spudulike

No idea what these are but they look like largish new potatoes and are unblemished.....apart from the one I stuck the fork through

Just dug the first spud plant. First time we have tried them and considering the spuds I planted were just old shooting spuds from last winter that I was going to lob, we had a good showing of 14 mid size new spuds. Will try them again next year.

Cant say growing a tree that close to two buildings is a great idea. Silver Birches drop leaves, catkins and seed pods in large volumes and that will fill gutters plus in time, the roots and expanding canopy will not do either the house or the single story building, presumably a garage, any favours. A Ceanothus, Viburnum or Choisya would be a far better option.

Ah, this link may help him......thats if he can see the thing!!! https://www.specsavers.co.uk/

But what is a chain brake - the guard, the band, the knuckle joint, the spring yada yada....I am sure we will find out in due course! Most likely is the band as they wear, second, the guard as they get damaged........

Was that "Stihl" you being droll or just a shyte speller Very good if it was the former!!

The brake band is 1118 160 5402 and isn't available from L&S. They are available from eBay - This guy is one of the better sellers but note that the aftermarket part often is missing the location dowel on the non closed bent end. You MUST fit one - even a small length of a wood nail will do. This stops the constant use of the brake literally pulling the bend straight and stop the band working. It annoys me that they are not fitted as on the OEM part so beware to fit one. BRAKE BAND FOR STIHL CHAINSAW 028 028AV WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Compatible Stihl 028 028av 028 brake band. This part is now obsolete with Stihl and difficult to find. No. 187 7257 16. made with love by.

Not sure if you will be able to see this L&S part list but most of the parts are still available. If you can't see it, give them a bell with the correct part code or register so you can open up the parts diagrams. If you list what you need, I will see if it is in stock. Oil pump, Chain brake Assembly for Stihl 028 Gasoline Chainsaws | L&S Engineers WWW.LSENGINEERS.CO.UK Oil pump, Chain brake Assembly for Stihl 028 Petrol Chainsaws. Genuine & Non-Genuine Aftermarket Spare Parts for Stihl 028 Chainsaws.

Yes, used to like listening to his afternoon show when I was on the road, pounding the miles!

Firstly I know nothing about your application BUT.... have experienced very similar on chainsaws. The issue in my instance was one of two things - uneven bar rails or splayed bar rails. If you take the bar off and lay a flat edge on the bar rails, the flat edge should be 90 degrees with the bar, If it is not, the chain will not operate square with the bar and the cutters will not cut in to the wood as they should. If the bar groves still have life in them (they are deeper than the drive links of the chain), the bar can be ground so both rails are made even....I use a bench grinder adjusted for this. If the rails are splayed - you will see the chain can be moved side to side in the bar grove and this also causes the chain to "flop" in the cut and stops cutting. The solution is either to fit a new bar and chain or you can, if skilled, knock the rails together with a hammer and a solid base - anvil or a vice. I have had a saw cut halfway through a log and then you could rev the nuts of the saw with no chip or progress in the cut, all down to the above. I am assuming the issue is less of a "Jam" and more that the chain stops cutting and throwing out chip...if not, ignore this content.

Sounds like we are a bit closer. The 026 will rev up to 14Krpm but I would typically set it to 13 - 13.5Krpm just for safety. Fit the carb kit and see how it goes. The impulse lines can be a bit of a loose fit to the carb, seem that before. See how it goes once back together and has been run for a bit. If you fit a new impulse, only fit an original Stihl one as I don't trust the cheap aftermarket ones. Let us know how it goes but it is beginning to look promising.

Better start digging a bunker in the back garden then

Not running the 660 again

His block paving looks very clean

If you rev a saw flat out without cutting, the oil covers the clutch cover and just drips out when left to stand. When you are cutting, it transfers to the chip and wood so little is left to drip from the saw. The 661 has a two position oiler. If you are using a shorter bar, turn it down to the lower setting.

It doesn't sound too bad then. if it cuts well when cold then it isn't completely knackered, just got to sort out the hot running issue. Does this happen on the 2nd, 3rd cut or after using the saw 15-20 mins? Changing the plug is always worthwhile....it isn't often the issue but one or two have surprised me. Check the stuff I have said - the following will help you see how the carb should work. I thought the guy made a lot of sense - Worth checking the coil to flywheel gap as well. Seen a few saws play up when this is out by an incorrect gap after others have fiddled.

