Need help with 201T: ignition problems.

[pdqdl]

OK. I had a spare (pristine new!) 201t that I moved to my house, just to keep it out of the saw-pool at work. After it had been run only a very few times and for less than just a couple of hours total time, the ignition died. No, I haven't touched any service or repair/mod whatsoever. This is a new saw (out of warranty, though), and only I am the only person to ever run it. It was never even dropped on the ground or tossed into the back of a truck.

So I brought it back to my shop, and my mechanic determined that there was no fire. After dinking around with all the other ignition components and finding nothing wrong, we purchased an Ebay ignition coil for around $45. Problem: no change! Still no spark. [We are checking the ignition with two methods: a spark-checker tool, and watching for live-fire on a grounded spark plug.]

So we are now wondering if the new coil we bought was no good. Bright idea! We swapped coils with a running 201T to see if that would work...nope. In fact, now we have TWO 201T's with no ignition. We have been going swap crazy, trying each of the coils on each of the saws, rotating the flywheels, and nothing has restored the ignition spark. Obviously, a grounded ignition wire has been looked for.

What do you think we are doing wrong? HELP!

Note: so far, I have been relying on my mechanic, who generally knows a lot more about fixing a saw than I do. This report is a compilation of my observations and what he has told me.

 

[alexcagle]

Are they m-Tronic?

 

[pdqdl]

I do not know. How do I tell?

 

[alexcagle]

The badge will say 201T C-M.

 

[pdqdl]

No. My mechanic assures me that there are no wires to the carb, and the model displayed is 201T.

 

[alexcagle]

Ok.
I don't know if you have access to Stihl tech manuals on their products, so here are couple screenshots.

 

[pdqdl]

Thank you sir.

We will be working that chart. In the meanwhile, my mechanic says he would like to know the magneto-flywheel air gap spec (if any exists).

We typically set that on a business card (.012-.015), but he thinks there might be a need for a greater than usual air gap to the magnets. I rather doubt it, but it never hurts to check.

 

[pdqdl]

Do you have troubleshooting chart 7.7 ?

 

[alexcagle]

 

[Ax-man]

If the 201 is like an ms200 and I see no reason why it wouldn't be . Check under the handle in the front of the saw by the anti vib mount . There is a wire for the kill switch leading to the module and or the ground wire to the anti vibe screw . They can become disconnected or can break at the terminal or the problem may be in the switch in the handle itself causing a dead short by not moving off the kill terminal in the handle. You won't know till you look at it by taking it apart and those handles are tricky, be careful as you take it apart they are a nightmare to figure out how to reassemble if everything starts falling apart which is easy to do. I highly doubt you have two dead modules . That just don't seem right , it has to be some little Mickey Mouse thing not causing to get spark. I have been down this road a few times with small branches getting under the handle and causing havoc with ignition system.