Why do my MS200's only last a 18 months!

[coolie]

also if there is a bit too much oil in the mix what problems will this cause long turn?

 

extra carbon buildup in cylinder,possibly sticking rings and/or scoring(grooves) on the cylinder bore.The saw will not rev as high(on same mixture screw settings) and will be smokey.Extra carbon on the spark plug may cause rough running.A lot of people mistakenly think that adding a bit of extra oil to the mix is beneficial for safety(of saw) reasons. 50:1 oil already has safety built into the equation,meaning that your saw would be very unlikely to suffer from lube problems if you mistakenly ran it on 60:1. You are likely to do more harm than good to run 50:1 mix at 40:1. Mechanics quite often read the sparkplugs by looking at the color of the insulation on the centre electrode.A nice brown color without many carbon deposits(like coke) and not oily or wet with fuel(black soot) is generally in tune.

On the other hand do not run 40:1 oil at 50:1.Lol.

[Al Smith]

The great oil debate must be a world wide thing which nobody agrees on .

 

I could care less what anybody runs as far as brand or mix amount .I have always ran at 32 to 1 and have never cooked a saw ,stock or modified and I have some that are 50 years old . Do as you wish though,it's your saws .

 

Now from what I gather you folks are under different rules than we on this side of the pond .However if a person just pulled the screens from the muffler of the 200T and readjusted the carb not only will it run better but also last longer .

 

Those things use a bottom muffler with a side discharge which is not the best of designs for removing heat from a running engine under heavy load . The heat has to go someplace .It not outbound it will migrate inbound and fry the saw innards .

[Rob D]

I have to say I expect to get 18 months trouble free use out of a chainsaw. This includes normal servicing such as air filters, bars, spark plugs etc.

 

After this time you need to do a new carb kit. Any longer and then looking at new piston rings etc. Otherwise they won't start, they won't idle... in short they're just a pain in the arse

 

I have had 4 MS880s and 5 200T, several makitas and none of these modern saws last yet the older models seem to go on and on....

 

It's true that they don't bulid 'em like they used to and the emission laws etc that have changed is not an excuse for modern saws to die early.

 

I run on Aspen 2T relegiously as well so the mixture is not an issue as they always have exactly 50:1 mix every time.

 

I'm sure like most things all the manufactures are interested in is reducing costs all the way down the production line...

 

And I have found particularly with Stihl if you have a warranty issue then it's generally your fault and you have to fight and wait to get it sorted.

[Mesterh]

Although this is and old thread re vitalised my thoughts on them not lasting very long is if its not down to dodgy carbs pulling in air, over heating and scoring the piston cylinder etc then it could be down to the fact that a few new 200t I've had have been running at 15,000 straight out of the box therefore possible overheating etc.

 

I did mention this awhile ago but not much interest tbh

 

Ignored again!

[Johny Walker]

over heating is there biggest prob you need to take both side casing off & clean all the oil & fine dust thats sets on the finns & muffler yousing a degreaser they tend to pick up when running very hot then needing new piston & pot

Edited August 11, 2009 by Johny Walker

[Dean Lofthouse]

Lack of maintainance is why they are not lasting you

[Al Smith]

Oh I just don't know .More people than not rely entirely too much on what the specs say the saw should run at RPM wise . To set a 200 T at 15,000 rpms might sound good but often times you can drop a thousand and they run better .

 

That might sound silly but I've seen it in action .Any saw,souped up race saws included have to have that high speed "4 cycle" cackle to be set right .That richness at WOT no load will turn into power once it hits the cut and will actually cut faster believe it or not .

 

Lean fuel does two things,firstly it burns hotter secondly it doesn't carry the oil film to the parts .

 

Tune them as you wish but I know how the pros do it and am just passing it on .Remember,it takes fuel not air to make power .

[Tom D]

The great oil debate must be a world wide thing which nobody agrees on .

 

I could care less what anybody runs as far as brand or mix amount .I have always ran at 32 to 1 and have never cooked a saw ,stock or modified and I have some that are 50 years old . Do as you wish though,it's your saws .

 

Now from what I gather you folks are under different rules than we on this side of the pond .However if a person just pulled the screens from the muffler of the 200T and readjusted the carb not only will it run better but also last longer .

 

Those things use a bottom muffler with a side discharge which is not the best of designs for removing heat from a running engine under heavy load . The heat has to go someplace .It not outbound it will migrate inbound and fry the saw innards .

 

Just a thought, do you guys use unleaded petrol ( gas )? maybe the leaded stuff was better as it burned cooler?

 

I gust got one of my 200's back today, it has had a new carb fitted after 6 years of pretty reliable service, according to the saw doc there is an o-ring in the carb which perishes over time and breaks up allowing air to be drawn in.

[skyhuck]

And I have found particularly with Stihl if you have a warranty issue then it's generally your fault and you have to fight and wait to get it sorted.

 

I would recommend you change your dealer, I have never had any problems with warranty, if I have a problem my dealer fits the parts required and HE takes it up with Stihl.

[MattyF]

18 months aint bad for a primary saw you could not be with out and is used every day ,they make there money back how many times over, would not expect them to last longer.

what annoys me is when they need new carbs after 8 months!

A tip for making them last longer is to switched to a more powerfull saw when cutting larger timber when felling instead of struggling on and burning out a 200t because its lighter.