Dolmar 421problem

[woodbutcher56]

Update: dealer emailed me today fuel line and tank nipple did not cure the problem. He has now seen the problem first hand.

 

[Chris-PA]

Update: dealer emailed me today fuel line and tank nipple did not cure the problem. He has now seen the problem first hand.

Honestly it never made any sense that it would. He's guessing rather than troubleshooting, and the results will be predictable. You should try to take it somewhere competent.

 

[Sepia]

Well sometimes half the battle is getting the dealer to believe you, so I would count that as progress.

 

[woodbutcher56]

Question for you all? I'm looking at a parts diagram and it appears there is a nipple threaded into the jug where the impulse line connects. Is this correct? If so could that leak once the saw is hot and cause the saw to starve for gas at idle? Note that the first visit to he shop the dealer said he turned the high adjustment out 3/4 of a turn to tune. That seems like a lot to me, so perhaps it was starving at wot also.

 

[sugarbush]

sounds like he was covering up an air leak by opening up that jet that much. should have been a red flag of an air leak if he thought that was necessary. he should have pressurized the gas line for an air leak instead of just replacing and hoping it works.

 

[woodbutcher56]

So we are back again to my initial concern of an air leak. How much time is involved in doing a pressure / vacuum test ?

 

[sugarbush]

about a 1/2 hour. you mentioned he did a pressure check but that type of symptom would usually only show up with a vacuum test. if the chain run on him as he tested the saw he could of opened up the low speed jet to keep the chain from running and that would have indicated an air leak.

 

[woodbutcher56]

The way you described the problem, I would suspect an air leak on a crank shaft seal where it seals onto the crank shaft (inner part of the seal that has a spring in it). With a minor leak there, it may only show up after running for a period of time. You could tune that out by opening up the low speed jet a little, but that would be just a band aid effect. But that would also tell you that the saw is getting too much air from somewhere. That leak is usually only detected with a vacuum test if its a minor leak. If you test only with pressure, often that part of the seal will not leak. It should show with a test on a cold engine. i would think the dealer would have done both pressure and vacuum.

Let's assume this is the problem . What would it cost me to have this repaired at a competent shop.

 

[sugarbush]

you shouldn't have to worry about cost as its under warranty. contact Dolmar/makita and give them a report on your problem and if they will cover shipping cost to another Dealer or replace the saw.
give nate a call and ask for a phone # for contacting an area rep.

 

[woodbutcher56]

I realize AI shouldn't have to pay for it, but the way it sure looks like it's heading in that direction. With the exactly what fuel,oil & ratio deal. It's the classic dance around the warranty. If there is an air leak and they keep running the saw it will likely result in damage to the piston/cylinder. Then comes the old 'bad gas' too bad for you!!

 

[woodbutcher56]

I'm still hoping my dealer stands with me on this. Time will tell.

 

[woodbutcher56]

Email from my dealer yesterday morning said he was going to call Makita and would be in touch, haven't heard anything yet. If I don't hear from him today I'll give Nate a call and see if we can get this resolved.

 

[Sepia]

Sounds like he doesn't want to put any time into repairing your saw. Are warranty rates a lot lower than shop rates? I would think a good saw mechanic would have that thing running like a top by now. It seems to be either a fuel delivery issue or an air leak. Seems simple enough to dig into and fix. Especially when the Dolmars are pretty simple in design.

 

[CoreyB]

I realize AI shouldn't have to pay for it, but the way it sure looks like it's heading in that direction. With the exactly what fuel,oil & ratio deal. It's the classic dance around the warranty. If there is an air leak and they keep running the saw it will likely result in damage to the piston/cylinder. Then comes the old 'bad gas' too bad for you!!

Confirming fuel is usually part of the warranty process and your dealer asking you is a good thing. Non ethanol premium gas mixed 50:1 wiyh fd rated 2 stroke oil.
Every business has a bottom line to look at and many people try and take advantage of things. I turn warranty down once a week. Usually because of blatant neglect and no maintenance expecting a warranty means they don't need to do anything during that time frame and if breaks they should get a new one for free. So akin ignore the right questions is just trying to make sure we help the guys who deserve and truly need it.

 

[woodbutcher56]

Cory
Manual says " unleaded regular gasoline with an octane value of 89 ( R+M) /2, you can use fuel with a higher octane value. This will not affect the engine." " To lubricate the engine , use a synthetic oil for two -stroke air cooled engines ( quality grade: JASO FD or ISO-L-EGD).". I take very good care of my equipment , my dealer can confirm that and expect nothing for free . I did everything by the book there was a failure and I think it should be taken care of. Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes I just hear many stories of manufacturers making a science out of getting around warranty repairs. Hopefully everything works out.

 

[woodbutcher56]

Correction : JASO FC or ISO-L-EGD on the oil.

 

[sugarbush]

your dealer seems ok taking advise from another dealer,you could give him a tip from me on a easy test to verify an air leak, if he runs it enough to get the chain to run at idle then open up the low speed jet a bit to see if that brings the idle down. if so he would be adding more fuel to cover up an air leak. then vacuum/pressure check to find the leak. more then likely will find it with vacuum.

 

[woodbutcher56]

Thanks I'll mention that the next time I speak with him.

 

[CoreyB]

Cory
Manual says " unleaded regular gasoline with an octane value of 89 ( R+M) /2, you can use fuel with a higher octane value. This will not affect the engine." " To lubricate the engine , use a synthetic oil for two -stroke air cooled engines ( quality grade: JASO FD or ISO-L-EGD).". I take very good care of my equipment , my dealer can confirm that and expect nothing for free . I did everything by the book there was a failure and I think it should be taken care of. Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes I just hear many stories of manufacturers making a science out of getting around warranty repairs. Hopefully everything works out.

If am sorry by no means was I trying to imply that you where doing that. I was just sharing as a dealer we have customers that do all the time and it is just a process sometimes to weed out the bad ones so we can be able to help the ones that need it. Forgive me

 

[woodbutcher56]

No hard feelings here! I wasn't implying it was the dealers . The manufacturers are the ones that dictate to the dealers the procedures that need to be followed as well as the ones responsible for approving or declining to cover their products under warranty. The warranty is only as good as the company providing it. The main reason I bought through a dealer is for dealer support secondly to support my dealer. I'd far rather give my hard earned dollars to local shop owner than a big box store!!!