Muffler work MS 200T/ Breathing

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BostonBull

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What if anything can be done to the MS200T muffler for more power? Will just taking that spark arrestor "tube" out and putting a screen over its insertion hole help for better airflow? Or will a bigger or more holes need to be drilled? If so where? What about custom air filter while keeping the stock air filter cover?
 
It's a very highly tuned saw as is... Not sure I'd be messing too much with the muffler, but I do know that there's a plle of old screens at the bottom of many tall trees. Just don't get caught without one...


One thing to check regularly though is the condition of the screen. If it's blocked, you loose power big time. If it's not, doesn't seem to affect performance. Try it with a clean screen in and out -I didn't see much difference. Usually get blocked by long rich idle times while hanging from a climber or on the ground.
 
Here's the best two threads on 200T muffler mods...The gains will be easily 20% in power, and the saw will run cooler and last longer. Only problem, the current 200T carbs may need to be modified. All I've done to mine is pull the screen, and I have the high speed jet as rich as it will go, and it is still about 15,000 rpm..I'd prefer to be able to adjust it richer if need be.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=24537&highlight=200T+muffler

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=13922&highlight=Springtime+muffler+mods

I partially agree with lakeside, as the 200T is pretty fast in stock form. That is why I haven't had it fully modded by ehp, even though his work results in a 60-70% faster cutting saw!!!! To me, that is overkill for a tree saw, and adds $200 to an already expensive saw that likely won't last as long as a larger saw. But ole rborist1 has one with another on the way, so I may just have to join the foooollllll. :cool:
However, I am a modded saw junkie, as I have about 14 partially or fully modded saws, and ehp is doing 4 more!!! The only stockers in regular use are the 200T and my 066 which came stock with the dual port muffler, and puts out close to 1 hp more than the current 660.
 
On running "hot", the 020/200t is a poor design. It gets stuffed full of junk around the cylinder to the point it can barely cool at all. I see 4-5 of these a week and they are all packed, and worse, the heat from the cylinder melts the resin/wood junk on the fins making a tough epoxy like covering.

Take the two covers off (real easy), blow out the junk, and dig it out around the cylinder base every week or so of hard use. Obviously if you're not cutting pitchy wood, you have less of a problem so gauge your maintenance need on what you're cutting.

Hot and poor design or not, these saws are amazingly bullet proof. Unless the air filter is shot or the saw run without one, I never see a bad cylinder/piston/bearings, and many of these saws are beat up beyond belief with 1000's of hours of use.

One thing that causes (sometimes intermitant) poor high end performance, or a "lag" on accelaration when cold, is the impulse line. It's just a piece of fuel line (Stihl really good fuel line, not the aftermarket stuff) that with heat and time get's flattened a little where it enters the engine cover. The fix (from Stihl) is to take out the hose, drill out the plastic case square hole with a 1/4 inch drill, and put in a new hose.
 
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