Inherited my dad's Stihl 011- has been sitting for 5+ years = ??

XPLRN · May 29, 2011

My dad had bought this Stihl 011 chainsaw brand new November 26th of 1990. I know this because the sales receipt, the original advertisement and warranty paperwork are stapled to the Instruction Manual/Owner's Manual that I got with it.

The saw has not ran for 5+ years so I decided to go looking for information about the saw on the internet. That search lead me to this forum and I've been very impressed with the info and knowledge that people on this site have!!! I'd like to learn what things I should know and check out before attempting to resurrect this saw.

I think it's a low usage saw , there is no gas in the tank and the bar and chain are removed. I think the original chain got dull and there is a new Y50 'Low Kickback' * 'Chrome' chain with it that I think my dad was going to replace the original one with.

My dad grew up in Northern Wisconsin where he farmed in the summer and logged pulp wood in the winter time. I've actually got a picture of him holding one of the first chainsaws ever sold/used in that area. During the Depression he thought that selling firewood to people in town would be a way to make some money. He designed and built a one man sawmill from the ground up that was quite ingenious and could sure cut some wood!!! Anyways he had MacColluch chainsaws when I came along and my earliest memory was of one big monster of a chainsaw that he ran until it wore out. As he got older he used the smaller Mac 10?? saws to cut up firewood as he heated with wood before moving into town when he was 80 years old. The last chainsaw he bought was this Stihl 011 and he felt it was the nicest small saw he'd ever used.

He passed away in 2006 at age 93. It's amazing when I think back on how much chainsaw operating he did thru-out his life!!! I know he would want me to get this saw up and running again to get some use out of it. I think he would be proud knowing that I'm still using the last saw he bought.

Anyways I know "they"/Stihl recommend running a 40:1 ratio per what I've read in the Instruction Manual. However in all my Echo equipment I run a 50:1 ratio with the Echo oil.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on what would be best for bringing this saw back to life?? I've not even looked at the air filter yet to see what shape it's in and I don't have a clue about whether the carb might be gummed up or?? I'm thinking that it was probably ran dry or drained........hope so!!

I'm kinda excited to dig into the project and get the saw operational as I've got some tree trimming work that it would be handy to have a light saw for.

lambs · May 29, 2011

Congrats on your saw. I'm sure you will always have great memories of your Dad when you use it.

If this were mine, I'd make sure it will turn over, then change the air and fuel filters, put in a new spark plug, and start it up. Go from there depending on how it runs. I think 50:1 is going to be ok for it, although you can certainly mix up some 40:1 if you're concerned. Some of the guys here on AS may have other thoughts on this.

Good luck with it.

jus2fat · May 29, 2011

The bottom line is...do you want to get it running because of sentimental value...
or operational value...you can't confuse the two.

I won't go into sentimental value...
As for operation value...(expense to get operational)...too hard to guess.
It could be quite inexpensive or quite very expensive.

I checked Ebay completed 011 sales and sales of "runners" went for between
$86 and $155.......most went for $100 to $120.

If I was in your position...I'd find a really good honest dealer and get an estimate
of what is needed to get it running right.
These little saws with small carbs can be a real PITA sometimes!!

Spend your time before you spend your $$..!!!!

Hope this helps!!
:cheers:

J2F

Warped5 · May 29, 2011

First of all, welcome to AS!

This is a supportive community and you will always find folks willing to help with whatever questions/issues you encounter.

My $.02 on the mix question .... The modern lubricants used for mix can be used no matter what your original spec was. Personally, I use Opti-2 (1 tube per gallon) and have had no problems ever.

Good luck!

cuttingintime · May 29, 2011

Welcome, I get a lot of satisfaction using my father's tools.

XPLRN · May 30, 2011

Thanks!

@ Warped5 & cuttingintime........thanks for the welcome to AS.com.......sure an amazing amount of knowledge here!!

@ just2fat ; good advice and thanks for looking up the going prices for this saw. That helps me gain some "value" perspective for operational usage. I'm going to just tinker with it and DIY as much as I can vs. going to a dealer. I did pull the plug and it's really nice and clean sooo figure it had been running well with good compression.

@ lambs ; Thanks!!The saw does turn over, I have pulled the plug and it looks to be in very clean / usable condition. Same with the air filter.......I'll be mixing up some 40:1 later on today and attempting to get it fired and running.

