spudulike

My pressure and vac check is pump to....15 InHg, wobble the crank to and fro and check for leakage - if the reading stays solid and doesn't stop dropping, release the vacuum, pump up to 10 psi, wobble the crank to and fro and see if it drops. If you get a leak, you then investigate. I personally don't create a vacuum or pressure and then hold it for 5 minutes and mostly found if there was an issue, it would show up pretty quickly. On what you should check to stop it going pop again...most saws that passed through my workshop for rebuild/port/ full service etc were checked in regards to stopping it seizing : - 1) Compression 2) Vaccum and Pessure leaks. If the decomp leaks, I reground the seating and sealed with a little grease. Make sure you are also testing the inlet manifold and impulse line when doing the test! 3) Fuel filter....almost definitely worth replacing 4) Carb - strip, check diaphragms and metering arm height, check gauze strainer, clean and rebuild. MS460s tend to build up wood chip behind the metering diaphragm. 5) Tach tune to around 12,500-13,000rpm - make sure the engine is stable when flat out and not fluctuating. If you do this, it is pretty certain that your saw will last. The pressure/vac check is the solid foundation and the tach tune sets the saws maximum revs so the machine shouldn't fail again. The 460 is a pretty solid machine - I did find that I often had to pull the limit cap off the H carb screw as this model often over revs once they are loosened up. Others may have their opinion but this is what I did and it was a pretty reliable method for me.

Good to see it running again. I guess it was a new piston that did the trick and time will tell how reliable the repair was but hopefully it will last for a decent time. I would guess the workshops wouldn't touch it due to you not wanting the cylinder replaced and understand that if they are main dealers for Stihl, their business is to return a saw back to standard condition. Unfortunately, this often writes off a saw as a non economical repair and as I said, I have salvaged hundreds of saws back to good working condition that will last for many years. Yours looked fairly bad but it should last with a little luck and you have learn't a fair bit in the process.

It is alright, I will still be your friend

It won't need programming, why would it? Take it off, replace it correctly and it will work just as it used to. I guess you have stripped it down to some degree and cocked it up somehow and now it won't run. The full story of what you have done will help. If it isn't the carb that came from the machine, it WILL need programming!

Sod off, I once had one of these in and after pissing around with it, getting it running and it flooding etc etc, I realised someone had cocked around with the fuel pipes and had to work out what they were doing and what they should be doing. It transpired that the owner had swapped them all around when he tried to "fix" it!!!! All you have to do is connect the pipe connected to the fuel filter, to the PUMP part of the carb and the other one needs to go to the bulb and then return to the tank. Basically, the bulb draws the fuel from the tank through the carb and then returns it to the tank if my memory serves me right. Next time...take a photo before stripping it!!

As above, empty the tank, flush it, clean the area thoroughly with brake cleaner as it is a superb de-greaser. I would recommend two products: - 1) JB weld, an American two part epoxy with fine ground metal in the resin. Dries very hard and sticks well. 2) One I have managed to fix fuel tanks with....Milliput epoxy. This stuff is damn weird - it comes in two sticks, cut off equal lengths and roll together with your thumb and finger. The weird bit is you can smooth/shape it with water and once dry, it resists pretty much anything. We repaired a casserole dish with the stuff and the repair hardened like porcelain and went through the dishwasher a multitude of times with out it falling off - it repaired a thin handle so didn't have a large area to grip to so was impressed. I rolled a ball of it and it ended up like a marble in hardness. The oil tank isn't under any pressure so it should hold pretty well unless it gets a direct hit on the same area. You could bond a thin metal plate to the repair to protect it.

Yeah, bloody customers, would be great without them wouldn't it I think everyone in a repair/service job that is customer facing gets frustrated with their little foibles!

My wife's car mechanic was like that, watching her glaze over when he showed her a buggered CV joint was amusing to say the least. I do the same as you in explaining to the customer why the part was swapped out and showing them the part. It often causes the glazed eyes, the comment "why would I want the old parts just lob them in the bin", or just the retort......"I trust you mate, no need to explain the repair". I refer to it as "old school" or just good old fashion manners.

Perhaps a Stihl MS151C-E which is the rear handled version of Stihls popular top handle. The 1.1mm 1/4 inch chain will be very smooth and low vibes and the saw will be very light.

I find those diamond sharpening blocks pretty damn good for chisels, planes and knives.

I did check the IPL and it had the plastic tube, the insert plus the angled union and nitrile pipe. I guess you guys changed the design from one to the other type during the life cycle. The OP just needs to check what is fitted. The "white pellet" type seem to only get blocked but don't tend to leak in my experience.

Mmm, I use a scwrench, a set of mole grips and a set of plumbers grips for those. Not in the manual but it works!!

It helps if you have a firm grip and hands like a gorilla

Your MS391 needs the threads helicoiling. It is a relatively simple job if you have reasonable engineering acumen. You basically dril the existing hole, tap it and then insert a stainless new thread that looks a bit like a spring. This is dependent on the amount of land around the existing hole. Your MS211....you can remove the damaged bar stud and fit a new one. Typically you can lock two bar nuts together on the damaged stud to remove it. A rattle gun helps or you can sometimes use plumbers grips to grip and turn it. Thread-lock the new stud in place.

