New echo air filter seal - poor design, dirt getting in

[PoplarSlayer]

Just bought a new CS-4910, ran 4 tanks of gas through it and pulled the air filter to clean it. I noticed it had fine dirt/particulate in the filter near where it seats to the carb, and also within the carb throat. I swabbed it out and used dielectric grease to try create a good seal. Hopefully any particulate that got in with 4 tanks of fuel did not do any significant harm.
The seal Echo uses looks flimsy and seems like it would leak, very under engineered. Anybody else have issues with the new filter design and them leaking? I know there's a guy that posted a thread about his new echo dying after 11.5 months. Turns out it was from particulate ingestion and he had to fight Echo to get his money back. Just wondering how widespread seal failure is.

 

[AGrig06]

I had the same issue. What you can do is get some tractor grease, and add a bit to the split that runs all around the filter, the intake o ring, and the hole on top of the filter, where the screw goes through. your 4910 will never eat dust again
Note: mine has 9 tanks through.

 

[AGrig06]

Just bought a new CS-4910, ran 4 tanks of gas through it and pulled the air filter to clean it. I noticed it had fine dirt/particulate in the filter near where it seats to the carb, and also within the carb throat. I swabbed it out and used dielectric grease to try create a good seal. Hopefully any particulate that got in with 4 tanks of fuel did not do any significant harm.
The seal Echo uses looks flimsy and seems like it would leak, very under engineered. Anybody else have issues with the new filter design and them leaking? I know there's a guy that posted a thread about his new echo dying after 11.5 months. Turns out it was from particulate ingestion and he had to fight Echo to get his money back. Just wondering how widespread seal failure is.

Hopefully in the future theyll use the 7310 automotive filter on the 4910 and 501 and call it the CS-5010P

 

[esean]

My Stihl 362 has the same problem. I think Stihl told some who complained that the fine powdery wood dust wasn't harmful to a 2-cycle engine. No idea how true that is.

 

[Backstage]

Motoseal the air filter to the carb.

 

[AGrig06]

Motoseal the air filter to the carb.

Or, you know, freakin JB weld the carb to the cylinder, lol, that will get rid of all the air leaks in that motor forever LOL

 

[PoplarSlayer]

My Stihl 362 has the same problem. I think Stihl told some who complained that the fine powdery wood dust wasn't harmful to a 2-cycle engine. No idea how true that is.

I doubt it's harmless, it seems fairly abrasive, but it could be minimal depending on the amount that gets in along with some other factors. There's a guy with a thread on this where he has the same echo that died twice from particle ingestion. I guess he didn't realize how it was getting in until too late.

 

[PoplarSlayer]

I had the same issue. What you can do is get some tractor grease, and add a bit to the split that runs all around the filter, the intake o ring, and the hole on top of the filter, where the screw goes through. your 4910 will never eat dust again
Note: mine has 9 tanks through.

Yeah, I used some silicone electrical grease. I expect it should do the trick. I'm gonna be at the dealer soon, I'll bring the saw w/ me and complain about it. See what they say. It's a crappy design for sure though.

 

[AGrig06]

Yeah, I used some silicone electrical grease. I expect it should do the trick. I'm gonna be at the dealer soon, I'll bring the saw w/ me and complain about it. See what they say. It's a crappy design for sure though.

The actual saw though isn't that bad.
Here are my pros and cons
Pros: -Lightweight
-Powerful (after full break-in)
-Makes nice big chips (stock chain sharpened)
-Runs really cool, well designed air cooling system
-Easy to work on, nothing in the way, etc...
-Magnesium case
-Well built in general
-Cheap as cheese

Cons: -That dirt problem, but you can fix that yourself, will probably be fixed in the future
-Stock muffler isn't the most breathable, tube and screen removal will help greatly
-Ports are a little small but it works fine as is
Those are just about the only cons I can come up with, It's a great chainsaw!

 

[PoplarSlayer]

Yup, other than the air filter seal, seems to be a great saw!

