A cheap ms170... what could go wrong!

[BigChopper]

Tomorrow I pick up this little saw for £25, its got a new bar and 0.43 chain. Apparently its got running issues, it won't rev so something else to tinker with on the bench.

Hopefully it's all complete and there isn't any scoring on the piston, least it's got a spark so one less thing to look out for.

Got to be worth £25 right?

 

[Gregg56]

Tomorrow I pick up this little saw for £25, its got a new bar and 0.43 chain. Apparently its got running issues, it won't rev so something else to tinker with on the bench.

Hopefully it's all complete and there isn't any scoring on the piston, least it's got a spark so one less thing to look out for.

Got to be worth £25 right?

I have a 170, run a 14 inch bar and chain. After the warranty was off I removed the exhaust screen.
Works well, nice little saw, compliments my 261 stihl.

 

[Michael E]

Got to be worth £25 right?

Absolutely! Good luck with diagnosis and repair. And I might add, hopefully not too many chinese aftermarket parts on the saw (like the MS180 I bought on ebay). The saw is in Europe (well, kind of), so it probably doesn't have a spark arrester screen.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Tomorrow I pick up this little saw for £25, its got a new bar and 0.43 chain. Apparently its got running issues, it won't rev so something else to tinker with on the bench.

Hopefully it's all complete and there isn't any scoring on the piston, least it's got a spark so one less thing to look out for.

Got to be worth £25 right?

Parts alone are worth that on ebay. Good luck. Nice light saw for limbing and small stuff.

 

[Dacha]

Ms170, only saw i have.

Have a bunch of chains, bars. Always have spare new spark plug.

Chain tensioning can be upgraded to one on the side.

If fixing, handle is not fun to take on and off.

Saw gets the job done for me every time. Is it the most fun saw to work with ? I don't know, it is the only petrol saw i ever had.

Bike handle wrap comes handy if installed, as ms170 comes with thinner handle than bigger saws.

When i look at Huskies and Echo saws in the shop, Stihl ms170 in comparison looks very well built. Plastics look much much better to me imho.

 

[BigChopper]

Thanks for the hope.
I picked it up today, its a bit dirty and unloved looking. The petrol tank has lots of unmixed 2stroke, perhaps it's been stood so long the petrol has evaporated.

I'll have a closer look in the morning,

 

[ZeroJunk]

Thanks for the hope.
I picked it up today, its a bit dirty and unloved looking. The petrol tank has lots of unmixed 2stroke, perhaps it's been stood so long the petrol has evaporated.

I'll have a closer look in the morning,

Doesn't take much to stop up the little orifice in that saw. Be fortunate if it is not stopped up.
I would pull the muffler first thing and make sure the piston is in good shape.
If you need to replace the carb it is very simple. Take the little choke linkage out. Take the throttle linkage out. Pry the control lever up and move over to the choke lever side out of the way. Replace the carb and put it back together the way it came apart. 8MM deep socket.

BTW. There are several versions of that carb depending on when and where. If you do replace it make sure you get the right one or the holes won't line up.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Ms170, only saw i have.

Have a bunch of chains, bars. Always have spare new spark plug.

Chain tensioning can be upgraded to one on the side.

If fixing, handle is not fun to take on and off.

Saw gets the job done for me every time. Is it the most fun saw to work with ? I don't know, it is the only petrol saw i ever had.

Bike handle wrap comes handy if installed, as ms170 comes with thinner handle than bigger saws.

When i look at Huskies and Echo saws in the shop, Stihl ms170 in comparison looks very well built. Plastics look much much better to me imho.

After I did one handle, I started applying some silicone grease to the rubber. Made it a lot easier.

 

[Dacha]

After I did one handle, I started applying some silicone grease to the rubber. Made it a lot easier.

I actually couldn't easily line up the handle when was puting it back together.

 

[BigChopper]

Here it is in all its glory.

Dusty on the outside.

Lots of oil flick off making that special kind of goo on the inside.


I'll have to track down where it's managed to gloop from.

The piston is surprisingly good this side with only minor lines on the exhaust side that I wouldn't really call scoring and the rings look good.


The aluminium just starting to turn white so caught it before it gets worse.
The plug was quite oily so the saw was running rich.


The sum of its part ready for cleaning, I have a fresh plug and fresh pull cord in the post. Its the sweetest little port I've ever seen which I will tidy up and casting marks and very minor port matching on the exhaust.

I'll look out for an adjustable carb for it, has anyone got any exact part numbers or listings?

I might as well make the effort to make the saw as good as it could be. I need it to be reliable and easy to work. So far the only thing I don't like is the click in socket for the control switch.

The existing "won't rev" symptom was infact the linking being not connected to the carb. When I got it the trigger was locked up as the short-circuit sping was actually underneath the control lever rather than riding on it. So I think just the linkage would have brought the saw back to life after fixing the spring.

In the next update (when some more enthusiasm occurs) I will clean it inside and out rinsing the tanks then onto checking for a spark and last off I will fit the tunable carb once I find one.

Hopefully it actually wants to come back like the 038av and makes it simple for me.

Thanks for the input folks.