I am amazed @ how much I've been flashing back on my father since I started messing with this saw. I recalled he told me that the first chainsaw he ever owned, I've got a picture of him holding it somewhere that I'll post up, was purchased from Sears & Roebuck. He was one of the first in the area to have one and he said it was one heavy unit!! Someday I'd like to find one like it to see what my dad started out on as a young man!!

redunshee · May 30, 2011

XPLRN said:
@ Warped5 & cuttingintime........thanks for the welcome to AS.com.......sure an amazing amount of knowledge here!!

@ just2fat ; good advice and thanks for looking up the going prices for this saw. That helps me gain some "value" perspective for operational usage. I'm going to just tinker with it and DIY as much as I can vs. going to a dealer. I did pull the plug and it's really nice and clean sooo figure it had been running well with good compression.

@ lambs ; Thanks!!The saw does turn over, I have pulled the plug and it looks to be in very clean / usable condition. Same with the air filter.......I'll be mixing up some 40:1 later on today and attempting to get it fired and running.

I am amazed @ how much I've been flashing back on my father since I started messing with this saw. I recalled he told me that the first chainsaw he ever owned, I've got a picture of him holding it somewhere that I'll post up, was purchased from Sears & Roebuck. He was one of the first in the area to have one and he said it was one heavy unit!! Someday I'd like to find one like it to see what my dad started out on as a young man!!

Go to it. First thing I'd do is pull plug and see if piston turns over easily and isn't frozen. Likely isn't but why take a chance. Next I'd look in tank and see that fuel filter is clean and intact. If it is, add mix and try to start it. If it doesn't start add a little fuel directly into carb and try again. If it starts and dies you need to rebuild carb. Fairly easy task. BTW I'd start by having the Lo ands Hi needles 1-1.25 turns open. Once it starts and runs you can see how smooth it runs. Let us know and we can provide more info. Good luck.
Bob

Warped5 · May 30, 2011

If you're looking for an old Sears saw, there's a thread here for Craigslist & eBay .... they show up from time to time ... good luck!

XPLRN · May 31, 2011

Stihl 011ATV LIVES!!

redunshee said:
Go to it.

Let us know and we can provide more info. Good luck.
Bob

Thanks, Bob & everyone that posted, for the input and positive thoughts!!

I'm very very happy to report that the saw IS operational and I worked my and the saw's ass off yesterday.

I ended up mixing up some 40:1 , pulled on the starter rope about 10-15 times and the saw fired up and ran just like it did for my dad!! He/my dad had commented about how well it ran/pulled for a little saw. I was thrilled and really enjoyed using that little saw(I think the new chain helped a lot also!!) to prune up a big pine tree in the front yard of our city home. My wife and I were talking about how happy it would have made him to see his son being productive with his little pride&joy Stihl chainsaw.

Now it's on to find out which model of Mac saw is sitting out in the storage building. I bought it awhile back from an elderly gentleman that was downsizing and it's been sitting in it's yellow plastic carry case ever since...........now I've gotz to know!!

XPLRN · May 31, 2011

Warped5 said:
If you're looking for an old Sears saw, there's a thread here for Craigslist & eBay .... they show up from time to time ... good luck!

Thanks!! I'll be digging up the old picture of my dad with that saw and getting it posted in a new thread.

XPLRN · Apr 28, 2016

Stihl 011AVEQ Non-Op Issue

Well this thread was what started my AS membership almost five years ago in 2011. According to Acres website this saw is a 011AVEQ, I had incorrectly titled the #9 thread above. Now I'm back to seek some more 011 advice. The above post, #09, should have been entitled; " Stihl 011AVEQ Lives!!" ........well it did a great job on that pine tree pruning job after I got it resurrected!! It's next adventure was going up North to participate in this activity; http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...-of-my-saws-up-north-prescott-arizona.209144/ . I noted in the first post of that thread where the little Stihl started having problems and I made the decision to stop running it. Well that was September 17 and 18th of 2012.

