Replies

1. 
   calvin | Sep 09, 2009 04:55pm | #1

   The fuel line with filter that lays in the tank will soften with exposure to alcohol in the gas.  Might start, might idle, but giving it the gun sucks the fuel line shut (or almost).

   Signs that this could be happening is it bogs out on acceleration.

    

   Fix?  well, replace the line and filter and run out of fuel b/4 putting it away.  Helps on the older models (mine-20 yrs old).  Newer lines may have that corrected-the softening and collapse of the line.

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1. 
   Gene_Davis | Sep 09, 2009 06:33pm | #5

   bogs out on acceleration

   That's exactly my symptom.  Thanks for the info.  I thought it was a maladjustment in mix, and nothing I did with mix could change it.

   No hobby shops for 60 miles, but I'll see what my local chainsaw shop can do as re a new in-tank line and filter.  I'll also dump my fuel, dump my canned supply, and see about getting some non-ethanol gas. 

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1. 
   Dan612 | Sep 15, 2009 02:51am | #18

   Possibly another cause for bogging down is a clogged spark arrestor.  It is a little screen on the end of the muffler.  If you can remove it (good luck) clean it by heating it up with a propane torch.I meditate, I burn candles, I drink green tea, and still I want to smack someone.

2. 
   craigf | Sep 09, 2009 05:18pm | #2

   What calvin says. I had a chainsaw that it ate up everything in the fuel system that was plastic. The primer bulb etc.

3. 
   Stuart | Sep 09, 2009 05:18pm | #3

   Around here there are some gas stations that still sell non-oxygenated (non-ethanol) gasoline specifically for use with lawn mowers, chain saws, motorcycles, etc.  It usually comes out of a separate pump around the side of the station, away from the main island.  You may want to check around to see if there are similar stations in your area.  Here, the local street rodder's club has compiled a list of stations who sell it, maybe the hot rodders or bikers in your area have done something similar.

4. 
   Righty_Tighty | Sep 09, 2009 06:25pm | #4

   Fix to what Calvin said might be to stop by a hobby shop (think 2-stroke model airplanes) and pick up some better fuel line and new tank filter.  They should have a variety of sizes and types as those engines run on several different percentages of alcohol.

5. 
   RJB | Sep 09, 2009 07:44pm | #6

   No firsthand experience w/your problem, but some useful info on fuel here:

   http://www.madsens1.com/saw%20fuelmix.htm

6. 
   popawheelie | Sep 10, 2009 06:55am | #7

   My Stihl repair shop suggested I run it out of gas before I put it away for storage.

   Something about a diaphragm in the carb getting brittle.

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7. 
   jc21 | Sep 10, 2009 04:23pm | #8

   Don't know what vintage your saw is but Stihl currently says: "All STIHL gasoline powered engines are okay for use with up to a 10% (E10) blend of ethanol in gasoline." Given ethanol's affinity for water shelf life can be an issue with the fuel mix- my Stihl trimmer manual says-"Only mix enough fuel for a few days work, not to exceed 3 months of storage." Echo is even more strict; 30 days and no more than 60 with a fuel stabilizer. Calvin's suggestion to run it dry is a good one; at the shop I worked at the majority of two cycle problems were from gas being left the saw/trimmer/ice auger for extended periods of time.  A new filter and fuel line might well fix it; if not the diaphragm in the carb might be the culprit.  

    

    

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1. 
   cudavid | Sep 11, 2009 01:31am | #9

   Hi, try some sta-bil in the gas, it is a red addative that goes a long way to avoiding some of the new gas issues

1. 
   Gene_Davis | Sep 11, 2009 04:11am | #10

   That's a great idea.  I keep Stabil on hand for putting in fuel tanks of all the off-season machines.

   My Stihl mechanic says my WB 028, over 30 years old, is of a vintage that makes it susceptible to problems with today's fuels.

   When it is fixed and running again, I will be very careful, fuel-wise.

   Which reminds me, I should start up the snowthrower tomorrow, check everything, regrease everything.  We can get hit anytime soon. 

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   "A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."

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1. 
   jc21 | Sep 12, 2009 05:28pm | #11

   Fwiw the better manufacturer's  (Stihl and Husqvarna) 2 cycle oils contain a fuel stabilizer.

   "There can be no doubt that Socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the abject worship of the state…Socialism is in its essence an attack not only on British enterprise, but upon the right of ordinary men and women to breathe freely without having a harsh, clammy, clumsy tyrannical hand clasped across their mouth and nostrils"  -Winston Churchill 

2. 
   BoJangles | Sep 13, 2009 04:58am | #13

   I have an 038 and an 028.  Both have had the fuel lines practically dissolve.  You have a classic symptom of fuel line collapse.

1. 
   Gene_Davis | Sep 13, 2009 05:12am | #14

   Thanks for the news.

   What was the fix, and the caution for future operation, for the 028?

   My chainsaw guy tells me that after the fix, if I use the non-methanol fuel from the only place in town that sells it, the premium synthetic oil (Stihl) that he sells, keep my fuel fresh, and store the saw dry, that I'll be OK. 

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   "A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."

   Gene Davis        1920-1985

2. 
   BoJangles | Sep 13, 2009 05:42am | #15

   The fuel lines are about $9.00 and it takes about 15 minutes to repair.  Then do what your saw guy says or use the new Stabil.  Personally,  I prefer to keep fuel in the system.  I haven't had any trouble since I started using Stabil.  The marine version is more potent.

   I use the same mix in all of our 2 cycles so we keep it fresh.

8. 
   junkhound | Sep 12, 2009 06:06pm | #12

   Over the years, have needed to replace the pickup tubes and hoses with Tygon tubing.  The rubber ones disintegrated.

   There is a rubber boot between carb and engine on many Homelite saws, the ethanol eats the older variety of those also.

   Have not been able to buy non-ethanol gas here for probably 25 years.. 

1. 
   JasonQ | Sep 15, 2009 12:43am | #17

   Have not been able to buy non-ethanol gas here for probably 25 years.. 

   Seriously?  Around here we generally have 87 octane (no EtOH), 89 (10% EtOH), and 91 or 93 (again, no alcohol).  At least I've always thought the others are non-ethanol.  Have I been misled?

9. 
   unTreatedwood | Sep 14, 2009 09:41pm | #16

   You probably have your answer, but when I bought my Sthil 390 4 years ago, the guy told me to put top octane into the saw because it had the fewest additives.  That's what I've done, and I've never had any issues.  I don't know what the issues would look like, but things have run with zero glitches.  BTW, it's probably the best used tool I own for outdoor power tools, (as opposed to construction tools).  Can't say enough good about it.

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