I broke down and bought a new chainsaw

[Lawn Masters]

I just love the Stihl master lever, its the best I've seen in awhile. one control lever for everything.

 

[TrogL]

New saw's working like a charm, the other one's in not bad shape either

On the right hand side of the saw is a blue push-pull switch. You pull it all the way out for choke, half-way out for fast idle and all the the way in for run. The first time you touch the trigger, it goes in automatically.

What I was doing wrong was not using this switch when I re-started the saw. With no fast idle, no way no hell was it gonna start.

A neighbour heard the saw and came over to see what was happening (and chide me for bad cutting technique) and he tried it and it was working fine. In the course of discussion I mentioned the older saw and he immediately wanted to look at it and the next thing I know he's demanding gas and chain oil and screwdrivers and he's got the thing running.

Turns out his family did tree stuff for a living and he knows all about chainsaws. He had it pretty much working when he left to go to work. He wants me to bring it over tomorrow and he'll finish tuning it up.

So now I've got two working saws.

 

[TrogL]

High idle on your saw is the thumb lever above the throttle safety.

Actually it isn't. There's a blue switch on the right that acts as both choke and high idle. Full out for choke, half out for high idle.

 

[CNYCountry]

I looked at the saw he was talking about at wallyworld today. I see why he couldnt find the half throttle button to start ir with. There was none that I could find. Dont care for the design of the choke, and on/off button all working together either. Like the way it was, separate buttons doing their own thing. Not combined duties. Hope all saws are not doing this.

Stihl is all one master lever and it works very well, guides you through the process. Of course there is off, run, fast idle and choke/fast idle.

 

[litefoot]

Say what you will about Poulans, this thread has at least revealed a ton of good info about tuning a saw. Dang, now how do I go about saving this thread?

 

[Lawn Masters]

Print it out.

 

[2Coilinveins]

High idle on your saw is the thumb lever above the throttle safety.

Actually it isn't. There's a blue switch on the right that acts as both choke and high idle. Full out for choke, half out for high idle.

Please read my first post, #41 on this thread, in it's entirety.

 

[pbtree]

Information is nice, but geeze - this all could have been avoided by spending a bit more and getting a real saw...

I guess I just have no patience sometimes... :blob5:

 

[fencerowphil]

Well! I Never!

Really I have never bought three saws in two days, but here is the
hard truth: :blush:

I sold some property and my accountant says,
"Spinnat munney or you gonna git taxtwice!"
[He really talks that way, since he's in Georgia and I'm in Georgia and from
Georgia and can understand Georgia talk.]

Well eekwipmInt is ducktable.
Chane sawz is 'kwipmInt.

Now, in plain American...
I went out and I bought some deductible equipment:
1] Used Echo CS346 w/16" bar
1] Used Echo CS8000 w/36" .058 bar
1] Used Stihl 090 w/36" and 24" bar
1] Used 36" Granberg Mark III
1] Used Granberg MiniMill

Between my wife and her kitchen 'proovmInts and my ducktables,
weez gonna' handle this problum rite!

Phil L.

 

[pbtree]

I like that logic!

 

[SawTroll]

Stihl is all one master lever and it works very well, guides you through the process. Of course there is off, run, fast idle and choke/fast idle.

There are two things that I don't like about that master lever:
(1) :umpkin: You have to put your hand on the rear handle and depress trigger lock and trigger to put it in choke ot fast idle, and the manual states that you should put in in high idle to start a warm saw.

(2) :alien: It feels unnatural to pull the lever up to stop the saw.

The good news is that you really don't have to put it in high idle when warm. If properly tuned, normal running posision does the trick - thus avoiding the hazzle with the trigger....
Stihl should change their user manuals regarding warm start.

 

[turnkey4099]

There are two things that I don't like about that master lever:
(1) :umpkin: You have to put your hand on the rear handle and depress trigger lock and trigger to put it in choke ot fast idle, and the manual states that you should put in in high idle to start a warm saw.

(2) :alien: It feels unnatural to pull the lever up to stop the saw.

The good news is that you really don't have to put it in high idle when warm. If properly tuned, normal running posision does the trick - thus avoiding the hazzle with the trigger....
Stihl should change their user manuals regarding warm start.

I'll add one more to that. It is almost impossible to manipulate that switch when the saw starts or has been running with one hand, at least on my ms310. Turning it off IS a two hand operation as it doesn't stick out far enough to let my thumb catch it.

Starting full choke, fire, now fiddle with it to get the fast idle before pulling again. There isn't much of a 'feel' to the proper notch.