Well, it hasn't been seized so at least that part is OK. There don't appear to be machining marks on the lower skirt so it has done some hours but that would be normal for a model as old as an 026. Is returning it to the eBay seller an option? The bogging and not starting warm is a classic sign of lack of compression, without measuring or feeling the compression on the recoil handle, it is difficult to judge if it is a compression issue or not. When the saw is cold and you do a deep cut immediately, does the saw have decent power? If it does, at what sort of run time does it start falling over? One area to check is the impulse line where it connects to the union at the base of the cylinder between the air box (where the carb and air filter are housed) and the cylinder - this can cause unstable running but can be masked over by a carb tune....sort of! It is a common issue and can cause similar issues. You can test the manifold - basically you need to pull the chainsaw upwards whilst the bar is held in place against a log/tree or something solid and if the saw picks up, you have a split manifold - this exercise basically stretches the manifold and causes air to enter through the split. An engineer would pressure test it but that is a bit specialist. Many issues are carb related....are the H&L screw around 1- 1&1/4 turns out? When you cleaned the gauze strainer, did you pull it out and inspect it under a magnifying glass? They can look clean but still be blocked with scum. Was the pumping diaphragm OK? The holes under the small flaps can wear holes in them. It is worth changing the fuel filter and also checking the fuel line for splits. The tipping could be covering and uncovering a split in the fuel line causing the issue. What is the colour of the spark plug? The fuel tank breather is worth checking but is generally reliable on these machines. Lastly - the kill and earth wires can rub on the top AV mount - worth checking as I have seen it cause a misfire but doesn't sound too much like your issue.

Best get some images of the piston taken through the exhaust port and let us make a judgement. The tipping thing.....may have been the grot in the carb gauze strainer moving about causing different running in different positions, possibly shot AV mounts.....difficult to tell when you can't see the machine. I have had these saws in that work on their side but not upright.....transpired that the impulse line had come off and it was not drawing fuel when upright and worked just about when it was on its side. It is a common issue on this model saw.

Thanks, another strange one without a conclusive answer but good to have an outcome.

Just a bit off when anyone asks for help with an issue, nothing personal but it took a lot of advice and then...nothing, especially when the issue has been a long running one. It is always good to know the advice is good and has solved the issue but hey ho....it is a modern world and the manners my mother drummed in to me seem to mean less and less as time goes on!

And I tend to agree but we shall see.............

Well....what happened? Would be good to know!

Worth checking the tank breather as well...not massively likely but possible.

You may have a split fuel line....if you plug the end the fuel filter goes in and blow down the other end with the line submerged in fuel, you shouldn't get bubbles......I would use a Mityvac to test for leakage but assuming you haven't got one. The other thing to do is after you have tried to start it on choke etc. remove the carb and see if you have fuel in the pump section (plastic diaphragm cavity) and then check the metering section...the bit with the diaphragm with the round metal disk on it and the metering arm underneath it. From this, you can tell what the carb isn't doing....pumping fuel up from the tank or passing it through to the metering part. Just make sure the carb is held upright when the cover is taken off so you can see how much fuel is present. The cavities should be full. Report back with the findings or just work it out for yourself. I am assuming it is fuel if the saw fires with fuel injected down the carb.

One little tip on the hedge cutter attachment...more for the older model - if you take the head off, stick a suitable tight fit - flat head screwdriver in the hole the shaft usually fits, you can move the screw driver clockwise and anti clockwise and the blades should react to the change of direction without too much backlash. If this isn't the case and there is appreciable backlash, it shows the rods, gears or bearings may be worn or damaged. The later model with the white alloy blade support is a bit more reliable. The retaining bungs are worth checking as previously mentioned. Some Stihl shafts have a plastic sleeve in them, I have seen the shaft melt some of the sleeve and this makes the shaft REALLY shake and vibrate but I don't think your shafts have them unless using the carbon fibre extension. Worth giving the shafts a good greasing. It is worth revving the machine and trying to determine the source of the vibration shaft, head or engine.