Who warms up the engines?

[DeanBrown3D]

Whats the consensus here on warming up a chain saw before cutting? I do personally, but I know others who dont.

Sorta related to this is that when I pick up a new saw from my dealer, the guy insists on starting it up, reving it up to max when its stone cold to test the oiler. Makes me cringe.

What d'ya think?

 

[West Texas]

Had the identical experience with the dealer when I picked up a new Stihl MS361. I ran it at moderate speed for the first three tanks, before I cut with it at max rpm. And yes, I warm up my saws; but, the guys I cut with generally don't. I fine tune my carbs when the saw is hot; and, that's when it runs and performs its best.

 

[pinus]

It depends from the situation. In winter a some sorta minute to iddle is not bad before cutting, but if you are assisting logs loading or somethin that, where is from time to time necessary quickly to cut some logs to proper length, you cant waste time for warmup

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I always warm them up. No reason not to.

 

[stihlatit]

I warm them up.

Arnie

 

[Freakingstang]

I warm them up. I don't like the though of running them dry when they first fire on high idle, so I'll blip the throttle immediately after it starts and let it warm up 1-2 minutes on its own. If the carb is set up right, it will idle for days.




Steve

 

[PWB]

Never bothered warming them up, but have always been gentle with them for the first few minutes. I've been told by several people that I trust that I need to bee MORE careful with my new(used) 084. Piston tends to expand faster than the barrel and cause siezure if pushed without a warmup.

Will they warm up faster under gentle use? My vehicles will put heat out of the heater a lot sooner if the engines' are actually doing a little work. My truck (perkins diesel) won't warm up at all until it starts down the road. It will sit and smoke for hours until it works a little bit, cylinder temps are just too low for complete combustion.

 

[BigUglySquirrel]

Always warm mine up a bit. Especially in the cold. And I also blip the throttle immediately after the start to knock it to idle speed. Not sure about saws, but I know on dirt bikes (the bigger the more suseptable) it's not hard to cold seize the ring if you don't allow enough warm up time. I've always played it safe with that in mind. Also idle one tank through a brand new saw and baby them for 2 more tanks. After that, STAND BACK BOYS!! :sword:

 

[asb151]

No idle warm up but I will start with light limbing and gradually move to the bigger stuff.

 

[Mr_Brushcutter]

I warm mine up my 365 seems to stall if you try to apply full throttle just after you start it up! let it warm up for a few mins and its fine.

 

[Freakingstang]

I warm mine up my 365 seems to stall if you try to apply full throttle just after you start it up! let it warm up for a few mins and its fine.

That is because it isn't getting enough fuel at Low circuit. It must have a Zama carb. If you want to fix it, get a Walbro off of a 372. Been down that road a couple times. If yours is one of the lucky ones with a Wlabro, richen the low jet a little. Should solve it. If you keep the settings where it is at, it will continue to get worse are small particles make there way into the carb in the form of Dirt.

I put Walbros on both of mine. No off idle hesitation, Husky eventually switched to the Walbros, but mine were old enough to have the Zama's. I just don't know what year they did.



Steve

 

[tony marks]

i let it warm up less than 30 seconds... when the saws carb is ready, i let her rip.
. i will have to say,after its cut a bit they all cut with more power.. i always assumed this was because the oil
in the oiler got warmed up. mabe i oughta wait a bit longer. just figured ,theres no oil in a crank case to get warm so no need to let it warm up.

 

[WadePatton]

Yes AND I'll allow a teeny few seconds of cool-off after a hard run. (EGT habit from the Cummins trucks).

 

[Kenskip1]

Warm Up

The first thing that I do is hit the throttle and let them idle. Think about this. You are fast asleep in a nice cozy bed. Suddenly, some bozo makes you run full bore. Anyway, I slowly allow the saws to come to operating temperature.I have a ZIMA carb on my 55 and have no problems with it. The same holds true for shutting them down. In my opinion, during a full speed run the engine generates much heat. If shut off directly after this run, the saw is heat saturated. I like to let the saw idle for several minutes to help dissipate the heat generated.Ken

 

[toolfreak]

I always warm the saws up before using them. Same as getting in your truck at 20 below starting it and hitting the gas. On the other hand maybe some people do this! I don't know!

 

[Lakeside53]

always, but it doesn't take long... 30 seconds to a minute...

 

[Elmore]

After starting for the first time in a day I let mine idle for 3 minutes...no hurry.

 

[Gypo Logger]

I more or less just start it up and goose the throttle a few times and start cutting. If the saw responds well to full throttle it must be ok to put it in the wood. The outside temp. really dictates how well the fuel will burn in the combustion chamber. The colder it is the longer it takes the saw to warm up.
I have no proof that not thoroughly warming up a saw is detrimental, however, using one that is too lean is. A cold saw is a rich saw which means it's not lacking lube, so I can't see how running a cold saw is a bad thing. It either runs well or it doesn't. I guess we could debate metal expansion and contraction but I have never heard of a voided warranty because someone did't bring the saw to operating temperature or evidence of premature failure from not doing so.
John

 

[belgian]

I follow the same procedure as Gypo. As soon as the carb is ready to run (saw responds well to the trigger wihtout bogging down), I'll put the saw in the wood. While doing this, the saw will achieve its normal working temperature much faster then with idling.
A cold engine running idle will not have ideal combustion and smoke a lot more than a warm one. Car manufacteres also recommend to start driving (no high rpm though) to warm up the engine quickly, and to avoid warming it up by idling.
Roland.

 

[Wood Butcher]

Well as they say, life is a compromise! Sometimes I let them warm up and sometimes I push it if I am in a hurry. Especially if you are working, where machinery wear is a compensated factor, the minute or 2 spent warming the saw might be better spent making money and you'll be able to buy a couple saws with the difference before the extra wear would make a difference.

Everything else being equal, I prefer warm up and cool down to be gradual. When it starts I'll let it idle for a couple seconds and then run it at partial throttle for a while longer until the chain starts to throw oil.

Unlike a car, what I am trying to do is allow temperatures to gradually and equally go up or go down and not induce excessive wear into the piston/cylinder relationship.