When I got home from that outing the saw was put in a carry case and placed back on the shelf. Well Life happened, time marched on and I'm sad to say I've not done anything with it since then............until yesterday. I decided I wanted to try and figure out what the story was on the saw ceasing to operate correctly and what I'm up against. I removed the clutch/bar cover and cleaned all the old crud out of that area. Then I pulled the spark plug and cleaned it off, it wasn't nasty or fouled up so that was eliminating one of my concerns of the high elevation cutting outing. I remember that some of the saws just did not run well at elevation and my tuning skills were lacking. I also pulled the exhaust screen and cleaned it out, not much residual there either. Sooo I put some mix in the tank and dribbled a little bit into the carburetor and started trying to get it started......just as I had done back five years ago in May of 2011.

I was able to get it to fire up and run, however it would not idle down at all. The throttle plate was seating closed in the carb but still revving excessively. I tried turning the mixture screws in all the way, lightly seating and then back out 1-1 1/4 turns. I got it to start and run about 3-4 times at a medium RPM speed and then the last time it fired up and ran it revved up to a medium RPM then just fell on it's face and died. So those running sessions at least validated that the ignition was operational at that time.

Did the only thing that makes sense and jumped out on AS and started researching. I found this post in a thread( http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tuning-problem.184052/#post-3240211 ) where it was mentioned about the reed valve failing. Looks like I'll pull the carb, do fuel lines and a carb kit, check out the reed status and hope like heck it's not crank seals!!

I welcome input from other Stihl 011 owners that have encountered this type of problem with their 011 and what the fix was.........thanks in advance!!

PS......if anyone has a IPL for this saw it would be appreciated!!

XPLRN · Apr 29, 2016

XPLRN said:
Stihl 011AVT Non-Op Issue
Looks like I'll pull the carb, do fuel lines and a carb kit, check out the reed status and hope like heck it's not crank seals!!

I welcome input from other Stihl 011 owners that have encountered this type of problem with their 011 and what the fix was.........thanks in advance!!

PS......if anyone has a IPL for this saw it would be appreciated!!

I am wondering how, per the link in the previous post, a reed fails?? I did pull the carb and the reed plate and the reed seems to still be springy and attached?? The one diaphragm gasket in the carb that has the two tabs that cover the individual ports for the sucking in and out of the fuel seems to be excessively stiff. The bigger one piece diaphragm on the opposite side of the carb actually seems to be quite pliable, that usually seems to be the one I notice being stiff and contributing to the carb not working correctly. I hope the local shop might have a kit for it but being a Stihl I don't know......it does have the Walbro name cast into the one removable side of the carb and the shiny sheetmetal cover on the other side has Stihl stamped into it!!

ray benson · Apr 29, 2016

XPLRN said:
Stihl 011AVEQ Non-Op Issue

Well this thread was what started my AS membership almost five years ago in 2011. According to Acres website this saw is a 011AVEQ, I had incorrectly titled the #9 thread above. Now I'm back to seek some more 011 advice. The above post, #09, should have been entitled; " Stihl 011AVEQ Lives!!" ........well it did a great job on that pine tree pruning job after I got it resurrected!! It's next adventure was going up North to participate in this activity; http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...-of-my-saws-up-north-prescott-arizona.209144/ . I noted in the first post of that thread where the little Stihl started having problems and I made the decision to stop running it. Well that was September 17 and 18th of 2012.

When I got home from that outing the saw was put in a carry case and placed back on the shelf. Well Life happened, time marched on and I'm sad to say I've not done anything with it since then............until yesterday. I decided I wanted to try and figure out what the story was on the saw ceasing to operate correctly and what I'm up against. I removed the clutch/bar cover and cleaned all the old crud out of that area. Then I pulled the spark plug and cleaned it off, it wasn't nasty or fouled up so that was eliminating one of my concerns of the high elevation cutting outing. I remember that some of the saws just did not run well at elevation and my tuning skills were lacking. I also pulled the exhaust screen and cleaned it out, not much residual there either. Sooo I put some mix in the tank and dribbled a little bit into the carburetor and started trying to get it started......just as I had done back five years ago in May of 2011.

I was able to get it to fire up and run, however it would not idle down at all. The throttle plate was seating closed in the carb but still revving excessively. I tried turning the mixture screws in all the way, lightly seating and then back out 1-1 1/4 turns. I got it to start and run about 3-4 times at a medium RPM speed and then the last time it fired up and ran it revved up to a medium RPM then just fell on it's face and died. So those running sessions at least validated that the ignition was operational at that time.

