500i air cleaner.

Dave Shepard

Square peg, round world.
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
5,751
Location
Alford, MA
So, one of the guys where my friend works got a 500 i a couple weeks ago. Today he was blowing out the air cleaner again, so both times I've seen the saw he's got the air filter off. I told him I'd seen him blowing that air filter out more than I've ever blown out my 394/395 filters, which is exactly never. He said he brushes the filter off every tank. Did Stihl really make a pos, $1,300 saw that needs this kind of attention? Seriously, the Husky saws don't get any dirt under the filter cover, and they must be 30 year old technology by now.
 
Not a fan of the plastic finger / twist lock / cam lock system used on a lot of new pro STIHL saws. After some runtime the finger can wear and the filter can allow fines into the engine , prematurely destroying the lower end bearings. I machine an aluminum intake and use a k/n oiled filter with outwears. Hose clamp secures filter to adapter and you can cut and cut and cut and cut. Not only does it give the saw clean air , there’s a nice performance boost also ... here’s a 241c with the intake installed (originally built by Hotsaws101, torque tweeked by your truly) ... ... IMO the air cleaner system on both my 395xp and 572xp is superior to stock STIHL air cleaner system and I do not bother with the intake mods on these models...
 
I think they went with old tech air filtration, I don't know why. It's kind of like the 660 and 460. Your friend might just be more into maintenance than you and cleans all filters at the end of the day. I haven't put enough time on my 395 to tell how much dust it collects or how many fines get through, but I know Stihls tend to plug up faster. It's ok though because Stihl has a dirty air filter compensator built into the carb like they know it's a problem.
 
Last edited:
It’s really NOT ok when fines are getting thru into the intake. Kind of a “known” quantity to those who have logged a lot of hours with the STIHL pro saws. Sawdust WILL prematurely kill a saw whether in NY or Tennessee 😀 . On the larger displacement STIHLS the option of a max flow oiled foam filter exists. (460, 461, 660,661 etc) I hear some guys are shoehorning these Max flow filters from other models onto 500is , some are using washers and grease on the filter. A “quarter-twist” mechanism using plastic ain’t gonna work forever. Here’s a guy who is thinking outside the box also ....
 
A 500i is $1600 (Canadian) + 13% tax at local dealer.
A plastic pipe manufacturerr that uses chainsaws to cut pipe to length bought 6 of them, and a 500i was sitting on the Stihl counter when I went in the other day.
It was replacing one of the pipe boyz saws that had suddenly died with only a few hours on it.
 
Dust in filters come from the production of dust rather than chips.
If you get sawdust it will clogg filters, regardless of saw more or less.
If wood is rotten, or your cutting across grain etc you will get dust no matter what saw you have.

In forestry production chips is the way you get it normally and not much dust. So they design saws to handle chips, not much dust.
 
A sharp chain is always best for big chips no doubt ... I’m not talking about the dust or chips that get embedded into the filter , I’m referring to when the filter is removed for cleaning and you see fines in the carb throat - not good for longevity , any small fine that make it past seal into engine is not good ! Max-flow oiled foam element is one solution as is a velocity stack with a clamp-on filter or a machined intake with a clamp-on filter ... Example video with 661 ...
 
So, one of the guys where my friend works got a 500 i a couple weeks ago. Today he was blowing out the air cleaner again, so both times I've seen the saw he's got the air filter off. I told him I'd seen him blowing that air filter out more than I've ever blown out my 394/395 filters, which is exactly never. He said he brushes the filter off every tank. Did Stihl really make a pos, $1,300 saw that needs this kind of attention? Seriously, the Husky saws don't get any dirt under the filter cover, and they must be 30 year old technology by now.
I use a friends 500i when I fell for him and they do seem to allow a lot of material through. I knock the worse off regularly as it’s what most of us are used to doing although many of the manuals for stihl say to clean them only “when there is a noticeable loss of engine power”! Not keen on letting it build up too much although I’m sure there is a video somewhere online where a guy has ran one for a huge amount of time (when they first came out and I think for test purposes) where he hasn’t cleaned it at all and no issues?!
 
I saw that test ... 100tanks of fuel. @stig claims he has 2500hrs on one which I find hard to believe 😂
 
Right! I’d like to see that 500i that @stig claims has 2500hrs of runtime plugged in and the screenshot showing the hours of operation. This is not in accord with what other loggers who use this 500i saw 6/hrs per day are reporting about this particular model - not even close, not even HALF that runtime - and I’m sure they are doing just as much work. Oh well ... not my circus , not my clowns 🤡
 
You can run these plug in saws and check hrs runtime on them and see it is not correct on any of them.
I did it on a few and its never accurate, not in single, double or tripple numbers, so I doubt very much it is with 4 numbers.

I know loggers here run saws hard and the three I talked to did not mention any air filter issues.
6hrs is not very common. We have 8 hrs work day's here at least...
I will ask them next time they come, but I think they would mentioned this if it were a issue.
 
Hours of runtime , how many starts and a plethora of information available. In fact on some saws you MUST download software to enable new carb to function properly. Maybe does not work in Sweden, here in USA works just fine
 
Hours of runtime , how many starts and a plethora of information available. In fact on some saws you MUST download software to enable new carb to function properly. Maybe does not work in Sweden, here in USA works just fine
If you don't have the tools to connect and download there is nothing to see.
And yes, you see stuff on there, but can't affect any of it.
You can update, re-set and re-install... Thats it.
Screenshot showing 2500 hrs of runtime or I call bullshit
Good luck with that. Even if you get I am afraid it it won't help you in any way.
So a bullshiter calls out bullshit. Is that as he is surprised he sit in something or he's calling for attention?
 
With all the lying and bragging you do here, maybe you are not the one to call bullshit.
But go right ahead.
Sez you ! Remember , You are the one that made the claim of “probably 2500hrs on it without a single problem” , not me. So prove (by plugging it in to dealer software to show the total hours of runtime and post the screenshot) it! I will be first to apologize to you for calling bullshit on your statement if screenshot shows 2500hrs on your 500i. Never try and bullshit a bullshitter 😀
 
Last edited:
If you don't have the tools to connect and download there is nothing to see.
And yes, you see stuff on there, but can't affect any of it.
You can update, re-set and re-install... Thats it.

Good luck with that. Even if you get I am afraid it it won't help you in any way.
So a bullshiter calls out bullshit. Is that as he is surprised he sit in something or he's calling for attention?
Never try and bullshit a bullshitter 😀
 
Back
Top