Chainsaw is cursed?

[ktpnw]

I have a chainsaw that doesn’t want to be sold. I am trying to sell a Husqvarna Rancher 455 that I don’t need (recently got a Stihl MS460). At my house, it runs great. Starts first pull, good power, idles well. Cylinder and piston are in great shape.

However TWICE now, I have driven about 10 min away from my house to meet a potential buyer, and when I got there it was flooded beyond belief. Like cylinder hydro locked with gas so bad you can’t even pull it over. Both times the buyer understandably walked away, and I felt like a jerk. Tonight when I got home, about 30 min after this happened again, it started right up after a few pulls.

Any idea what could be causing this? Both times the saw tipped on its side on the drive down, would that cause it to flood like this? Or the jostling of a rough road? I thought chainsaw carbs were designed to operate on their sides, and it can be tipped in whatever position while running with no effect on idle or power. Any ideas are very appreciated.

 

[Czed]

Probably needs a carb rebuild
The metering valve could be leaking
Pull the handle off and replace the fuel/pulse line's
if you do it's a pita if you don't.

 

[ktpnw]

Probably needs a carb rebuild
The metering valve could be leaking
Pull the handle off and replace the fuel/pulse line's
if you do it's a pita if you don't.

Thank you. The carb is an oem carb that has not seen much use, and I do always use non ethanol stabilized gas, I recently pulled the carb all apart and everything looked clean. Would the metering lever only leak if on its side? Because again it runs perfectly most of the time. Only after a short drive does it flood.

 

[coffeebrk]

I will now climb up on my soapbox, lol.
How much could a carb rebuild kit cost for a 455? If you have symptoms that may involve the carb and you remove the carb put a kit in it. Set the metering lever correctly and before installing the new needle clean the manufacturing preservative off the tip.

 

[Mike Ray]

might be tank vent, had this to happen to one of my saws if it had gas in it and you drove to where you be were cutting would be flooded, was a dolmar 5105, clipped c orner off duckbill vent valve never happened again.

 

[Gord404]

if a carb doesn't hold 15 lb's min. pressure though the gas inlet forever then you know it needs attention

 

[sean donato]

if a carb doesn't hold 15 lb's min. pressure though the gas inlet forever then you know it needs attention

So many forget about the needle and it's seat and or lever height causing these issues.

 

[ktpnw]

I will now climb up on my soapbox, lol.
How much could a carb rebuild kit cost for a 455? If you have symptoms that may involve the carb and you remove the carb put a kit in it. Set the metering lever correctly and before installing the new needle clean the manufacturing preservative off the tip.

Thank you. I will give this a try. I did already set the metering lever correctly.

 

[ktpnw]

might be tank vent, had this to happen to one of my saws if it had gas in it and you drove to where you be were cutting would be flooded, was a dolmar 5105, clipped c orner off duckbill vent valve never happened again.

Good to know, thank you.

 

[ktpnw]

if a carb doesn't hold 15 lb's min. pressure though the gas inlet forever then you know it needs attention

Good to know, will try this. I have a pump, so easy to do.

 

[ktpnw]

So many forget about the needle and it's seat and or lever height causing these issues.

I did set the metering height correctly, but will confirm when I take it apart again.

 

[ktpnw]

I have a theory as to what might have happened. I realized I did fill the tank that morning, and then it got hot that day. I usually don't brim the tank to the absolute top but this day I wasn't paying attention and did, it was full full. I'm wondering if the gas expansion in the heat could have forced some gas through the system and into the cylinder. Does that seem plausible?

As an experiment last night I set the saw on its side, this morning it fired right up. So I don't think the tipping over was the issue. So it is either something to do with the shaking of driving along the road, or it was the full tank heat expansion theory.