Did the only thing that makes sense and jumped out on AS and started researching. I found this post in a thread( http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tuning-problem.184052/#post-3240211 ) where it was mentioned about the reed valve failing. Looks like I'll pull the carb, do fuel lines and a carb kit, check out the reed status and hope like heck it's not crank seals!!

I welcome input from other Stihl 011 owners that have encountered this type of problem with their 011 and what the fix was.........thanks in advance!!

PS......if anyone has a IPL for this saw it would be appreciated!!

Check your inbox for ipl and service manual.

dougand3 · Apr 30, 2016

I'd bet it takes a Walbro K10-WAT rebuild kit.

XPLRN · Apr 30, 2016

ray benson said:
Check your inbox for ipl and service manual.

Thank-you, Ray, I got the ipl PDF ........however I didn't see a link for downloading the 16 meg service manual.....maybe you can try that one again!???

dougand3 said:
I'd bet it takes a Walbro K10-WAT rebuild kit.

Thank-you, 'dougand3' for that kit number, I'll let you know.........I stopped by the shop that I get carb parts kits from and they said since it was a Stihl product, even though it is a Walbro carb, they need to see the carb to get the secret code numbers off it to determine which kit.

If any one has done a carb kit install into the 011 please let me know if it is in fact the kit that 'dougand3' mentioned........of course the sales gal is kinda fun sooo I can just drag the carb in next time and let her figure it out!!

ray benson · Apr 30, 2016

XPLRN said:
Thank-you, Ray, I got the ipl PDF ........however I didn't see a link for downloading the 16 meg service manual.....maybe you can try that one again!???

Thank-you, 'dougand3' for that kit number, I'll let you know.........I stopped by the shop that I get carb parts kits from and they said since it was a Stihl product, even though it is a Walbro carb, they need to see the carb to get the secret code numbers off it to determine which kit.

If any one has done a carb kit install into the 011 please let me know if it is in fact the kit that 'dougand3' mentioned........of course the sales gal is kinda fun sooo I can just drag the carb in next time and let her figure it out!!

Check your inbox

dougand3 · Apr 30, 2016

I looked at my 011AVT - it has Walbro WT-29A. K10-WAT is the kit. You can buy kit for $3-$5 on ebay or Amazon. See what dealer charges. Match the diaphragms and gaskets you remove with new kit parts. Ultrasonic cleaning when disassembled yields better results for me - as opposed to just squirting carb cleaner in. Don't use high pressure air.

XPLRN · May 1, 2016

@ray benson ; Thanks for getting the digital info to me, that will certainly help now and in the future as this is one saw I plan on having till I can't use a saw any more. My dad moved into town when he was 80 years old and didn't have a use for it after that. If I make it to 80 I'll be happy and hopefully I'll still be able to use this saw!!

@dougand3 ; Thanks for the carb model designation and the correct kit for that carb!! I'll check out what the local shop is charging and then shop it on the 'net for comparison. If it's only a couple of bucks difference I'll support the local shop.....however typically they charge a premium price for the carb kits.

kevin j · May 1, 2016

sounds like an air leaqk or lean condition.

Check fuel line, pulse line if any, and carb boot if any.

Great project.

XPLRN · May 2, 2016

dougand3 said:
I looked at my 011AVT - it has Walbro WT-29A. K10-WAT is the kit. You can buy kit for $3-$5 on ebay or Amazon. See what dealer charges. Match the diaphragms and gaskets you remove with new kit parts. Ultrasonic cleaning when disassembled yields better results for me - as opposed to just squirting carb cleaner in. Don't use high pressure air.

I finally got back to the garage, checked the carb for I.D. and found a match to what you had mentioned. I am curious as to what the 'K 8' is in the green square?? (picture is a thumbnail/click for full size)

Inherited my dad's Stihl 011- has been sitting for 5+ years = ??

Help Support Arborist Forum:

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Stihl crazy after all these years

Two Harley Fatboys

WingNut

ArboristSite Guru

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Addicted to ArboristSite

WingNut

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

From Indiana

Addicted to ArboristSite

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

From Indiana

Addicted to ArboristSite

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Addicted to ArboristSite

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!