spudulike

I don't think I have ever read it, can anyone tell me if it is any good

A service generally depends on the state of the saw and the customers expectations. I don't tend to do a new plug, clean the air filter and adjust the carb a little for £70 type of service. Most of mine are a bit more....covers off, damn good clean, carb stripped and cleaned, air filter cleaned, clutch and drum stripped and checked, brake mechanism cleaned and checked, recoil cleaned and checked plus a load of other stuff including a few possible issues reported by the customer - Joe Newton gets a liberal application of Britney Perfume as he likes it. Once you have seen a load of kit across your bench, you instinctively see issues whilst stripping and cleaning the machine and also know machines weak areas from past experience. You can generally immediately see if the owner has looked after the saw plus the age of it to gauge how deep a service needs to be - it becomes an instinct or second nature after doing a few hundred machines. Some find it difficult to understand but it isn't the flash workshop, the amount of high tech, the amount of money charged or the companies ethical procedure or corporate statement that gives you good service, it is the ability of that guy who has your bit of kit in in their hands to know instinctively what your machine needs within seconds of handling it, pulling it over and giving it a look over. As the fella said last night when I ported his MS150 and tested it with him watching, "I was trying to not be impressed but OMG, was that really Hornbeam"?

Mark Skylands response is also my opinion and answer to this problem, sure, it makes the blower a bit heavier on the starter handle but it is a more reliable solution.

My usual conversation on 3-5 year old saws in for porting or service.... Me - I think your local service guy isn't doing to much to your saw from what I can see - reckon you should bin him. Owner - Ah, I don't think I have had it serviced it since new Me - So, this four year old saw has never been serviced Owner - No, I don't believe so Me -

Just looked at a MS261 where the clutch bearing was so bad, the drum was locked on to the clutch and was on the piss because of the damaged bearing, when you pulled it over, the chain span round. The saw was covered in dry bio oil and the brake was that stiff, it didn't click on and off, it was more of a lethargic thunk giving no confidence it actually would do anything. I wonder what the insurance company would say about that and as the owner was an employer of people - what the H&S would say if someone got seriously hurt using it. I guess he doesn't understand that one of the first questions from the H&S would be "can I see your maintenance records" and not having serviced a machine used daily for 3-4 years will probably be seen as negligent! It never ceases to amaze me what some see as an acceptable interval of maintenance - it seems for many it is when the saw is totally buggered!

I find that very interesting as I have always been told that you need a better specification oil with the AT/Strato machines. Knowing how these machines work and the problems that they can have with bearings and premature piston wear, it seems logical to use the best oil possible.

All Strato engines should be run on either semi or full synthetic.....so....."the green stuff"!! Your hand book should have made that clear. These machines sniff fuel using much less than their earlier models. Because of this, far less oil is seen on the bearings, bore and all moving parts. Stihl Red is just not good enough for these modern machines and you aren't the only one! If you are lucky, a new piston and a bit of work on the bore should see it come back. It would be interesting to see an AT download as it will tell you how the saw fuel was set at the time it failed.

What oil are you using?

I second that

I don't think you need to be, just put your glasses on and work out it is some kind of human rather than a beached whale!

Something doesn't look right to me

what the feck is that?????

And calm

Usual sign is no end float on the crank and over heating issues on the bearings if they are put in the wrong way. Plastic bits outwards gents!

See if Shavey on here knows as these Makita/Dolmar saws do have a number of flywheel/coil mixes. You may need a flywheel as well if the timing isn't right.

Well it had to be done. Porting is like marmite imo! Having just watched Apollo 13, I think the guys bringing the three astronauts back to earth would be the sort of fellas to look at a saw and think....I wonder if...... Porting is a personal choice and I have never forced anyone to have their saw ported, it is just something I can do if the owner wants it done. As I have said before, I have put people off porting if the saw is given to employees to do their job.

The bloke in the vid sounds like he may be American?

On chain speed, the only time the chain speed would be faster is if the saw was tuned outside of the manufacturers max revs specification. Personally I keep just under that to give a bit of engine protection. Interestingly, an airleak would also potentially give a faster chain speed. On Vibes, not sure why a ported machine could vibrate more than a standard one. In reality running a ported saw is a bit like holding a standard saw lightly out of the cut giving a similar chain speed but with the ability to put a bit more pressure on the cut to achieve faster cutting. The history of porting was forged in the forests if Oregon where cutters wanted to run long bars on smaller saws so they ran semi and full skip chains on modded 460s and the like to save using heavier saws like the 660. Tiredness kills and that is why the Echo 2511s and MS150s are so popular today. I agree on maintenance, seen many machines where a good clean would have given an increase in performance. It is the owners choice as to whether they want to modify their saws or not and I always point out that they should be used for personal use and not be given to employees.

Guess what......yes! And a ported blower.... and strimmer?

Just run them dry of fuel, worth flushing the fuel and oil tank out to get rid of any build up of chip or gloop in the tanks. If you use any sort of bio or veggie oil, clean the saws and separate the bar and chain.......in fact, clean the saws anyway, always good for its health.

Sounds like the oiler hole in the bar doesn't line up with the oiler channel. The bar should have a small separate oiler hole around 3mm from the edge of the bar and not oil through the larger chain tensioner holes like some do. Check the oiler hole, if present, to make sure it isn't blocked. Also, make sure the oil pump is turned up to max to see if this has an effect.

Just been talking to my Mrs about this, I picked up around 500,000 views on my "what's on your bench" thread in around two years and then around another 150,000 in the last three years. One member thought my porting thread had a large lump deleted as it had no posts since last March. I guess Facebook (don't use it) and some of the Brexit and Political debates put most off leaving only a few loyal posters left. It is a shame but not much you can do about the change in people's posting habits.

The saw cuts at around 9500rpm, an unlimited coil won't do anything for you apart from making tuning top revs a little easier!

The chain running thing will either be an air leak, dodgy clutch spring or carb adjusted incorrectly. The saw will backfire if the key has gone but may just be excessive fuel vapour in the muffler after unsuccessful attempts to start it. Take a look at the piston by taking the exhaust off, may have a bit of a seize!

Around 17 years on a Stovax Riva inset. Replaced a holed baffle and seals last year!