So what do you guys think about your first autotune or mtronic saw after you have ran regular carbs for years??

[Wood Doctor]

My Stihl MS441cm runs flawlessly once I get it started. But, it never lets me know when it is ready to run whenever I start it cold. Suddenly, it just takes off like a bandit with no warning. That's my only complaint. It has lots of power when it runs, idles perfectly, and never stalls out.

 

[Khntr85]

My Stihl MS441cm runs flawlessly once I get it started. But, it never lets me know when it is ready to run whenever I start it cold. Suddenly, it just takes off like a bandit with no warning. That's my only complaint. It has lots of power when it runs, idles perfectly, and never stalls out.

Wow that’s strange!!!!

 

[Husky77]

I got a 550xpg and very good, I been tuning carbs for years and this has been great, I would like to run a little richer but thats just me it runs fine and always spot on. The down side is if you ever need to change a coil (very rare) you would need to take it to a dealer to have the carb plugged in and matched to the coil. All I wanted from my saw was to know the hours run time and H & L setting numbers, dealer said it wouldnt tell me that and would cost £50 ($63) for half hours work. Even if I just took the carb it, making it less than 5 mins work. Never went back there. So in a nut shell they are great when they are going but can work out $$ if you cant do it yourself. Such is the way of tools these days they want you to keep buying new and this wont last as long as my 1980s saws.

 

[Khntr85]

I got a 550xpg and very good, I been tuning carbs for years and this has been great, I would like to run a little richer but thats just me it runs fine and always spot on. The down side is if you ever need to change a coil (very rare) you would need to take it to a dealer to have the carb plugged in and matched to the coil. All I wanted from my saw was to know the hours run time and H & L setting numbers, dealer said it wouldnt tell me that and would cost £50 ($63) for half hours work. Even if I just took the carb it, making it less than 5 mins work. Never went back there. So in a nut shell they are great when they are going but can work out $$ if you cant do it yourself. Such is the way of tools these days they want you to keep buying new and this wont last as long as my 1980s saws.

Ok I don’t know for sure but I thought I heard long ago that stihls mtronic can see hours of use and some other interesting things….do you know if that’s true???

 

[GenXer]

I got my FS560C back in 2016. Other than cleaning the spark arrestor it's been great. Runs great in all temps. Was -10C today cleaning up snowmobile trails, just the blade froze up between stops.

 

[chainbrake]

Have you taken apart the 034"s 2 piece air cleaner? the screen clogs up with oil. I sprayed starting fluid from the inside out then blew them out with air, made a big difference. Also like my 261C over my 034.

Air cleaner is fine, but thanks for asking.
Right now, I think one of the problems is the drive sprocket on the clutch. It's a bit worn, causing the newish chain to bind and stretch faster than it should. I think that is robbing a little HP.

I'm also going to take the whole top half apart. I want to look at the jug. If it is still in good shape, I want to port and polish it then cut some of the guts out of the muffler to relieve some back pressure. It's always had a weak/narrow power band, a bit gutless. This two-cycle has never ever seemed to want to "get up on pipe" the way my dirt bikes used to when I had them running right. I pulled the muffler and saw no scratches on the piston, so I am hopeful I can do the top half rebuild without getting a new piston and cylinder. It has been a solid saw for years, just not as peppy as I think it can be. It struggles when I bury the 16" bar in maple or birch - even a bit on some softer woods.

 

[bwalker]

Air cleaner is fine, but thanks for asking.
Right now, I think one of the problems is the drive sprocket on the clutch. It's a bit worn, causing the newish chain to bind and stretch faster than it should. I think that is robbing a little HP.

I'm also going to take the whole top half apart. I want to look at the jug. If it is still in good shape, I want to port and polish it then cut some of the guts out of the muffler to relieve some back pressure. It's always had a weak/narrow power band, a bit gutless. This two-cycle has never ever seemed to want to "get up on pipe" the way my dirt bikes used to when I had them running right. I pulled the muffler and saw no scratches on the piston, so I am hopeful I can do the top half rebuild without getting a new piston and cylinder. It has been a solid saw for years, just not as peppy as I think it can be. It struggles when I bury the 16" bar in maple or birch - even a bit on some softer woods.

Sounds like a carb tuning issue...which is why AT and MT are a good thing.

 

[bwalker]

The m-tronic 261c is a impressive when compared to an old 026 or ms260. Almost like a different saw. I'm really impressed with that model. I ran a 462 recently with a 32 inch bar and it didn't blow my skirt up. My old 046 mag was beating it up pretty good on 30 inch oak and eucalyptus. I looked up the specs because it just didn't seem right. Then I noticed it's a smaller saw. It's a 72 cc saw in a lighter platform. Does great with 24 and 28 inch bars but full depth 32" it lags. My 046 is closer to 81 cc and will handle a 36" stick pretty well. So one m troniic I love the other I didn't love so much.

The 026 and 260 in stock form were turds, so I have no doubt you like the 261 better.

