Premixed gas to cure carb issuses.

Ax-Man

Ax-Man

Don't make me chop you
Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
705
Location
N.E. Illinois
I had to change Stihl dealers as my old dealer finally have to give up his business due to health issuses and financial troubles due to increased competition.

I was at my new dealer picking up parts. The subject of crummy gas and carb troubles came up. The tech said to try some of this new premixed gas you can buy in a can to clean out a carb. They have been using the new gas in the shop and say it works . It was worth a try to me as I hate tearing down a carb so I bought some to try on a few saws that are running doggy. I hope it works.

A small 32 0z. can cost about $4.00. Not going to running much of this that is for sure but it seems to popular with homeowners. The dealer told me that Stihl is going to be coming out with their own stuff soon, get this, that same 32 oz. can from Stihl is going to cost almost $ 9.00. That is a heck of a mark-up.

I don't know if this will work but it is worth a try before tearing into a carb or buying a new one.

Anyone have thoughts on this.
 
Seems like a stopgap measure, Larry. Even if it helps a poor running carb, wouldn't the same problem crop up sooner than later when you go back to running your standard mix day to day?
 
Read through the "Premium gas" thread Larry, this has been hit upon there as well. Burnham's point is valid, if you keep running the same crappy gas, it will clog up again, maybe even sooner than the last time?
Look at buying the best gas you can find and adding some stabilizer to it, like Stabil, to help. It's going to get a LOT worse soon with the addition of E15 coming soon!
 
that canned stuff runs super lean and if you run it a lot you'll end up always ajusting the carb but if you only use it if you run out of fuel on a job it works great
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
I kind of have the same feelings like Burnham and Andy mentioned. Just sounds to easy and nothing ever comes easy for me as a rule.

I am getting on the synthetic bandwagon next time my 5 gallon cans need to be refilled. I hope this helps also.

No Stabil for me there is already a fuel stabilizer in the Stihl mix. I personally don't have any experience with Stabil but I have been cruising around some of the small engine forums lately and from what I read if a carb sits long enough and the fuel totally evaporates out of it the residue that is leftover is much worse than the leftover residue from the additives and trash that is put into pump gas.

This gas issue along with some of these carbs that Stihl puts on their equipment is getting old and not to mention frustrating. Yesterday it was my HT 75 I got running again last summer, last use was about a month ago. Yesterday it would start but no acceleration and wouldn't hold an idle. I said to myself " Wonderful another carb and another stellar Stihl moment to enjoy and ponder upon". I got the carb unstuffed today and was using it today with no problems. Before that it was 550 clearing saw I couldn't get started due to the inlet screen being plugged not with the usual junk but a very thin coating of leftover gas residue. Got it going but still didn't run right doggone plastic inlet fitting on the pump side was leaking air through the threads ,primer bulb also was in cahoots with the inlet needle it wouldn't prime the metering side even though it was picking fuel from the tank. After I got it running is would bleed down making it hard for a restart.:X:X This clearing saw hasn't been sitting around that much either.It is just plain annoying to have to take time out to tinker with these carbs.

Now we go to the other end of spectrum and if someone can explain this to me I am all ears. I finally got my 028 Super with the leaky crank seal fixed. It has been sitting in a box for almost 4 months now and wasn't being used that much before the partial teardown. I got it back together, no carb problems from evaporated gas, no blocked passages, no worn out diapharams. Nada. I just retune and away we go with another oldy but goody saw. Go figure. The last time this thing ever had it's carb apart was maybe 10 years ago. I really can't remember to be honest.

Sorry for the rant but I have a 200 coming up that my son told me it wasn't running right . This was 3 months ago. I am going to try this premixed stuff first if the problem is with the carb and see if it will at least clean out a carb instead of me getting into the carb and cleaning it. I'll post the results good or bad.
 
I think you will find that if you are using the Stihl full synthetic with some really good fuel (Chevron and Texaco it used to be here) your troubles will diminish to a degree. I do not use a stabilizer either. Not like I have old fuel anyway :lol: Probably need to start ordering it like Stig does. :lol: If you can buy from somewhere in your area something with out ethanol in it.. Go for it. About all I will use those little cans for is storing equipment. Put a little in the tank and run it after it had been ran out.. Hang it up till you need it next season. But now that I run avgas (if I can keep getting it :/: ) I will eliminate that also.
Please also note that most all my saws in the Stihl line have a 0 in the front of the number... save the 200Ts
I actually find my huskys more finicky about tuning to the sweet spot. They are newer models. They are also my throw away saws ..... Ahhh geeez is that gonna start something.. :lol:
 
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  • #7
I run premuim in all of my small air cooled engines. Most of the time I use BP fuel but also use Shell and Citgo. All of my girlfriends and mistresses work at the Citgo station:lol:
 
:lol:
I can relate.
:lol:
The Texaco I still get two large coffees for every visit so I don't feel the loss as much. All the girls I knew that worked at the saw shop or fuel stations are gone except one. And I won't buy their fuel. But they make a good breakfast, good coffee and she is HOT.
 
Ax-Man said:
Sorry for the rant but I have a 200 coming up that my son told me it wasn't running right . This was 3 months ago. I am going to try this premixed stuff first if the problem is with the carb and see if it will at least clean out a carb instead of me getting into the carb and cleaning it. I'll post the results good or bad.
Click to expand...

That 200 probabley suffers from the malady of about 25 percent with the damned carb .
Although people have attemted to explain it too me I never fully got it .Inside that little gizmo is a type of accelerator pump and evidently if that thing malfunctions therein lies the problem .

