Hey all, so I have a bit of a nuanced inquiry for anyone who may be able to help. Firstly, sorry for the lengthy post, I just like to cover all bases on info I've found!
So to start, I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks reading through all kinds of threads about chainsaw fuel filters. I'm trying to see if there's maybe one (or possibly 2, I'll elaborate later) reliable fuel filter(s) out there that I could start buying in bulk use in a range of saws, all varying in brand and engine sizes. There's about 2 main questions I've been trying to solve in that regard. The first being material, and second being flow rates for different sized engines.
So material wise, I've seen a good bit of debate as to weather the felt Walbro type filters are better, or the screened ones like from Stihl. From what I've gathered, it seems that many like the Walbro felt ones, they seem popular, especially fir the more vintage saws! But some claim that Stihl and Husky moved on from those as they would start to slowly clogg from filtering "too well," and most saw owners wouldn't realize that's the issue and eventually would lean out the saw, while trying to tune it out with the carb not realizing that the filter could be the issue. But it seems to be agreed they're great at filtering out debris.
Then on the reverse side, some argue that the screened ones from Stihl tend to be better because while they don't exactly filter as thoroughly as the felt ones, they themselves won't slowly clog up as much, but still do a sufficient enough job. Which lets some slightly dirtier fuel into the engine and carb, but lessens the likelihood of a lean condition.
To me, the idea of the felt ones sounds better, because even though they may "clog" quicker, at least it's filtering better, keeping the inlet screen of the carb clean and debris out of the engine. So just a regular maintenance and changing the fuel filter regularly on that regard seems like the better option? Best of both worlds? But I'm not sure though.
I've also read some smaller threads of people claiming that the Stihl ones degrade easier on the inside, etc. But then again Stihl is a massively popular brand, so I can't imagine they're that bad?
So that's the first part I'm trying to decipher.
The second is the size. I have all kinds of saws, new and old. From Stihl new and old, to vintage Homelites, Poulan, etc. Engine sizes all very from as low as say 30cc up to my 056 Magnum II at 94cc.
I've noticed different fuel filters are rated for different sized engines, but I have such a hard time finding this rating on all the filters I've looked at. Does anyone have any info on what filters (maybe even specific part numbers) would flow up to what size engines? Are there "high flow" fuel filters for built pro saws or race saws or even just general large engine saws like the 088's or 660's, etc.? I'd hate to slap a new fuel filter in my Homelite Zip or 056 or god forbid my 046 that would be "too small" and not flow enough, possibly leaning out the saw? (046 is my main saw I use for real work, the rest are mainly just collectors items that don't see massively heavy use near as much)
Maybe I'm reading too much into all of this, and it's not that complicated. But there's enough literature on here, maybe there's more to it than it appears on the surface to most users? I remember reading a couple of popular threads about a 660 and an 066 that kept going through top ends that turned out to be bad or restrictive fuel filters, if anyone has seen those. Any input on these two subjects would be greatly appreciated! I'd love to just put an end to this debate in my head and find a reliable filter (or preferably 2 I guess for different cc ranges for engines) that I can order in bulk for all saws and future projects to make this part so much simpler. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to read such a long winded post on something possibly so trivial!
So to start, I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks reading through all kinds of threads about chainsaw fuel filters. I'm trying to see if there's maybe one (or possibly 2, I'll elaborate later) reliable fuel filter(s) out there that I could start buying in bulk use in a range of saws, all varying in brand and engine sizes. There's about 2 main questions I've been trying to solve in that regard. The first being material, and second being flow rates for different sized engines.
So material wise, I've seen a good bit of debate as to weather the felt Walbro type filters are better, or the screened ones like from Stihl. From what I've gathered, it seems that many like the Walbro felt ones, they seem popular, especially fir the more vintage saws! But some claim that Stihl and Husky moved on from those as they would start to slowly clogg from filtering "too well," and most saw owners wouldn't realize that's the issue and eventually would lean out the saw, while trying to tune it out with the carb not realizing that the filter could be the issue. But it seems to be agreed they're great at filtering out debris.
Then on the reverse side, some argue that the screened ones from Stihl tend to be better because while they don't exactly filter as thoroughly as the felt ones, they themselves won't slowly clog up as much, but still do a sufficient enough job. Which lets some slightly dirtier fuel into the engine and carb, but lessens the likelihood of a lean condition.
To me, the idea of the felt ones sounds better, because even though they may "clog" quicker, at least it's filtering better, keeping the inlet screen of the carb clean and debris out of the engine. So just a regular maintenance and changing the fuel filter regularly on that regard seems like the better option? Best of both worlds? But I'm not sure though.
I've also read some smaller threads of people claiming that the Stihl ones degrade easier on the inside, etc. But then again Stihl is a massively popular brand, so I can't imagine they're that bad?
So that's the first part I'm trying to decipher.
The second is the size. I have all kinds of saws, new and old. From Stihl new and old, to vintage Homelites, Poulan, etc. Engine sizes all very from as low as say 30cc up to my 056 Magnum II at 94cc.
I've noticed different fuel filters are rated for different sized engines, but I have such a hard time finding this rating on all the filters I've looked at. Does anyone have any info on what filters (maybe even specific part numbers) would flow up to what size engines? Are there "high flow" fuel filters for built pro saws or race saws or even just general large engine saws like the 088's or 660's, etc.? I'd hate to slap a new fuel filter in my Homelite Zip or 056 or god forbid my 046 that would be "too small" and not flow enough, possibly leaning out the saw? (046 is my main saw I use for real work, the rest are mainly just collectors items that don't see massively heavy use near as much)
Maybe I'm reading too much into all of this, and it's not that complicated. But there's enough literature on here, maybe there's more to it than it appears on the surface to most users? I remember reading a couple of popular threads about a 660 and an 066 that kept going through top ends that turned out to be bad or restrictive fuel filters, if anyone has seen those. Any input on these two subjects would be greatly appreciated! I'd love to just put an end to this debate in my head and find a reliable filter (or preferably 2 I guess for different cc ranges for engines) that I can order in bulk for all saws and future projects to make this part so much simpler. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to read such a long winded post on something possibly so trivial!