 

[Wow]

Has anyone tried Liquid Electric Tape?
I noticed a rubber seal leaking on the air filter of my 20 hp Kohler. Fine dust settled in the carb intake. I'm contemplating brushing that on the rubber seal and it dries fast. Then push air filter on the engine. Maybe the soft Liquid tape will add a fresh layer of new rubber making a good tight seal. I use it all the time and it dries like rubber. It's black so it might just add a soft lining to the seal. Anyone tried anything similar.

 

[PoplarSlayer]

Has anyone tried Liquid Electric Tape?
I noticed a rubber seal leaking on the air filter of my 20 hp Kohler. Fine dust settled in the carb intake. I'm contemplating brushing that on the rubber seal and it dries fast. Then push air filter on the engine. Maybe the soft Liquid tape will add a fresh layer of new rubber making a good tight seal. I use it all the time and it dries like rubber. It's black so it might just add a soft lining to the seal. Anyone tried anything similar.

I would test to see how it handled exposure to gasoline first. Although you probably wouldn't get much of any on a 4 stroke. How hard will it be to remove and reinstall the air filter if you use this?

 

[Kenskip1]

I had the same problem with my CS590.I used a piece of cork along with a rubber O ring problem solved.

 

[AGrig06]

I had the same problem with my CS590.I used a piece of cork along with a rubber O ring problem solved.View attachment 957355

Yep, they're just very small quarks, that, if you have common sense, can stop them. I hate those "Professional" guys who have no real experience and spend 1200 dollars on Stihl products say, "WeLL mY eChO onlY LAstEd eLevEn mOnThS" Damn right it did, it's your ass's fault it did so, not Echo's, or the Chainsaw's. You either use what common sense you have and stop the problem, or send an email to Yamabiko stating that there is a fault in the design. Thats what they WANT to hear! They WANT to make the product better. Echo is a straight to the point company, they make equipment that does the job today, and tomorrow, and next week, and next decade. Not equipment that serves you an 11oz New York Strip while doing the job.

 

[Woodchuckels]

My Stihl 362 has the same problem. I think Stihl told some who complained that the fine powdery wood dust wasn't harmful to a 2-cycle engine. No idea how true that is.

Have a 25 year old Jonsered 535 thst has been getting some wood dust in the carb throat sense day one. Still running strong.

 

[Fatherwheels]

I had the same issue. What you can do is get some tractor grease, and add a bit to the split that runs all around the filter, the intake o ring, and the hole on top of the filter, where the screw goes through. your 4910 will never eat dust again
Note: mine has 9 tanks through.

If the 4910 is the same air filter design as the SX501, then I had to grease around the O ring and
hole at the top of the filter too, no problem after that, I used vaseline, and keep one of the very
small jars in my pocket just in case I need to re do it in the heat of battle.
On the 501 saws they left a rather large hole in the case to gain access to the idle screw,
that needs plugged with a rubber grommet ot some silicone, I found that is where the very
fine dust gets into the carb box in the first place, maybe it is different on the 4910.

 

[Brufab]

I had the same problem with my CS590.I used a piece of cork along with a rubber O ring problem solved.View attachment 957355

Same here used a oring

 

[Jonny Quest]

Yep, they're just very small quarks, that, if you have common sense, can stop them.

Those quarks are very small indeed. Evidence indicates that quarks are no bigger than 10 to –4 times the size of a proton, i.e. less than 10 to –19 meters. At least that's the flavor of the day in quantum mechanics.

JQ

 

[AGrig06]

If the 4910 is the same air filter design as the SX501, then I had to grease around the O ring and
hole at the top of the filter too, no problem after that, I used vaseline, and keep one of the very
small jars in my pocket just in case I need to re do it in the heat of battle.
On the 501 saws they left a rather large hole in the case to gain access to the idle screw,
that needs plugged with a rubber grommet ot some silicone, I found that is where the very
fine dust gets into the carb box in the first place, maybe it is different on the 4910.

The idle hole isn't where most of the fines sneak in. The air comes in from under the carb, and if you look at the clutch side of the saw, you'll see an inlet going to the air box, that's where the fines get in.

 

[Chris1044]

Sounds like Echo and Stihl engineers are talking...collusion for sure!