saws with mind of their own
- Thread starter cory
- Start date
- Replies 77
- Views 3K
Nutball
TreeHouser
Just to make you feel better, some Stihls require you hold full throttle for nearly a minute to reset the Mtronic, so that shouldn't have caused any problems, unless something else was already seriously wrong. Maybe it was low compression from a scored piston, and the rings may have finally failed. Maybe a loose spark plug, and it could have popped the plug out.
huskihl
Treehouser
Only 6-8 seconds of that is wide open rpm though. Most of it is mid range tuning at around 8K
Nutball
TreeHouser
Right, I forgot it does that. As far as heat goes, most of it goes straight into the muffler, so any real risk of full throttle no load damage would come from high rpm stress, but they have a rev limiter for a reason. That being said, I don't even like my saws to hit the rev limiter if I can help it, just keep them in the wood.
As a random side note, seafoam is mainly naptha, aka white gas, with a bit of isopropyl alcohol and diesel (and likely trace amounts of other stuff) added. So if you're working on bigger stuff just get some cheaper camp stove fuel and use that to clean it up a bit, been doing that for years and it works great.
Burnham
Woods walker
No such thing as inexpensive stove fuel these days. Have you priced a gallon any time recent? This for a QUART!!!
It costs in the neighborhood of $20/gallon for Coleman at my local hardware store.
It costs in the neighborhood of $20/gallon for Coleman at my local hardware store.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #60
Lil follow up here. I took the saw which popped and died to the dealer, they made me feel both very dumb and very happy when they removed the loose spark plug, replaced it with new, and saw runs perfectly.
Burnham
Woods walker
It often can be the little things. I always try to check the basics first, but I sometimes get too wrapped up in theoretical problem solving and overlook that first simple step.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Thanks for reporting back.
Before messing with other ideas, a new fuel filter, clean air filter, and a good plug with a tight plug wire are my go-to's.
Recently, my chipper was giving me electrical troubles.
I figured it might be an intermittently charging alternator. The alternator was at least 16 years old ( as best I can remember, I've never changed it). I thought maybe it's the voltage regulator... maybe...
My neighbor Charlie asked if the belt was tight.
Six months ago, he installed 2 new belts when he changed the water pump for me.
Should be good.
Belts could have stretched.
For no known reason, one alternator bolt was loose, and the belts were loose. A failed helicoil repair, from a past issue, allowed the bolt to come loose.
I don't know a good phrase and acronym for the sentiment of Check All Basics First.
Before messing with other ideas, a new fuel filter, clean air filter, and a good plug with a tight plug wire are my go-to's.
Recently, my chipper was giving me electrical troubles.
I figured it might be an intermittently charging alternator. The alternator was at least 16 years old ( as best I can remember, I've never changed it). I thought maybe it's the voltage regulator... maybe...
My neighbor Charlie asked if the belt was tight.
Six months ago, he installed 2 new belts when he changed the water pump for me.
Should be good.
Belts could have stretched.
For no known reason, one alternator bolt was loose, and the belts were loose. A failed helicoil repair, from a past issue, allowed the bolt to come loose.
I don't know a good phrase and acronym for the sentiment of Check All Basics First.
Burnham
Woods walker
A classic example.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Easy to fall victim to think of what has happened to us before, or is out of our wheelhouse to fix.
That's crazy, i seldom buy the Coleman brand since they just stamp their name on it, they don't own a refinery. Here's it at walmart around here, 15 bucks a gallon, which is dramatically cheaper than seafoam, which apparently a regional thing. I would have never believed they could mark something up that much, that sucks. Do you have any of the old school handwarmers? Hell i couldn't afford to use them for that much!
I still got some jon e fluid for mine, i bought a bunch in bulk very cheap and then worked at a spot where they didn't allow them (chemical plants) so i still got some left. From my understanding it's all the same product, naphtha, and are considered specialty naphtha blends because they are tweaked to certain uses such as lighter fluid, camp stove fuel, hand warmer fluid, thinner, etc). The best way to match them is to check the msds sheets and look at the boiling point of the "preferred naphtha" and compare it to the msds boiling point of the naphtha you want to use, i would bother with that only if i was gonna start using a new fluid in the handwarmers or a lighter since those are in your pocket.
Hardware and painting stores often have naphtha vm&p, which would work fine as a seafoam substitution too since it's just pure naphtha. I think it has a slightly lower boiling point, which would mean it's got more of the smaller c-h molecules, which means it evaporates quicker so it makes one of the best oil paint thinners out there, which is exactly how seafoam works. I just looked for it at menards online locally, it's 16 a gallon. All it does is dissolve the heavier hydrocarbons that have been left by replacing the old ones that evaporated out, which allows it to clean and restore the gas enough to run better. The diesel (or better yet kerosene) acts as a rust preventive and lubricant, and the ipa (heet is a common brand) dissipates the water by forcing it to mix in the fuel so it will stop separating out. I start with the naphtha, if that doesn't get it i as heet, and if I'm not lazy I'll give it a shot of kerosene since the heet was needed to dry the gas. I'm sure seafoam is better, but naphtha is cheaper so it suits me fine for when i let something go too long without running it a bunch. On a saw or other small 2 stroke i would simply dump it out and run the store-bought premix gas since that'll fix it too, and that's all i run anymore anyways.
Hardware and painting stores often have naphtha vm&p, which would work fine as a seafoam substitution too since it's just pure naphtha. I think it has a slightly lower boiling point, which would mean it's got more of the smaller c-h molecules, which means it evaporates quicker so it makes one of the best oil paint thinners out there, which is exactly how seafoam works. I just looked for it at menards online locally, it's 16 a gallon. All it does is dissolve the heavier hydrocarbons that have been left by replacing the old ones that evaporated out, which allows it to clean and restore the gas enough to run better. The diesel (or better yet kerosene) acts as a rust preventive and lubricant, and the ipa (heet is a common brand) dissipates the water by forcing it to mix in the fuel so it will stop separating out. I start with the naphtha, if that doesn't get it i as heet, and if I'm not lazy I'll give it a shot of kerosene since the heet was needed to dry the gas. I'm sure seafoam is better, but naphtha is cheaper so it suits me fine for when i let something go too long without running it a bunch. On a saw or other small 2 stroke i would simply dump it out and run the store-bought premix gas since that'll fix it too, and that's all i run anymore anyways.
You got lucky on the spark plug. My friend is a motorcycle mechanic and once told me about loose plugs vibrating enough to pooch the threads. Helicoil is moderate PITA but to be avoided. So he said err on bit too tight than under tightened.
Last edited:
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Keep an eye on that plug and plug hole.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
The only reason for white gas back in the day was because the lead in the gasoline could foul the jets on camp stoves and mantle lanterns .BTW modern gasoline does not contain lead .So whatever you use in your automobile should be fine in your camp stove unless you have a newer model that takes propane cannisters .
Burnham
Woods walker
Huh. I didn't know that today's standard pump gas was suitable for lanterns and stoves. Thanks, Al.
Does the octane matter?
Does the octane matter?
Nutball
TreeHouser
I wouldn't use nasty pump gas to cook my food.