I did the red loctite thing on both of mine in an attempt to fix perhap an air leak on the diaphragm side of the carb that I assumed they had .That fixed one out of two .The other one which won't accelerate now I'm going to delve into .If I find anything I'll make a thread on it .Frustrating little rascals they are .
 
Al, the red loctite trick worked on mine too. Gas in a can to fix a gummy carb? sorry, I'd run either stabil or lucas fuel treatment,which works well imo.
 
New for 2011 NEW! STA-BIL® Ethanol Treatment

* Perfect for use in cars, trucks and small engines!
* Prevents corrosion caused by today’s Ethanol blended fuels
* Helps remove water from Fuel
* Cleans fuel injectors, carburetors and intake valves for better, overall performance
* Recommended for use at every fill up

http://www.goldeagle.com/products/10_oz_ethanol.aspx
 
I don't know if solvent carb cleaner would do any good or not for a chainsaw carb .Some of the older stuff would eat up the aluminum so I never tried it myself .Really toxic stuff too .
 
They had some stuff a long time ago that came in a five gallon bucket with a lid on it and a wire basket within in .I never did it but have heard of people leaving a carb from a car to soak too long and it ate the danged thing up .Whatever it was it's probabley not even made anymore .

It's odd though .Some of that antique stuff that was ran on oil rich fuel works just fine after sitting tweny years .Others are so full of varnish it takes forever and a day to fix them .

I wouldn't think that would be a problem on something as new as perhaps a 200T Stihl .They aren't that old .The gas is funky but it isn't that funky .
 
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  • #18
I tried this premix in a can in the hopes of getting a cheap fix. The results are mixed.

Now for the "story". I'll try to keep this brief and to the point.

Subject saw is ms 200 T that has not run all winter till a few days ago. Main complaint with the saw is no acceleration and dies when trigger is pulled.

I do get saw started, feels low on compression while doing this but continue anyway, saw starts and holds good idle, but sure enough no go when accelerated and dies like it is lean carb setting. I dump fuel and put in canned premix with no additional carb settings or monkeying around with it. Restart saw and let idle letting premix work on the carb. Pick up saw and see if it will accelerate and it does better than the first try and doesn't die. Restart and let idle for a little longer. Second attempt and we get better acceleration. I am beginning to think there might something to this. Finally we do get good acceleration. Saw runs like it should. Shut it down but it flunkes the tree trimmer test not wanting to restart on first pull. This is when I find the spark plug is loose which is why the saw felt it was low on compression. Fix that little problem and we are now passing the tree trimmer test whith good restarts and good acceleration.

Happy with the results so far I shut down the saw for another tree trimmmer test. This time letting the saw get a little cold for restarting. We pass this test but accerleation is doggy again . Adjust carb to richen and problem goes away but we are still flunking the tree trimmer test for acceleration after a slight cold shutdown. Keep moving L screw to richen and problem goes away but now a red flag is up so I take carb apart and throughly clean and find nothing in carb to cause any problem.Reassemble, set carb to regular setting and pressure test carb for leaks . We are good to go.

Saw starts but still have doggy accleration. Richen up a little and problem goes away ony this time we start to pass tree trimmer test with quick restarts either cold or hot. I feel I might have actually fixed this saw. I am not satisfiied until one more tree trimmer test is done.

This test is the overnight test in a cold garage or truck. This test consists of starting by the fouth pull and rapid clean acceleration even if the engine is not warm and up to full operating temp. You may or may not have a little chain run on till the engine warms up to operating temp but that doesn't concern me as long as the saw settles down after it gets up to operating temperture which doesn't take long.

The saw flunked this test miserabley. Hard to get started. No acceleration to speak of but would still hold idle and not die . I was back to square one. Conclusion being that the premix may work for someone else but not me. The saw either has a plain bad carb with a bad acclerator pump or and air leak. I suspect I am going to have to get a new carb for it or fix an air leak but neither of that is going to happen in the immediate future. This story sounds all to familiar doesn't it???
 
I went through this not that long ago Larry! Finally after the third of fourth try of cleaning the carb on my 200t, I went balls to the wall with compressed air. All of the sudden this little rice looking chunk of crab got blown out. Runs like a champ now!
 
Sounds like the diaphragm starting to get stiff and you will need to adjust the fulcrum to make up for it. Just my WAG across the world wide web.
 
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  • #22
CurSedVoyce said:
Did you pull the muffler apart yet? Not just the screen?
Click to expand...
Not yet, that will come if I have to check for an air leak . I just have to get geared up and in the right frame of mind to do it. I doubt I''ll find anything in there though, but you never know.
 
Mine acted similar when I sent it to Brian. The little passage in the muffler was clogged.
What Cut For Fun also pointed out. I have had the metering inlet give me grief on more than a few saws. Just fixed that on the 044. Turned out I had somehow bent the inlet control lever on the inlet needle down when I was putting the carb back together. Gave me grief. I cleaned that carb then put in the kit and then cleaned it again. Looked at it one more time and saw what it was... DOH!
Also had one like Andy was talking about. It was a piece of like varnish down in the inlet you could not see until it just decided to come loose and there it was. Had been intermittently clogging the inlet at the needle.
 
It really doesn't take much of an obstruction ,piece of crud or misadjustment to screw up a little saw carb .It's surprising they do as well as they do especially considering the environment they operate it .
 
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