Stihl 4-mix strimmers...

[spudulike]

Love it:)

could listen to it all night:)

 

Try it with two MS200s, sounds like a boy racers burn up in the 1980s, these four mixs sound like Sopwith Camels running up!

[Ian C]

Try it with two MS200s, sounds like a boy racers burn up in the 1980s, these four mixs sound like Sopwith Camels running up!

 

2 ms200, s remind me of yammy 350elsies form the 80's

[Burgess]

Mine's been fine running on Super Oil. Starts 1 or 2 pulls most days but sometimes for no sodding reason takes about 12 pulls to go but then is fine.

[wisecobandit]

FS 410 is 2-mix, that's why yours are reliable.

 

FS-400s were good, but they were normal 2-stroke.

 

4-mix is rubbish.

Ive already had 2 separate fs56's (2-mix) which the check valves in the carbs inoperative. Not replaceable and £80 for a new carb and both only a few years old.

That's over half the price of buying a complete fs38 which uses the same engine.

 

Tried a new "standard 2 stroke" fs55 carb and due to the wafer section in the 56 carb they loose bottom end torque.

 

Check out my on the bench post. Engines are completely different internally than the fs55. If the small end goes they are built in to the con rod so you will have to replace the entire crank. Even the coil and ignition timing is different and coils not swappable and different length con rod.

 

So far ive got a dislike of the 2-mix rather than the 4-mix up until now.

Edited August 30, 2014 by wisecobandit

[wisecobandit]

Mine's been fine running on Super Oil. Starts 1 or 2 pulls most days but sometimes for no sodding reason takes about 12 pulls to go but then is fine.

 

My moneys on the tank breather issue on that one.

If you start pulling and it doesn't start when you would expect it pull the airfilter out and give it a pull and see if it starts ok. Obviously don't run it as such tho.

 

If the strimmer has a weepy tank breather anything other than the strimmer laying flat on the ground can bleed fuel past/thru the breather and into the airfilter causing starting issues by restricting flow thru the airfilter.

[doobin]

Ive already had 2 separate fs56's (2-mix) which the check valves in the carbs inoperative. Not replaceable and £80 for a new carb and both only a few years old.

That's over half the price of buying a complete fs38 which uses the same engine.

 

Tried a new "standard 2 stroke" fs55 carb and due to the wafer section in the 56 carb they loose bottom end torque.

 

Check out my on the bench post. Engines are completely different internally than the fs55. If the small end goes they are built in to the con rod so you will have to replace the entire crank. Even the coil and ignition timing is different and coils not swappable and different length con rod.

 

So far ive got a dislike of the 2-mix rather than the 4-mix up until now.

 

You either love em or you hate em!

 

3x FS460, no engine problems over three years- love these strimmers to bits

4 x FS70, no problems over a year

3 x MS181, no problems over a year

6x BG/SH86, no problems over a year

 

To be fair I only tend to keep stuff for a year except the big strimmers. I sell locally though and to the best of my knowledge everything is still running with no problems.

 

I had nothing but trouble with the 4-mix, had 2 x 130 Kombis, 2 x 130 backpacks. Awful machines.

[Burgess]

My moneys on the tank breather issue on that one.

If you start pulling and it doesn't start when you would expect it pull the airfilter out and give it a pull and see if it starts ok. Obviously don't run it as such tho.

 

If the strimmer has a weepy tank breather anything other than the strimmer laying flat on the ground can bleed fuel past/thru the breather and into the airfilter causing starting issues by restricting flow thru the airfilter.

 

Yeah that does sound like it.

 

Only last week did I re do the yard out so the strimmers and hedgetrimmers hung with the engine at the bottom as I was told that stopped fuel bleed.

[Eddy_t]

I've had 2 4-mix machines where the valve dropped off into the engine, and one where the little rods that follow the cam and open the valves drop out

 

 

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[wisecobandit]

You either love em or you hate em!

 

3x FS460, no engine problems over three years- love these strimmers to bits

4 x FS70, no problems over a year

3 x MS181, no problems over a year

6x BG/SH86, no problems over a year

 

To be fair I only tend to keep stuff for a year except the big strimmers. I sell locally though and to the best of my knowledge everything is still running with no problems.

 

I had nothing but trouble with the 4-mix, had 2 x 130 Kombis, 2 x 130 backpacks. Awful machines.

 

Fair comment.

I think the check valves go by over zealous pumping of the primer bulb rather than actually faults with the carb. Bit of a b*gger you cant change them in the later carbs.

[Wolfie]

Fair comment.

 

I think the check valves go by over zealous pumping of the primer bulb rather than actually faults with the carb. Bit of a b*gger you cant change them in the later carbs.

 

 

I'm sure that these machines aren't a problem to someone with your knowledge of engines but for us without, we just want something that will be reliable for years straight out of the box and without the need for dealer servicing.

I was lucky if i got 2 years use out of the each of the two that I had (but that was when I was still using red oil). During their working time they weren't problem free. You often had no chance of restarting them after stopping them for a few minutes, not until they had cooled right down. They often came within a whisker of been launched down the garden.

Another lemon that Stihl wont admit to.

They should of made it perfectly clear to dealers and end users that only higher quality oil should be used but i don't think that they knew that when they first brought them out!

 

 

 

 

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