Stihl 041av stopped suddenly won't start

[mtown]

While doing some light cutting my 041av just stopped suddenly. It had been running for 10 minutes or so. I knew there was not a lot of fuel in it so guessed it had run out of fuel even though it usually indicates low fuel by bogging a little and then I stop it .
This was sudden. I added fuel and it will not start. Tried it again today 24 hours later. Cleaned the air filter and even sprayed a small amount of starting fluid in the carb.

I have owned this saw since it was new and it has never been a problem to start.
Any help appreciated. I feel it must be electrical issue. Maybe the kill switch??

 

[Mafun464]

Does the saw have spark? That be the first thing if so then check compression. If it doesnt have spark then id check all the wires i had a saw ground split and just kill it dead in the water.

 

[mtown]

I have not checked for spark yet. Just pull the plug attach to plug wire and look for arc at plug I guess.

 

[HarleyT]

Careful checking spark, if the saw is flooded, and if you have spark, you could have a flamethrower.

 

[Mafun464]

So i have screwdriver i use to arc to so i keep plug away from anything that could cause a fire unless i cant see the spark then i use very tiny amount of fuel to see if has some spark be very careful though

 

[Patrick1903]

@mtown Here’sa good tutorial from donyboy73 on YouTube on checking spark. Lots of good content on his channel.

 

[mtown]

No spark, at least grounding it against the painted handle. It is a different plug location so I can't touch bare metal as shown.

 

[mtown]

I am thinking it is just a worn out on/off switch. The wire going to it looks fine though and it seems like that would not cause sudden stop while running fine.

 

[Old2stroke]

The switch is just a kill function and any break in the wiring won't stop the engine, a short to ground will. Eliminate it by pulling the switch wire off the coil. You need a short test lead or a small wire wound around the side electrode of the plug to connect it to a bare part of the cylinder. When doing the test, pull the engine over very fast, electronic coils require a minimum rpm before they will produce a spark.

 

[mtown]

Thank you.

 

[Patrick1903]

This is a handy tool to have to quickly test ignition without removing plug, about 5 or 10 dollars. https://www.harborfreight.com/90-in-line-spark-checker-63593.html

 

[mtown]

That is a cool tool.
I dropped the saw off to a very trusted mechanic today. His initial guess is coil went bad. After only 50 years!!! LOL

 

[vision976]

Mtown, was your 041 AV an electronic ignition model as well? If it's the model with points, condensor and coil, it should be simple to fix. If it has the dreaded SEM electronic ignition system, those usually need parts which are no longer available, except occasionally used on eBay. If it's the Bosch Electronic ignition, there is a usually a way to repair the charging/trigger circuit by mounting an external capacitor of the correct voltage and capacitance rating, removing the potting compound from the Bosch unit, cutting a printed circuit lead and then soldering a couple of wires.

There thread below explains the Bosch repair:

https://www.arboristsite.com/thread...ihl-045-056-bosch-electronic-ignition.256095/
No one has been able to remove the potting used in the SEM module, without destroying everything, but it probably fails for the same reason. The triggering capacitor goes bad over time.

Good Luck!

 

[aokpops]

I had a 041 about 30 years ago. The saw shakes apart so fast. The best thing I did was switch brands. The old man back then would cut so fast with a little saw. I bought a 50 Husqvarna back about 1988 . I was really amazed! I could get work done and not tighten one dam bolt or screw. The 041 and 028 are long gone. I still have the 50

 

[Kenskip1]

My 028, and 041 are Stihl in use. I have no problems with the 041 shaking. Long gone? I think not. These are classic saws from the Stihl line up. IMO