spudulike

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.

Strato type engines need heat to make them work well...similar to CATs in that respect.

From an engineers point of view, the MS201Mtronic is a much simpler machine to work on compared to the 540T.....well, I personally think so! I have been told the double strop clip on the 540XPT is something like orgasmic.....I don't climb but that is what I have learnt. You can clip it on to your belt clip thingy which is a positive or so I am told. The 540 has a mother of throttle cables to fit and the top handle has an integrated fuel tank making a dropped saw an expensive repair. On using them, compared to the MS200T, the MS201 doesn't have the same grunt at low revs but the cut speed, if the initial pickup is clean, is very similar to the 200. The 540...less experience and haven't timed the cuts. As I said...I don't use them apart from servicing them!

Yup, sounds like a leaking carb needle valve to me - it causes fuel to piss out of the carb and either in to the engine or in to the air filter, this is the most likely cause. Weak spring, stuck needle or incorrect arm height are the common ones, incorrect diaphragm is possible!

There is a cover over the HT cap. This may help & note the link to the parts list..... http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/ed1d619968136da688256af40002b8f7/11784e055d87ccf388256b690079200b/

Just get some traps and use them well, got rid of two moles and a rat in the garden....not the kitchen😉

I think this is what you need. Out of stock but may be worth a call. Trigger unit for Stihl MS362, MS362C Chainsaws - 1140 430 1000 | L&S Engineers WWW.LSENGINEERS.CO.UK Trigger unit for Stihl MS362, MS362C Chainsaws Genuine Stihl...

Yes, that is why I listed both companies as both are active on Arbtalk. I like being fair to all and yes, I have purchased from both with good service obtained from both...thanks.

Yes...Skylands, they stock a decent amount of Echo spares as do Chainsawbars ....have to balance it up😉

I always use carb cleaner and a compressor. It opens up the holes in the polyester mesh rather than filling them with dried up water and suds as using water and soap does. Seen many look clean to the eye but a magnifying glass shows otherwise. The polyester mesh is tough, you are very unlikely to damage it unless you cut it with something sharp. I used similar mesh when screen printing 35 years ago and only sharp edges will kill it. It resists most chemicals, printing inks and solvent, most of them are pretty aggressive so a bit of air and carb cleaner is fine!

It may be Shot Hole Disease, this fungi makes holes in the leaves and makes them fall during Spring and Summer, usually on Ornamental Plumb and Cherry.

I sort of am but Stihl call some of their AV mounts "Ring Puffers" which has always stuck in my head for some reason.....I guess it could be used as an insult if needed!

Was that road rage or kidnap?

Wasn't he a gentleman thief, bit like Sherlock with a penchant for gems he didn't own

Ah...thats where the Christmas fairy lives, in the ring puffer hole. It is an AV stop, just means at full compression or stretch on the AV, the movement stops before the spring is destroyed. Nothing missing, it is just a solid stop, perfectly normal....relax!

Is the wobble on the chuck bearing or the actual chuck? The chuck is usually held on to the drive shaft with a screw that can be exposed by opening up the chuck fully and shining a light down the chuck hole. It can be a left hand thread...just so you know but the retaining screw may be loose other than that, if the bearings are shot, good luck with replacing them.

Sorry, forgot to add....."But what do I know"

Back on track....seems Stihl have used a big variation of carbs on the 026 (predecessor to MS260) to the MS260 and there have been quite a few cylinder/piston types in the development of the model. You may well have had a replacement carb or your saw may be a BITSA or Frankensaw but....I have often changed carbs from the later MS260 on 026s that were running poorly, often on the idle as these old carbs can sometimes just get extremely uneven on idle and swapping a carb out usually does it. You originally said "until now has never really been a problem" so am taking the assumption that the saw was running well for a period of time..weeks, months years and now it has changed. This shows the carb was working on the saw and something has now changed. You said you have cleaned the carb "many times".....I have seen carbs with gaskets and diaphragms in all sorts of order...one Jonsered almost killed me and was much fitter after I eventually found the pump diaphragm and gasket weren't fitted correctly. Sooooo - make sure the thin plastic pump gasket is closest to the carb body and make sure the gasket spacer sits BETWEEN the metering diaphragm and the carb body (this is the one with the metal disk on it). These carbs take a number of diaphragms and they have different height nipples in the middle of the disk and this can cause issues. Have you swapped out these components or are they as they were and if the gaskets were bonded to the top cover and the other one to the metering diaphragm, we should be OK. The most common carb issue is a blocked gauze strainer - the little round circular stainless mesh thing - best pull it out and look at the open areas with a backlight and magnifying glass - I didn't many years ago and had the same saw back three times...sorry Matt. As I said before....best check that impulse line before getting too involved for the reasons mentioned before. You can tell if your carb is one of the real old ones or not by the way they adjust up. The later H&L screws operate completely independent of each other. On the early ones, adjusting the L screw messes up the H screw. The carb settings should be 1 turn out on each screw (if limiters are not fitted). If the carb has a H screw limiter (red, black or white plastic) it is a later model and these are the better ones. It will look like the image below: -

All very interesting but it is most likely the impulse line has come off the brass union just under the cylinder base. You won't understand so....if you look between the air box that holds the carb and air filter and the cylinder back under the spark plug/ inlet manifold (rubber tube thingy), you will see a rubber hose (like a fuel line)that comes out of the rear of the air box and should be pushed on to a little brass connector that is just under the inlet manifold and just under where the cylinder sits on the crankcase. You need either forceps or long nose pliers and push the line back on to the brass union. Fitting a new hose is probably best but the above will sort it. It usually comes off when the saw gets stuck in a cut and the operator gets a bit leery with the rear handle and over eggs the saw removal. Why do I think this is the issue - I recently had three 260s in, all with the same symptoms and all had the same fault!