What's on your bench today?

[Messerschmitt-Longboards]

Looks like polyethylene, I would first try using the blowtorch of a gas soldering iron to melt and bend back the puncture pieces and then 'weld' it back together. You can even use milk bottles cut into strips to use as 'filler' rods.

 

Obviously it goes without saying that you need to flush out all petrol with something non-flammable and air the bugger.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[spudulike]

Had a 560XP and 550XP in and both seemed very flat on the starter, really lacking compression and both not starting. I measured the pistons and they show 0.11MM - 0.20mm wear and the ring was around 0.10mm down and this on a 65hr saw.

 

Both saws were in dirty condition. Having looked at their air filters, the 560XP had a couple of splits in it and both were dirty with the filter elbow on the 560 containing much oily fine chip.

 

My advice.... take the air filter off once in a while. The filter splits in two using the two small tabs on the housing - easily done with a screwdriver. Spray some cleaner on it and blast it off with a compressor or wash it with hot water and detergent making sure the filter mesh is dried off to leave the open areas OPEN!

 

Doing this may save your saw going the same way, each one needed a new piston and top end rebuild, fortunately the Nikasil plating is pretty tough and the bores were in good order.

[Pinkfoot]

Surely a filter is supposed to filter until it can't filter any more .

Is this a bad design?

The stihl handbook says that when the filter needs cleaning ,the saw will not run well and it's time to clean it . They don't seem to have trouble.

 

sent from my phone but never in work time.

[departed]

We've run 560's since their release and despite regular cleaning, our filters allow small particles through.

Similar to you first pic, our saws seems to collect any particles in the black plastic bit between the filter and carb.

Surely some of the particles will get though to the engine causing unnecessary wear? Which could be the reason that 3 of our oldest (2 year old) 560's have just died?

[spudulike]

We've run 560's since their release and despite regular cleaning, our filters allow small particles through.

Similar to you first pic, our saws seems to collect any particles in the black plastic bit between the filter and carb.

Surely some of the particles will get though to the engine causing unnecessary wear? Which could be the reason that 3 of our oldest (2 year old) 560's have just died?

 

You will feel it on the handle if pulled over slowly, it is very evident if this is done after pulling over a fresh machine.

 

The air filters are the same material as most other polyester mesh type used over the years. The reason in pointing it out is that guys should clean their air filters out much more than they seem to and I also get a large number of filters clean on the top but chocked on the bottom where the top has just been brushed off.

 

I have seen this type of issue on Stihls and Husqvarna machines in fact the air injection on the Husqvarna machines does do a pretty good job in the main.

 

The number of machines that come in for porting with filthy air filters is a bit of an on going joke - the cheapest tune up would be cleaning the air filter:001_rolleyes:

[Stubby]

That filter in the pic is disgusting , even got a bit of conifer growing in it !

[departed]

Yes that filter is ridiculous and I agree that most people don't clean the filters enough.

Do you think that on older saws the particles would just be pulled through the carb rather than trapped inside the filter? Meaning that even though the filter on a 550/560 looks poor it's actually doing a decent job?

Do Stihl saws not have a material type filter or is that just the lower end home owner type saws?

[openspaceman]

Surely a filter is supposed to filter until it can't filter any more .

Is this a bad design?

The stihl handbook says that when the filter needs cleaning ,the saw will not run well and it's time to clean it . They don't seem to have trouble.

 

sent from my phone but never in work time.

 

With a conventional carburettor it soon becomes obvious the filter is blocked, the revs drop as it four strokes but I wonder, do these autotune saws compensate for the filter blocking, so it's less noticeable?

 

After the fires in 76 we were cutting timber with charred bark and that made a mess of the bores, it became worth putting a double layer of ladies tights material over the filter and applying the oil used on dirt bike filters. It didn't last long as pulp mills rejected the roundwood so it tended to be left to rot or pushed up on a fire.

[Stubby]

Yes that filter is ridiculous and I agree that most people don't clean the filters enough.

Do you think that on older saws the particles would just be pulled through the carb rather than trapped inside the filter? Meaning that even though the filter on a 550/560 looks poor it's actually doing a decent job?

Do Stihl saws not have a material type filter or is that just the lower end home owner type saws?

 

Yes . A/T saws will compensate to a degree for partially blocked filter, as will it compensate for a small air leak . That is no excuse for ignoring basic maintenance .

[adw]

Also bear in mind we now have centrifugal air cleaning and compensator carbs both are there to reduce air filter cleaning during the working day, but obviously the filter should still be cleaned at the end of the day.