Al Smith

Differences of opinion on this subject .Depending on altitude and other factors factory specs may or may not apply .As a general rule no matter what model of saw it is the ear will suffice for the tachometer .If it has that slight 4 cycle sound it usually is pretty close .You can check how well the ear works by the color of the spark plug . If the basic port scheme has been altered factory specs no longer are valid because you've changed the dynamics of the engine .Fact I know of not one engine builder who relies on a tachometer to tune a saw engine .This is not implying it's a bad test though .Some prefer the tachometer method and some don't .Simple as that .

Dish washer aye .I don't know what you call kerosine in England but it works pretty well .It's a saw not a fine China plate .

Ethanol in the gasoline ,petrol if you prefer , causes the o-ring to swell up .A complete new cap is about 8 dollars US ,an o-ring about a dollar from a dealer,40 cents generic size, metric . I managed to break one cap until I figured out what the problem was .Which is not counting the times I've gasolined or oiled my leg .Which kinda sucks to put it bluntly .

I'm about sure there's more to the story than just a loose muffler bolt on a two month old saw .Now weather the story gets told remains to be seen .

Ha it just depends on the meaning of "Broke ".What you people are talking about is incidental ,broke is like Humpy Dumpty after the great fall .

Well you can find out what models are available where just by going to GB or US web site .If you surf around world wide you'd be surprised to find for example older discontinued models available else where that were dropped from sales in the US and perhaps GB .If they make them any where in the world it should go without saying they can get the repair parts if needed .Might take a while though if a dealer is willing to order them . At the risk of sounding arrogant and a wise azz I don't spend much time and effort on consumer grade saws myself .They are a faction of chainsaws just not what I delve in . Several companies have built a reputation of being able to supply parts nearly world wide in a timely fashion .Namely John-Deere and Caterpillar .Stihl is not as good at it but pretty good considering everything .

That whole tarrif business is a can of worms .They bend the rules to suit themselves .That deal they shoved down our throats a few years back has just created another avenue to sneak in repackaged Asian made goods through Mexico . Now they have a bright idea to include all of the Pacific rim and further more all of Europe .Might sound good but given enough time every damned thing will come from Korea or India .I'd imagine a Bentley made in China would be about as popular as a turd in a punch bowl .I'll tell you this a Mexican made Lincoln was not the great grand plan they thought it would be .

Well now you folks need to consider we state side are not under the laws and edicts you all have to adhere to with regards to saws etc. we can buy if we wanted to .Besides that I'd shudder to think of just how much the shipping would be from say even mid USA to England . Recently for example a mention was made of after market rebuild cylinders and pistons for Stihl 200T's available in GB .I'm not even going to fool with it myself because of the red tape involved .That would be a can of worms I'd just as soon not open .

Stihl doesn't really make the actual service manuals available to the general public .They do allow down loads of the operaters manuals though . Now this is not to say the service manuals cannot be obtained with a little effort .Fact of that matter being as an example I have a complete set which cover the older models on microfitche I got from flea bay . I have no idea if the model numbers are the same in the US and GB .I'd certainly think so on the professional grades but there may some difference on the consumer grades . As far as repair parts or spares if you prefer that term OEM parts are only obtainable through a dealer .I'd imagine any good dealer could order them if they don't stock them .If they won't find another dealer who will .

FWIW a portion or maybe all of it is E-coat ,about as hard as glass . If you ever have the misfortune of needing to do welding on any portion of the case on any Stihl I've ever worked on you will work your arse off with a die grinder getting down to bare metal .

As a general rule over extended periods of time the rubber mounts deteriate from exposure to bar oil and become softened . The suspension system is basically the same as any other Stihl being two annular buffers lower front handle ,one low right hand side rear and one high left hand side rear .About the only way you can be certain if the mounts are sound is to remove them and check them .They can often tear deep within where they can't be seen .

Another problem that often gets confused with a bad carb is the roller crankcase bearings getting side slop which takes out the seals .I've rebearinged three so far .

FWIW I have the first saw I ever bought a Poulan S-25 in the mid 70's plus a McCulloch PM 610 in the early 80's .They still run well .I used both of those saws for around 8-9 years when I sold firewood .Fact just last week I gave the little Poulan a run and it did just fine . Now neither one of those saws see much action these days because I have many much better saws but the fact remains they could still be pressed into service if they were needed .

I hope so because I've got three that need some attention .

The 335 Husqvarna is not the most user friendly model ever made to work on . My bench has an S-25 Poulan awaiting a set of crankcase seals which is probabley older than half the members on this forum .Oldie but a goody and one of the best trim saws made of its' day .