Summer heat and the 346XP

[woodworkingboy]

The 020 has the removable baffle tab. I guess they eliminated it when the replacement MS200 came out.

 

[Al Smith]

A couple of my Stihls have the place for a so called cold weather kit but because the were not sold in a cold climate they were not so equipted .Ohio is cold enough,I'll grant you than but not like Norway or Alberta .Geeze freeze the business off a brass monkey in October .

 

[top_notch]

Probably a stupid thought, but you DO have the baffle switched to summer, right?

Excellent post, Brian.

Will have to check that. I haven't done much with the saw besides sharpen, fuel, bar oil, clean the air filter...it's my bosses saw. Thanks for all the pointers Brian and Erik.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

The 020 has the removable baffle tab. I guess they eliminated it when the replacement MS200 came out.

Here, the ms200T has the small hot / cold switch deflector. It's more like a windowed / plain plate (cold/hot weather respectively) you insert in the side of the handle, just under the carb adjustment screws.

 

[top_notch]

Here, the ms200T has the small hot / cold switch deflector. It's more like a windowed / plain plate (cold/hot weather respectively) you insert in the side of the handle, just under the carb adjustment screws.

Mine has that too. Bought it used on Ebay, from somewhere in the US.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Sounds the same as tho 020.

 

[NeTree]

The 346XP has the baffle. Up here, it can be -20 in the winter, and 105 in the summer.

I'm not surprised our southern folk never think of it; not much need to touch it. But I've bumped mine while cleaning, and had to move it back.

 

[stig]

On the 441 it is placed on the right side of the saw, just in front and above the switch for the handle heat.

It is a plate with a slot in it and a fastening screw. Loosen screw and turn plate to either summer or winter position.

And to answer your question, I've never had that problem with any of the 3 441s I've had so far.

Since it is a stratified scavenge engine, it ougth to run better in th heat than when cold.

 

[pigwot]

Baffle is in place. It is rarely cold enough to open it in the winter around here.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Same here, not cold enough. I can't recall what temp they advise to remove the baffle at, but it is pretty cold. I thought i would give it a test and take it out anyway in the winter, but nothing seemed different. Heck, you hardly even need snow tires anymore.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I noticed my small 021 likes the winter position when the weather is so cold that you have to put on the choke at each start. Pretty fast cooling for the engine, but it's only a little below the freezing temp. Not nearly a hard winter like some of you have usually, but this chain shaw runs better like that.
Don't take that as a golden rule, my ms200T didn't need it till now.

I can't recall what temp they advise to remove the baffle at, but it is pretty cold.

Not so cold. I was surprised by that.
The Stihl book says below +10°C , and put in again at +15°C.
Strange.

 

[HolmenTree]

I read a few comments here that by richening up a saws carb will make the saw run cooler , which in fact can cause overheating.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Then there are the guys like my neighbor who run their chains so tight that the saw gets real hot. Is that carbon on the bar beneath the tie straps? "It smells funny".

 

[Al Smith]

I read a few comments here that by richening up a saws carb will make the saw run cooler , which in fact can cause overheating.

How so?

 

[HolmenTree]

How so?

either way too rich or lean the 2 stroke engine is not running to effiency causing overheating. 4 stroke engines which I'm no expert on were used as an example, may run differently.

 

[pigwot]

HT,
I always thought a lean mix ran hot?...

Jay,
The only time I slightly over-tighten a chain is when i don't have the chipper and have to hand load into the dump trailer.
When I cut the brush down I tighten a bit more to avoid skipping the chain off the bar with it hitting small stuff at odd angles.
It gets loosened to proper tension as soon as that is done.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I assumed they were talking about a slight richer setting, not enough to have the saw running rough.

 

[Al Smith]

Yes that was what I was talking about .Something about like you'd set up a saw to mill with .4 stroking hard but not blowing black smoke .They don't run worth a hoot but it will cool them down a tad but at least they run .

You get the same thing kind of on a 4 cycle engine .It's just as easy to burn hole in a car engine piston running lean as it is a saw engine .Plus you burn the valves .

 

[HolmenTree]

HT,
I always thought a lean mix ran hot?...

Yes like I said in my last post ,either way too rich or too lean the saw 's engine will overheat especially under heavy cutting.

 

[HolmenTree]

I assumed they were talking about a slight richer setting, not enough to have the saw running rough.

a "slight richer" setting can go " extreme rich" to some.

 

[Al Smith]

It was a week or two ago when I helped Tom on one of his jobs .It was a clearing job and part of it was mowing around 400 feet of 6-8 foot tall cattails clogging a drainage ditch .

The temperature was mid 90's . My poor tractor was running hot,vapor locking and just had a hell of a time .I set the high speed needle on the updraft carb as rich as it could take and that got me through all that mess without stopping every 10 minutes to cool the engine down .Didn't run worth a damn but it kept running .

 

[Burnham]

Don't be so sure about not needing to change the baffle to winter setting...I was surprised that the owners manual for my 200T says to change it at temps lower than 50 degrees F. That's not very cold.

 

[NeTree]

Heck no; 50 is my preferred temp year 'round.

 

[Al Smith]

Yeah but you're an Eskimo at heart .

 

[NeTree]

Yup.