 

[bwalker]

I have 3 saws all stihl - 088, 460 and 261CM, so two with adjustable carbs and one mtronic. I do (try) and tune the two bigs saws, but Im definitely not an expert. All use the same alkalyte fuel. The mtronic 261 starts WAY easier than the others, but I dread the day anything goes wrong with it, because I will be at the mercy of a saw shop and it’ll be an expensive repair or I’ll have to put in an adjustable carb and ignotion unit, or buy a new saw. Having a spare saw ready to go is always a good idea. The 460 can do anything the 261 could.

Mtronic is a regular carb with a fuel compensating solenoid. Very simple.
We are not talking rocket science here.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Great if you don’t know how to tune a chainsaw. If you know how, it’s nice having the ability to tweak it to how you like it to run.

 

[bwalker]

Great if you don’t know how to tune a chainsaw. If you know how, it’s nice having the ability to tweak it to how you like it to run.

The number of guys that can tune a saw properly is very small.
I know how to tune a saw and it's very nice not having to worry about it. Especially since I may be cutting at a few thousand feet of elevation one day and 9000 the next.

 

[bwalker]

Love my 261CM, but there is a learning curve with shutting off a Mtronic saw too fast, especially on a hot day.. Couldn't get this thing restarted so many times because shutting down too fast. The solution, always let these saws cool down for 30 seconds.

I've read many comments like this.
I've never noticed my 400C requiring anything special when starting or stopping. I run it like any other chainsaw and the only issue I had was caused by a dead coil.

 

[Franny K]

I wouldn’t over think it brother!!!!!l

Guess the simple question is, do you like the saw??

It is made more like to a price point than I expected. They went to the fuel tank going under the rear handle so in a class that might be top of the line battery competitive it will have the range. Under 400 grams of fuel per kwh is pretty impressive as well.

As to the autotune I guess I tune when it seems necessary and end up pretty similar. It is unlikely others will see this observation, when I have deviated a lot from as delivered the carb had double D adjusters and the little hole in the limiter cap has been sufficient in another case.

 

[muddy42]

Mtronic is a regular carb with a fuel compensating solenoid. Very simple.
We are not talking rocket science here.

So can I replace this fuel solenoid myself?

I'm all for progress but I dislike anything proprietary or that needs plugging in to diagnose it. Its the same for modern cars, security alarms etc. This just seems to be a recipe for unscrupulous repair shops to inflate their prices and reduce their service. It also puts the smaller repair people out of business that don't have this specialist equipment.

Don't get me wrong I like my mtronic 261, but I specifically only bought it in the knowledge that at the first sign of issues or threat of a large bill, I can fit an adjustable carb and ignition unit. I hope I won't have to do this for many years, but that's my insurance.

 

[lone wolf]

So can I replace this fuel solenoid myself?

I'm all for progress but I dislike anything proprietary or that needs plugging in to diagnose it. Its the same for modern cars, security alarms etc. This just seems to be a recipe for unscrupulous repair shops to inflate their prices and reduce their service. It also puts the smaller repair people out of business that don't have this specialist equipment.

Don't get me wrong I like my mtronic 261, but I specifically only bought it in the knowledge that at the first sign of issues or threat of a large bill, I can fit an adjustable carb and ignition unit. I hope I won't have to do this for many years, but that's my insurance.

Yes you can replace it easily.

 

[muddy42]

Yes you can replace it easily.

great

 

[sean donato]

So can I replace this fuel solenoid myself?

I'm all for progress but I dislike anything proprietary or that needs plugging in to diagnose it. Its the same for modern cars, security alarms etc. This just seems to be a recipe for unscrupulous repair shops to inflate their prices and reduce their service. It also puts the smaller repair people out of business that don't have this specialist equipment.

Don't get me wrong I like my mtronic 261, but I specifically only bought it in the knowledge that at the first sign of issues or threat of a large bill, I can fit an adjustable carb and ignition unit. I hope I won't have to do this for many years, but that's my insurance.

There's nothing you need to plug in to diagnose the saws. It's a carb with a metering seliniod. Dead simple compared to even the first fuel injection systems. Multimeter and spark checker is all you should ever need.

 

[farmer steve]

Ok I don’t know for sure but I thought I heard long ago that stihls mtronic can see hours of use and some other interesting things….do you know if that’s true???

I'm not sure what all they can pull off of it but I think I recall my dealer guy telling me they can get # of hours run on a saw. Possibly max RPM's the saw was run at too. I'll see him next week and check.

 

[Khntr85]

I'm not sure what all they can pull off of it but I think I recall my dealer guy telling me they can get # of hours run on a saw. Possibly max RPM's the saw was run at too. I'll see him next week and check.

Ya good deal let me know if you remember…I was talking to the guys at a shops week or 2 ago and I thought they said the same thing…

 

[Doorfx]

Ms241c only cutting pine, spruce , poplar and occasional fir. Hands down the most reliable saw I’ve ever owned. Always starts, never misses a beat. I have an old 036 super if I need a bigger bar than 16”. Ms170 for small light work. It is also super dependable.
I’m in the Canadian Rockies so elevation changes are 3000’ to 8500’ never an issue. The 036 needs a little carb tweak but pretty simple.