highly suggest taking lots of photos from different angles so you don't get confused on which goes first.

Does the rope feel any different? Have you taken off the muffler to inspect the muffler side of the piston? I'd check to see if there was evidence of scoring. If you have scoring/damage to the piston you most likely have seized up your rings resulting in no compression.

 

X2. Id say you got your moneys worth out of it.

291 is what i recommend for your new saw.

 

LordOfTheFlies, thank you for that write up. You bring up several good points, I really need to get down to a good basic inspection of my saw, the fuel line, all connections, etc.. I am planning on doing a carb rebuild. I need to inspect the piston, that's a concern with this old of a saw.

 

I got my moneys worth, it was my dad's, he's been gone for 24 years now. This saw has, and will continue, to serve we well in more ways than one.

I have to say, the bug of buying a new saw has been planted.. we'll see...

 

Ive owned Stihls since my late uncle gave me my first one in 1985 when i was 17. They have always been reliable and treated me well. Im not the type to work on them other than basic upkeep as id rather be cutting wood. The saw my uncle gave me was run on raw gas and layer got thrown away. I bought the same model (used) in his memory a couple years ago. Best of luck on what you decide.

 

Something so simple, as a vent. I replaced mine late last year, mine must of fell off, and gas started leaking at odd times. It's amazing how pricey those simple vent lines are. It also amazes me how long chain saws can last, as long as they're maintained properly.

 

Uh oh there goes another one…

 

Having backups is a good idea in general. Spares. Extras. Just-in-case quantity. I hate running out of stuff so I try my best to keep ahead. That said I think it's a good idea for anyone who does cut their own firewood to have a backup. That makes a lot of sense. I started off with one and quickly realized that I needed another and it just so happened a friend "acquired" one from a house he was selling and traded to me for a truckload of wood. That was a good trade for both of us right there.

 

That was a good trade, have to appreciate that! Mine quit at a terrible time, I spent more than an hour pulling a white oak out of a pile of branches and limbs. Just as I was ready to start cutting, it wouldn't start... all that work, and I ended up taking home about 20 rounds of small limbs... and I left a mess at my friends property. Of course I'll clean that up. A backup saw would have been great in there, but it ended up working out great as I was able to help him do some work. I just detailed that ordeal, in The Wood Pile forum.. the "Hit a bonanza" post.

 

Ugh.... I'm frugal, but I also can spend the money when justified, this is probably in the justified category.