The Motormix would keep the carb rubber parts in very good condition and prevent any "varnish". Sounds like your dealer may be talking............Do yourself a favour and ask for the old carb back.

It won't start but if you yank the saw over with the plug out or being earthed on the cylinder to check the spark, the saw will kick out a fine fuel vapour out of the plug hole and if this reaches a spark, it gets pretty exciting - I have seen 1' flames like a blow lamp coming out of the plug hole. Easily done and worth mentioning. If you don't believe us, pull a saw over 15 times on full choke with the stop switch on, take the plug out, earth it with the electrode over the plug hole and pull the saw over with the switch set to "On". If you are still with us after trying it, report back

I can see where you are coming from and have had one or two occasions when after working on a carb for a while with no change that fitting a new one may have been a simpler option. Being self employed, the time was just absorbed in to the overall cost of the job rather than billed as it would be for a bigger business. We all have different ways of working and personally I don't like throwing away any kit that has years of life in it whatever it may be. I look at carbs and coils as relatively expensive items so like to know the only option is to replace them rather than just swapping parts but that is my way treating my customers £££ like my own. With a reasonable chunk of my business being MS200Ts, replacing the carb would have added a good £120 to each rebuild rather than taking a tried and tested route of new accelerator pump and possible diaphragms at around £15 giving a very similar end result and a happy customer plus I always had those parts on the shelf! Each man to his own

I would be less concerned on the part code and more concerned as to why they are fitting a new carb. In repairing saws, I have rarely had to fit a new carb and at a guess would say I have only ever fitted perhaps 15 in a few thousand repairs. Normal reasons to replace are - The carb is worn - normally on strimmers and trimmers linkages due to the constant blipping of the throttle - KM56s are common. - The carb just won't tune in after a normal clean, inspection and service. - Carbs with faulty accelerator pumps that can't be repaired through the carb design the 357XP comes to mind. It is possible the dealer can't be arsed to fix the accelerator pump and is fitting a carb instead - usual symptoms are a hesitation when giving it a fistful of throttle and an unstable idle.

I guess my first question is ....where did the fuel line come from and is it OEM Husqvarna? If not, was it a tight fit when you pulled it through? It is possible if the new fuel line was under-size, the fuel may be leaking around it. If that is all fine, the tank vent is a two part affair, one part is a push in plastic pipe that never seems to leak and then there is a push in vent that connects to a pipe that breathes in to the carb air box. The usual method is to take out the rear AV mount screws and AV limiter screws, wedge a piece of wood between the tank and lower air box and then either fit a new push in vent or use a little sealant such as super glue or seal-all around the union....make sure you use the sealant only around the joint so it doesn't block the vent.

Quick check, they are listed at companies house and have a registered address, that is where the good news ends. The registered address has numerous companies running out of the same address so it looks like a single office looking after the post for a multitude of dodgy businesses. The last time I saw this it was a guy in Bournemouth running a white goods service company who took my old man for £350 and am sorry to say, this guy is using exactly the same London address. TRANS GLOBAL TIMBERS LTD overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK FIND-AND-UPDATE.COMPANY-INFORMATION.SERVICE.GOV.UK TRANS GLOBAL TIMBERS LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business...

What is the compression and how is it being measured? Does the running issue get worse as the machine warms up? If you have greater than 155psi cold then it is unlikely to be a piston/bore wear but worth checking when hot and sub 140 is getting passed it. Coils, the usual faults are: - 1) They fail completely 2) They fail once hot 3) They cause instant failure similar to pressing the kill button 4) The saw will only idle and not rev out - this happens on coils with a variable ignition advance and happens when the max speed advance circuit fails. 5) Misfires or lack of spark - due to bad HT connections. Coils can fail when the HT wire, connection or plug connection is broken and the coil has to jump the spark across a much larger gap. Carb issues are much more common than coil issues. The plug getting "oiled up"....Has the saws carb been set correctly for high revs? I believe 12,500 rpm is about right on these saws. If the saw is running rich, this could be the reason the saw is cutting out. As I said earlier, I would replace the fuel filter, check the fuel line - on this model, the fuel line is pushed through the wall of the fuel tank and the pipe can split on this join causing your issues. I use a Mityvac to test the line. Do a carb service and tach it and see if this has a positive effect. I don't see how this would oil up the plug but just listing some of the issues I have found over time.

I am guessing it is probably the older style Stihl trimmer attachment and would say that one or both screws that hold the blades in place have come loose. Check out the bearings and rods whilst in there - beware the little rollers on the con rods can fall out if you are not careful....they can be refitted though.

A simple tilt switch and a pound of Semtex would make sure they never did it again and would put most off trying it!

Well his isn't cleaning them twice a day. Judging by the state of him, the other three were using him as the battering ram!!

Was that one I sold you.....Christ, that was a long time ago if so. Glad it is still popping if it is. If the spring is OK, use a craft knife to clean the gunk on each side, clean with WD40 and refit USING SAFETY GLASSES. Generally feed the spring in from either side of the cover using your thumbs to hold the spring in place whilst rotating the cover.....it is possible. Sometimes the spring gets a bit gunked up and the pull start gets a bit lethargic.