Stihl MS270 ignition module

[a. palmer jr.]

I'm working on a Stihl MS270 which doesn't have a spark. I went through all the usual troubleshooting things to make sure it was the module and it appears to be. Looked up the module on ebay (trying to fix as cheap as possible) but there were none available with pt. no. 1133 400 1350, found lots of modules pt. no. 4137 400 1350 and they look like mine so wondering if I can get this to work. It's for a Stihl trimmer. I can find an exact replacement but it costs about what the saw is worth..
I tried this before on a Poulan ignition and found that the trimmer was reverse rotation from the saw so it wouldn't work. I don't know about the Stihl though..

 

[alexcagle]

A lot of Stihl ignitions look the same. I have used coils for TS400's on TS420's and vice versa. I couldn't tell a difference in performance. I asked a Tech teacher a few years back at Stihl, and he said that was seeming to be more of a trend that the dimensions on ignitions from Stihl were similar, but a different advance curve and rev limiters internally.

 

[alexcagle]

I'm working on a Stihl MS270 which doesn't have a spark. I went through all the usual troubleshooting things to make sure it was the module and it appears to be. Looked up the module on ebay (trying to fix as cheap as possible) but there were none available with pt. no. 1133 400 1350, found lots of modules pt. no. 4137 400 1350 and they look like mine so wondering if I can get this to work. It's for a Stihl trimmer. I can find an exact replacement but it costs about what the saw is worth..
I tried this before on a Poulan ignition and found that the trimmer was reverse rotation from the saw so it wouldn't work. I don't know about the Stihl though..

4137 series is an FS75, 80, 85 I believe.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

This ignition module looks different from almost all the other modules Stihl uses. It looks almost like a module from a Poulan Wood Shark or one of the newer Homelite plastic saws, the module sits above the flywheel instead of the traditional spot to the rear and below the flywheel. I don't think the Chinese have cloned this module either, maybe it's too low volume..

 

[a. palmer jr.]

4137 series is an FS75, 80, 85 I believe.

Yeah, it's for a trimmer. Just wondering if it could be made to work. Sometimes they change part numbers on their modules just because of a longer spark plug wire, wondering if that is the case here.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

What you need to do is go to your Stihl dealer is plunk down your $65 and tell them to order you a brand new CDI unit for your MS270. Done. Life can be very good. I called my local Stihl dealer and they told me that a CDI would be at least $200. Then they said your saw is nearly new so bring it in they would make sure it was fixed right. They went on to tell me that I could not be qualified to determine what the problem was so bring it in. They said that a diagnosis would be $100. Very disappointed I went through at least 10 CDI units that I had laying around and finally decided no more wasting my time. When visiting my mother and son 150 miles away out of season desert community went into a Stihl dealer. I walked into the dealer and told them what I wanted and they said with tax $65 come back next week. I installed and pulled on the starter rope. Suddenly I heard this noise coming from the saw and finally determined the saw was running. So that is what it is supposed to sound like. Do not waste your time get the right unit put it in and then go cut some wood. Thanks

 

[a. palmer jr.]

What you need to do is go to your Stihl dealer is plunk down your $65 and tell them to order you a brand new CDI unit for your MS270. Done. Life can be very good. I called my local Stihl dealer and they told me that a CDI would be at least $200. Then they said your saw is nearly new so bring it in they would make sure it was fixed right. They went on to tell me that I could not be qualified to determine what the problem was so bring it in. They said that a diagnosis would be $100. Very disappointed I went through at least 10 CDI units that I had laying around and finally decided no more wasting my time. When visiting my mother and son 150 miles away out of season desert community went into a Stihl dealer. I walked into the dealer and told them what I wanted and they said with tax $65 come back next week. I installed and pulled on the starter rope. Suddenly I heard this noise coming from the saw and finally determined the saw was running. So that is what it is supposed to sound like. Do not waste your time get the right unit put it in and then go cut some wood. Thanks

The problem is it's not my saw, I'm working on it for someone else and there's a few other parts it also needs. I have an MS280 but mine's working fine. I just don't imagine the owner of the saw is wanting to plunk down enough money to fix all that's wrong with the saw and I was looking for a cheap way out for him. Maybe that's not possible. I'll see him tomorrow and see what he thinks.

 

[Marc bourgon]

I'm working on a Stihl MS270 which doesn't have a spark. I went through all the usual troubleshooting things to make sure it was the module and it appears to be. Looked up the module on ebay (trying to fix as cheap as possible) but there were none available with pt. no. 1133 400 1350, found lots of modules pt. no. 4137 400 1350 and they look like mine so wondering if I can get this to work. It's for a Stihl trimmer. I can find an exact replacement but it costs about what the saw is worth..
I tried this before on a Poulan ignition and found that the trimmer was reverse rotation from the saw so it wouldn't work. I don't know about the Stihl though..

Hi sir what did you end up doing ???

 

[LegDeLimber]

The magnetic poles of the flywheel need to be in the correct sequence
and same number as the flywheel that the donor ignition came from.
IF those are a match, you should have a fair chance of it running.

Next question would be if there are any noteworthy differences in spark advance curves.
Also, we ask if the donor ignition is rev limited to a speed that causes problems with the repaired unit.

A leaf blower ignition may be limited to around 8000~9000 rpm
So that could be a problem for a modern saw.

Of course the laminations or iron core needs to match the radius of the flywheel
If you didn't swap the coil onto the original core.
We can't get a proper/reasonable air gap if things aren't pretty close to the same curve.

 

[pioneerguy600]

@a. palmer jr.