Muffler Mod?

[lxskllr]

I've been vacillating on modifying my 2511. One thing I like about it is I can fire it up for a couple quick cuts without ear protection, and not feel like I'm driving icepicks in my ears. I'll be pulling the muffler off for inspection around fall time. That's when my Stihl oil will used up, and I'm switching to RedArmor. I'll decarbon as necessary, and use it as a benchmark to compare the oils. Got me thinking a lot of mufflers are restrictive at the exhaust port(dunno about the 2511 til I take it off). Is there any benefit to removing metal there to allow a more direct path through the muffler? I'm looking for free performance that doesn't come with a noise penalty. Is there anything to gain there?

 

[SeanKroll]

Are you running 1/4" chain?
No louder.

 

[lxskllr]

Stock chain. I've been resistant to going ¼" cause I like the robustness of ⅜", and I keep a stock of both sizes of ⅜" in reels. The 2511's kind of my everything saw, not just for in-tree use. It might be cutting bundles of stakes, ripping boards, or getting carried in the woods on my pistolbelt. If it came down to a choice, I value durability over speed.

 

[greengreer]

I've done a few 2511's, just a 5/16" hole in the flat spot where it won't melt the plastic. You have to go thru the outside of the muffler and the baffle in the middle, so two layers total to drill through. Louder for sure but not annoying.
I have had to pull the limiters and trim the tabs to be able to get the most out of them. We're at about 3500' elevation so that may change things.
1/4 p is great but they do okay on the stihl 3/8lp, the oregon that they come with is rough.

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, I didn't care for the chain it came with. I've been using Stihl pm. Seems to work well.

 

[SeanKroll]

The stock chain sucks when new, better with filing.

Arbsession has cheap 1/4" bars and chains. Sprockets are expensive.

The Stihl chain lasts a long time, as Stihl chains are made of better steel.

 

[Nutball]

I don't like how loud my 2511t is. It has the usual hole drilled in the usual spot.

 

[flushcut]

I don’t mind the loudness of the 2511’s.

 

[SeanKroll]

WHAT?

 

[flushcut]

Earmuffs.

 

[Trains]

Give it a timing advance whilst you have it on the bench, about 4-6 deg can wake them up.
dont forget to pull the limiters and retune the high side after the muffler mod.

edited for typo's

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not that familiar with how these things go together aside from basic concepts. How would you advance the timing; file the flywheel key?

 

[Nutball]

I've always heard don't advance the timing on most modern Echos, they don't need it.

 

[huskihl]

Little bit of timing advance helps the 2511. Some other Echo models, not so much. A mini file set or small pointed carbide burr in a Dremel will do the job. The key is a tight fit in the crank and difficult to remove so I remove material from the flywheel. You want to be able to turn the flywheel about 1/4 inch forward at the perimeter from stock. Here’s how I do a muffler mod to the ones I port if it’ll help someone out. The hole inside goes through the shell and the baffle as wide as the deflector and about 1.25” from the top to the bottom.

 

[Treeaddict]

John, did you ever muffler mod your 2511?

 

[lxskllr]

Not yet. I'm figuring on making my decision when I break it down to check for carbon buildup. It's looking like it may be December. I'll do it when I've used all my Stihl oil, then compare it to RedArmor in a couple years. The big hangup is the saw's kind of quiet for a motor, and I need to decide which I value more, quiet, or a bit of a performance boost.

 

[Treeaddict]

Not yet. I'm figuring on making my decision when I break it down to check for carbon buildup. It's looking like it may be December. I'll do it when I've used all my Stihl oil, then compare it to RedArmor in a couple years. The big hangup is the saw's kind of quiet for a motor, and I need to decide which I value more, quiet, or a bit of a performance boost.

That makes sense.

Curious, how much are replacement mufflers? Could always try it and then replace it if you don’t like it. Or, buy an aftermarket and modify it, test it and see?

 

[lxskllr]

You could look on Jacks. I think they're about $20. Easiest/safest first step is look inside for a cat. I don't think it has one, but if it does, remove it. Getting rid of the extra heat they trap is worth it alone. Increasing exhaust flow is icing on the cake. After that, remove the spark arrestor. If there's extra bits(like louvers) that can be easily clipped, take them off, but mind where the exhaust goes. Melted plastic on the cover won't hurt much, but it's ugly, and who wants melted plastic?

Then try it out for awhile. You have a decent benchmark with your old top handle. Is it better or worse than the old one? Important thing is you're happy with it. Getting every fraction of a horse you can out of it is less important as long as you're happy. Also, nothing is free. More open exhaust=more noise. You have to weigh that against any potential improvement. You might want to spend a little longer in the cut, but do it more quietly.

 

[Brock Mayo]

It's a much different saw with nutball's hole drilled in the spot that echo damn near marked "drill here." No melted plastic, if you hit that spot. Adjust the carb, get a narrow kerf bar, or just any bar and chain that isn't the echo one (it does get better with filing).
As far as being loud, I think a stock 500i is louder, but I don't mess around running saws without hearing pro.
Huskihl, nice work on that muffler mod!

 

[Nutball]

I'd trade my modded muffler for a good stock one without cat.