I've had my 141 for 19 years now. I don't use it extremely often, but when it's needed it gets used, BIG time. I've run Saber in it since just after it broke in, at 100:1. Never had the engine apart. Never even had the exhaust off it. Compression still feels as strong as the 1st day I started it in summer of '03.
The first time I really used it heavy after a major ice storm in '08, the whole saw just about fell apart due to poor assembly at the factory (or Home Depot - whoever assembled it). I was cutting a tree when it just quit like a light switch & wouldn't restart. The spark plug boot fell off of the plug (that was a 1st for me!), because literally every single nut and bolt on the saw was just about on its last thread! I thought the saw was feeling flexy, but figured I had just overdid it on the bourbon the night before. Since I went through and tightened everything, it's been great, and hasn't missed a beat.
I've gone through a few chains and bars over the years, mainly because I hate stumps, and end up ruining them with dirt. Also around here we normally inadvertently cut through barbed wire, minie balls, bullets, and bird shot. Chains don't like those sorts of things. 16", 3/8, .050. It also loves to puke bar oil inside its case when it sits, so I try to store it empty. Tried replacing all the rubber - still leaked! Just the way it's designed I guess.
Out of the box, this thing was LEAN, LEAN, LEAN, like most homeowner saws. Fattening up the mixture at both ends of the spectrum made a HUGE difference in starting, and warm-up time. It seemed like it would never warm up! It was extremely boggy for a LONG time (especially in winter) until I fattened up the low circuit. Since the saw sits a lot, I've had to fatten up everything at random times to compensate for the slow clogging process from pump gas. Since I switched to ethanol free fuel after finally scoring a large quantity of it out of state, that's no longer an issue. It can sit unused for a year, and still light off after several pulls.
