Rough starting saw

[stig]

We change the gas filters in all the saws, every year at the start of logging season.

Costs peanuts and takes no time.

Running lean from lack of fuel will kill a hardworked saw just as an airleak will.

How does that old saying about an ounce of prevention and a pound of cure, or something like that, go?

 

[Al Smith]

Sounds hard to believe but I've had saws have the screen in the carbs get plugged from tiny fibers of wood that got by the filters .The only thing I came up with is somehow over a long period of time they got into the tank through the tank vent .

None the less plugged filter carb or whatever it was a case of fuel delivery .

 

[Cobleskill]

You got it: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Burnham]

That reminds me I have a new fuel filter to throw on my venerable 064, it was getting a little hard starting end of last season. Definitely a cheap piece of preventive maintenance worth doing.

 

[Al Smith]

I had my eye on a cherry looking 064 on fleabay .At the last 5 minutes or so they jumped on it before I could get a bid in .No big deal but on the cheap I'd have had it in a heart beat .

 

[Burnham]

What was the winning bid, Al?

 

[Al Smith]

I didn't watch it untill the end .It was around 100 early on but by the time I got off work so I could bid it was over 250. I didn't bid so I couldn't check after the fact

 

[Burnham]

Anything under $300 would still have been well worth it imo, a steal if it was indeed prime condition. Only Stihl that stands shoulder to shoulder with the 064 as a fine example of the tool is the 044, again imo.

 

[Al Smith]

I can't deny an 044 is a good saw .I prefer it's preceder the 038 Mag though .Old school cowboy ya know .

 

[sawinredneck]

Meh, I've run a nice example of the 064, it was "smoother" than my 046BB, which I liked, but I wouldn't like that saw for limbing. Lots of smooth grunt, for bucking, but it lacked the speed for an "all around saw" if you will. Falling and bucking, I'd want the 064, day to day tree work, give me an 046 please.

 

[Burnham]

No one in their right mind would choose an 064 for a limbing saw, Andy. That's like saying, "I'd much prefer a Fiat 500 over a Ford F450 for urban driving" Duh!

 

[Tucker943]

Yes, gas station fuel tanks have sediment and crap in the tanks. I just had this discussion with the guy offloading fuel into the tanks at the gas station last week. They have high quality filtration systems before the juice hits the pump however.

 

[Burnham]

Our own fuel mix containers are gathering places for crud and water. How often do you really completely empty and rinse clean yours?

 

[sawinredneck]

No one in their right mind would choose an 064 for a limbing saw, Andy. That's like saying, "I'd much prefer a Fiat 500 over a Ford F450 for urban driving" Duh!

I understand, I was just trying to clarify it's limitations.

 

[Burnham]

 

[emr]

The saw started acting up again today and I got sick and tired of it. I am now the proud owner of a Stihl MS261. I will keep the Jonsered and maybe work in it in my free time.... In other words its done for ever. Too bad. I loved the performance but it always had little issues with it that were a pain in my arse.

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[woodworkingboy]

A new fuel filter is seldom the solution to a saw having running problems, is my experience. Respectfully, without at least looking into the carb, you shouldn't give up on a saw, unless there is no spark to indicate an ignition problem.

 

[emr]

Oh I'm sure that you saw guys could probably figure this thing out in no time flat. I'm not great with working on saws and it's not worth it to me to pay a professional to fix it. I will poke around some later. I just need a good saw right now.

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[Magnus]

Sometimes filter in carb is blocked as well if pick up is clogged. There is mostly more than one problem and some ripple effect issues...

Filter hose and membranes is something that I usually don't look at, just replace when I get it up on bench.
Once that is pulled down and carb cleaned, assembled and tested the system is eliminated from the list of usual suspects and focus can be on next system and its parts if issue persists.

One system at the time, one part in each system at the time....
Pick up is clean and new, hose is next, then the nipple, hose and carb...

 

[woodworkingboy]

I hear ya on the saw replacement. Without all the proper diagnostic tools it can really eat up some time and cause frustration. I recently worked on a small Zenoah that someone gave me, the third person to own it after the two previous guys gave up on getting it fixed, including having a shop try and deal with it. The shop said they fixed it, but didn't. I put new crank seals in and a new carb, endless fiddling around with it. No fix. It would run sweet, sometimes for an hour or more, then suddenly stop and be hard starting. By the grand process of elimination I found out that it was the ignition going out or at least not working properly sometimes. I might have checked that earlier except for a guy that owns a bunch of those, authoritatively telling me that the electrics never go bad on them. Oh yeah, I screwed up the oil pump taking the case apart once, that added to the costs. It's fixed and I know the insides and out if the thing, but WHAT A HASSLE!

Yours seems like a classic carb problem, maybe not so bad.

 

[Tucker943]

Kind of odd to buy a whole new saw. Probably cost you $30 to have your first one fixed, which in my opinion is a better saw anyhow.

 

[emr]

I have never dropped a saw off and had it fixed for $30. I figured the cheapest it would be is $125 and we would be without it for 2 to 3 weeks. We basically run our climbers, that Jonsered and a MS 660 so we really need that saw.

I still have the saw so it might get fixed some time down the road. I just don't have the time or know how to do it now.

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[Tucker943]

Dang. Ive never had a saw repair cost more then $50. Almost all mystery saw issues are tiny quick fixes. The big pricey repairs are typically easily identified.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think it is hard to make money repairing saws, unless you have a lot of experience that will quickly inform of likely possibilities, and have the most needed to be replaced parts at your fingertips, as a rule. Labor doesn't pay very well, especially hard to sort out the problem repairs, you need to make money on the parts too. Working on saws all the time is a lot better than just sometimes, in terms of efficiency. I'll bet that there is a pretty big mark up on what dealers pay for parts, and what they charge.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

My local shop charges 55 hr plus parts.. Over head sux though