Stihl 200T problems.

[joejoesaw]

My brother just gave me an old 200T chainsaw that he just had laying around in his garage. He told he that he remember that it was not working properly last time he had used it, which was like two years ago. I took it home and took it apart and gave it a good cleaning. Took the car and everything apart to make sure there were no hoses with cuts or anything. So then I put it back together and added gas into it and gave it a pull. It turns on right away and run if I push on the gas. But when I go to cut it just bugs out. It turns back on right away though and still runs if I give it gas, just when I go to cut it bugs out. So I took the clutch cover off, bar, and chain. I turned it on and it runs pretty good when I give it gas. So I grabbed a piece of wood and put pressure on the clutch and spur and when I put enough pressure the engine dies every time.

What could be causing the problem?? bad compression or a bad carb?? When I took it apart I did not think of checking the piston for scratches. Thanks a lot.

 

[lone wolf]

Well we need to start here , do a compression test first.

 

[joejoesaw]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply. I was just looking online for a compression gauge, running down to AutoZone to get one. What psi reading should I be looking for in a good 200T engine?.

 

[lone wolf]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply. I was just looking online for a compression gauge, running down to AutoZone to get one. What psi reading should I be looking for in a good 200T engine?.

150 or a bit higher. pull it about 12 times or until the gauge stops rising when testing. Also if you take the saw apart and get the muffler off have a look at the piston and rings in the exhaust port. Maybe try tuning the carb before you tear it down, turn both the high and low jets in clockwise till they seat lightly dont force you will damage, then turn both out 1 full turn counter clockwise , see if this helps.

 

[lone wolf]

Another thing I thought of is look under the handle air filter box on the left side just under the air filter area and look for a vac- impulse line with a flashlight make sure it is connected under the air box and tight. The carb could have a vac leak can you take some pics of the style i want to see if it is the type with an accelerator pump or not. It would look like this pic here. Does it have the plug that the green arrow is pointing to?

 

[joejoesaw]

I did compression test a few times and it reads between 130-135 psi. So after seeing that I took the muffle off really quick and the piston looks pretty scratch up. Here are some pictures of the piston. I did not try tuning the carb but I think the problem is the bad compression, right? Thanks a lot.

 

[lone wolf]

Toast my friend. Keep ripping it down. We are going to have some work to do now.

 

[joejoesaw]

Well at least it was a free saw. I do not mind investing some money on it to getting running properly. So I took the carb out I will post a few pictures of it. The rubber boot going from the carb to the cylinder head still is in good shape, no cuts or tears. The fuel line and the two other hoses were secured properly. I believe one of them is the vac hose that you mention. Both of them are also still in good condition. Here is another picture of the top of the piston. I found some aftermarket Cylinder Head Piston Kits online, I am assuming I need one of those kits, also do you have any suggestion to a good brand? Thanks again.

 

[lone wolf]

If you decide to go aftermarket talk to Definitive Dave he is great help and great prices.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/conversations/add?to=Definitive+Dave

 

[lone wolf]

Lets see some pics of the cyl damage ,half the time the cylinders can be cleaned up. You need to put new crank seals in there in case that is what caused the meltdown. Is the piston score on one side or two sides that may be telling of the cause. It is important after you rebuild to vac test the engine also to avoid another situation like this.
If you need an IPL for that saw PM me your email address. Or the repair manual. I have both.

 

[joejoesaw]

I have it completely dismantled at the moment. I took the cylinder out and all. It took a bit but I got it out. Here is the damage on the cylinder. I can actually feel the scrapes created by the piston inside of the cylinder with my finger, One side got hit the worse. Crazy. I just have to find the Kit. I am going to wait for Definitive Dave and see what he says.

 

[lone wolf]

Kinda looks like a classic 4 corner seizure due to too much heat. It must have been running too lean to cause this I can guess, replace the seals and gaskets and pressure test when all done. If Dave dont get back PM me Ill give you his cell number.

 

[lone wolf]

You need a cylinder and piston, a base gasket 2 crank seals but if you were wise you would buy 3 or 4 cause sure as hell you will wreck one or more at first try.

 

[joejoesaw]

I was just going to buy the cylinder and piston kit but thanks a lot for telling me about the gaskets. I will make sure to to buy a few. While waiting to buy the kit I cleaned everything really good, spent a couple of hours on the cleaning but I think it will be worth it. It's going to look almost new, I just hope it runs once I put it back together... Thanks a lot for the IPL and repair manual. It help a lot when taking out the piston itself. I will keep you posted. Thanks again.

 

[lone wolf]

I was just going to buy the cylinder and piston kit but thanks a lot for telling me about the gaskets. I will make sure to to buy a few. While waiting to buy the kit I cleaned everything really good, spent a couple of hours on the cleaning but I think it will be worth it. It's going to look almost new, I just hope it runs once I put it back together... Thanks a lot for the IPL and repair manual. It help a lot when taking out the piston itself. I will keep you posted. Thanks again.

Any up and down play in the crank bearings, some side to side is OK up and down is not.

 

[joejoesaw]

I will give them a check side to side and up and down. But when I was taking it apart and messing with the piston the bearings seem pretty solid. Did not notice them to have any play in any direction. But I will double check just to make sure.

 

[treebilly]

If it doesn't run once you put it together I'll pay for shipping. I need another one for my saw guy to fix up for me.

 

[pro94lt]

Look close at the picture on the cylinder where the intake boot goes on... Looks off center. I've had 200s ripped out of my hands and actually rip out the rubber AV mounts off from to big and letting off the throttle to quick topping, and my guess is it pulled the intake boot loose, then the saw could become lean and do the damage. Check it out what do you think?

 

[joejoesaw]

If it doesn't run once you put it together I'll pay for shipping. I need another one for my saw guy to fix up for me.

Haha, no I am determine to get this saw running. After all it was a free saw, so the only money I am putting in it is the cost of the Cylinder and Piston Kit. Thanks for the offer though.

 

[joejoesaw]

Look close at the picture on the cylinder where the intake boot goes on... Looks off center. I've had 200s ripped out of my hands and actually rip out the rubber AV mounts off from to big and letting off the throttle to quick topping, and my guess is it pulled the intake boot loose, then the saw could become lean and do the damage. Check it out what do you think?

Yeah you are right. It does look off center. I inspected the boot to make sure it didn't had any tears or cut when I took out and it didn't, but I did not check to see if it was sitting there properly before I took it out. I am going to make sure it is tightly secure once I put everything back together. That could have been part of the problem if it wasn't sitting there properly. I think the major factor that cause the damage was an improper mix of oil and gas.