spudulike

Strange...2 hrs use and this type of issue. These big saws need a lot of conviction on starting and best to get the piston close to TDC before giving it the full lunge, any sign of a limp start and it will kick like a mule....Stihl could have done a better job on the low revs ignition advance. On the coil to flywheel gap - set it to the very minimum gap and try testing for a spark then. This method can often get an intermittent coil of flywheel with poor magnets up and running again - worth a try although it may kick badly once the plug is back in. The HT cap spur to coil laminate resistance check will either show no continuity or, I think from memory, around 1.2K Ohms....don't expect it to be near zero!

Blimey, "broken wire" really I am guessing that your saw has the OEM poly flywheel? I once had a MS461 in with a similar issue and assumed the same as you...coil and it transpired that there was slight impact damage to the magnet and, this being a steel laminated type on the poly flywheel, had decided to lose most of its magnetism and as such, it didn't spark. You say you have fitted a new coil...my thinking is that it is extremely unlikely this is a bad new OEM part. The kickback you mention - I have had this on MS660s where the gap between the coil and flywheel has been too little. The reduced gap advances the ignition and my thinking is that your flywheel may have been too close to the flywheel and if it clattered it a bit, the flywheel may have failed during the period where you got kickback. Checking the continuity between the spur plug connector and the coil laminates proves the coil and HT cap are connected OK - I think you have done this. Closing the gap up between the magnet and coil can sometimes work on weak flywheel magnets - I have used typical printer paper before to set the gap just to get a decent spark - as I mentioned, this will advance the ignition and it may kick. If you remove the kill wire from the coil, you only have the coil and flywheel that can be wrong! The last thing - some saws need a bloody good tug to get a spark, the 660 is one of them and probably the 880 is the same so look for the spark in subdued light....they are often weak at low flywheel speed. My guess is the flywheel magnetism is shot...unless we are missing some info or some of your tests/assumptions are incorrect.

The gains always sound great but if you purchased in Nov 2021, you won't be feeling so chipper. Now if you purchased in Dec 2022...now may be a good time to sell.

Perhaps he wants someone to help him lift it out Do what I do...get the wife to help

It isn't a return spring for the chain brake guard is it? Does the guard flop to and forth now? The brake guard was pretty crap anyway and don't see it saving you in an emergency.

I am out of the game now Wes, did the retirement thing, no idea how I had time for work and living before!! Thanks for the nod though.

You may have heard of Pandora,s Box, if you undo that third cap, you may find "Hope" in there but unfortunately, in this saws case it will probably be "No Hope".

From your description of the issue, it sounds like the carb needle valve isn't set right or it is leaking. The needle valve in the carb, stops the fuel from the tank ending up flowing straight through the carb in to the engine hence my thinking the valve isn't sealing correctly. It is possible that there are other issues but a saw shouldn't flood just through carrying it for a while....it is possible if the saw is left out in full summer sun and the fuel expands but it isn't that common.

I must have imagined it and am guessing that your knowledge must be far greater than ours. I must avoid eating cheese late at night!

The clutch can undo but it is held in place by the clutch drum as it is held in place with an E clip so the two parts lock together....not so dramatic but also not that great.

Hate to mention this but the small hatchet in the second pic....it looks like someone has put the the head on upside down. On the bright side, you may find a makers mark on the head if you look closely. Brades or Eagle edge etc may be nice.

Well, I have had it happen and a few times in exactly the same way ADW mentions....the engine spools down and bingo, the clutch spins off and parts go everywhere...quite spectacular seeing a spinning clutch drum sparking on the block drive disappearing in to the distance, closely followed by the clutch It will be on external clutch saws and not the internally mounted ones hence this happening on the saws I mentioned. I have had a Poulan clutch literally shat its components when it span off in the back garden, I should have learnt from this brief spell of stupidity but heck, I was used to a bit of danger being on bikes and the like so then I had 357XPs and 346XPs do the same, especially if the clutch had been removed, usually ending up losing the clutch bearings. Sure, It is much less likely to happen if you use a rattle gun or if the clutch hasn't been removed but ADW isn't telling you this for his own health, he knows a little about saws as I do but up to you if you want to keep on with this practice.

I had one of these saws as part of a job lot. The chain brake would never stop the saw dead, the sparkplug was beginning to melt the top cover, the recoil broke as it would never start on 3 pulls, the oiler was as reliable as the UK train service......oh, it never ran well and when it did, it wasn't to hot. Apart from that, it was a decent saw and worth around £30.

The guy pressure checked the engine with the manifold in place so it should be good.

Basically, you have the right to cut back both the branches and roots up to the boundary but if the tree becomes unstable or causes damage then you may be found liable for the consequences. If the tree is causing damage to your property or causing you expense then you have the right to seek costs. Good luck with that one...legal fees are ridiculous at best and only favour the legal trade. The best solution is probably to mediate with the neighbour but this can often be fractious if the neighbour is a bit of a bell end. If he is a bit of a clapper, so to speak, best to hit him with an option he really doesn't like and to negotiate back to the solution that you really want. So...start with felling the fecker and mediate back to a heavy pollard!!

You won't be able to purchase just the magnetic ring, it is bonded to the flywheel and isn't available by itself.

The joke is the current price of drinks in bars and pubs in the UK

Making good progress.

It would be worth making sure the cutting head is perfectly in line with the handle. Some old axe heads eyes can be a bit off and cause cutting issues.

Ah...a project....we look forward to a pic of the finished item!!

Your saw has settings for "full choke" where the choke valve is completely closed and the throttle is partially opened," Fast idle" where the choke valve is slightly closed and the throttle is held slightly open and "Run" where both the choke valve and the throttle opener are not used. Most saws bar the Stihl Mtronic ones usually warm start on the "Fast idle" setting which is normal.

I think the H screw at 3/4 is probably a bit lean, 1 to 1 & 1/4 is probably more like it but can't be 100% sure without adjusting it myself by ear or with a tach. The L screw is probably pretty much OK. You normally don't do a leak down test by sealing the back of the carb for the reasons you have found...you get spurious leaks from the carb. I usually use a soft rubber blanking piece using the carb to clamp it to the manifold and the carb to seal the impulse as you have.

I reckon that putting the choke on is pulling through a lot of fuel which has a similar effect to how you adjust the H screw to keep the revs down at flat out running. The very rich mix will stifle the engine at idle thus keeping the revs down. You have a real big air leak so a split impulse line, a crank seal that is seriously worn/degraded, loose cylinder, damaged crank case etc. It will be that big that it should be quite visible.

Getting these axes back up to scratch and using them is a decent and interesting pastime and you always wonder of their past life and hopefully are giving them another 50-100 years if you do a decent job on them. I still use the Fiskars for splitting the big stuff but now have a decent collection of smaller axes for larger kindling. Here is the latest project, another Brades...............

No one does a vac/pressure check by sealing the back end of the carb. The engine is always tested by sealing the exhaust port, impulse, plug hole, decomp and the inlet with the manifold fitted, not the carb unless using it to clamp a sealing plate/rubber. You need to input the pressure/vac via a fitment to one of these orifices. The leak around the mechanism will always happen and should only stop an engine idling if there is excessive wear. If you needed to half choke the saw and it has been tested as sealed then your carb isn't providing enough fuel so perhaps the gauze strainer, diaphragms, fuel filter, holed fuel line, tank breather or the carb adjustment has just been too lean.