I don't know what the newer Huskies are like but I like my 51. Two switches, on/off and full choke. Fire, squeeze and pull it's running. I really can't see the point of combining 3 operations into one switch, geez, what does it take to make two quick motions?

Harry K

Harry K

 

[CNYCountry]

There are two things that I don't like about that master lever:
(1) :umpkin: You have to put your hand on the rear handle and depress trigger lock and trigger to put it in choke ot fast idle, and the manual states that you should put in in high idle to start a warm saw.

(2) :alien: It feels unnatural to pull the lever up to stop the saw.

The good news is that you really don't have to put it in high idle when warm. If properly tuned, normal running posision does the trick - thus avoiding the hazzle with the trigger....
Stihl should change their user manuals regarding warm start.

Agreed. If the documentation was right about telling you to start it on low ide warm, it would guide you through it:

Warm start, just push it down until it stops moving, one click. Cold start, squeeze and push it down until it stops moving, give a couple pulls until it pops, push it up as far as you can, one click to fast idle, start it and blip it. You basically can't push it further than you need to for each step unless you do something stupid..

And yes, they start great on low idle when they're warm. They probably put that in there to use fast idle because people do stupid things and it probably starts easier on fast idle warm...

I thought up to shut it down was wrong too but it's fast to get used to AS LONG AS ALL YOU USE IS STIHL! Otherwise it gets really confusing.

 

[CNYCountry]

I'll add one more to that. It is almost impossible to manipulate that switch when the saw starts or has been running with one hand, at least on my ms310. Turning it off IS a two hand operation as it doesn't stick out far enough to let my thumb catch it.

Different sized hands/handles I wonder? The switch on my MS361 is perfect, it's become second nature to just flick it with my thumb.

Starting full choke, fire, now fiddle with it to get the fast idle before pulling again. There isn't much of a 'feel' to the proper notch.

If you push it down to choke, pull until it pops, then push up WITHOUT squeezing the throttle, it cannot go up past fast idle, at least that's how it is on my Stihl. I just push it up as far as it will go without touching the throttle.

I don't know what the newer Huskies are like but I like my 51. Two switches, on/off and full choke. Fire, squeeze and pull it's running. I really can't see the point of combining 3 operations into one switch, geez, what does it take to make two quick motions?

Like many, many things, it seems like people either love or hate it..

 

[GASoline71]

Information is nice, but geeze - this all could have been avoided by spending a bit more and getting a real saw...

I guess I just have no patience sometimes... :blob5:

AMEN, brother!

Gary

 

[medcave]

Information is nice, but geeze - this all could have been avoided by spending a bit more and getting a real saw...

I guess I just have no patience sometimes... :blob5:

Even real saws are subject to operator error, which as it turns out was most, if not all of the OP's problem.

Can I get an amen too?

 

[Cut4fun]

GASoline71 said,
Ever since I "idiotized" my 041 FB I am having some problems with it. While it is in it's down time, I have completely disassembled it, and am finding more stuff wrong with it.

Hmmmmmmm seems to be alot of the stihl boys with the problems too. Just glad dude here only paid the $99 special, not the over inflated $400 stealership prices.

 

[cbfarmall]

GASoline71 said,
Ever since I "idiotized" my 041 FB I am having some problems with it. While it is in it's down time, I have completely disassembled it, and am finding more stuff wrong with it.

Hmmmmmmm seems to be alot of the stihl boys with the problems too. Just glad dude here only paid the $99 special, not the over inflated $400 stealership prices.

Let's see how well your saws run when they're as old as the Stihl and have been run as hard as the 041 probably has.

Not saying Poulans are junk. My dad cut 6 big oaks with the Craftsman version of the 3700 (20 yrs old) and it's still ticking. Biggest problem is we can't keep the air cleaner clean. Now, I don't use that saw. Moved onto bigger, better things.

Chris B.

 

[GASoline71]

Yessiree, that 041 has seen more time in wood than most people posting here have been alive! Just happens that the last owner didn't take very good care of it. If it wouldn't have been for me droppin' the ???? thing on it's handle and bustin' the case, it would still be runnin'.

Even higher end saws can have problems, but i sure don't see any posts here about brand new Stihl's, Husky's, Jred's, etc. with problems. Maybe after about 5-10 years of abuse, but that is still few-and-far-between. And by abuse I don't mean the weekend firewood cuttin' either. I'm talkin' about bein' abused in timber cutting. So continue to buy the inferior product names that keep you returnin' saws and gettin' another crappy one of the same make. The company is laffin' all the way to the bank.

Gary

 

[GASoline71]

Can I get an amen too?

You bet! AMEN, brother!

Gary