GardenKit

Better check that the exhaust is not blocked, if so it will put a pressure on the gasket resulting in a blowpast. Exhausts are often blocked by burnt oil deposits caused by oil of insufficient quality or excessive quantity.

Looks like a youngster, was its great big fat mummy near? Nice pictures.

Welcome back Rich

Thats the one! Thanks Steve

Aspen will not cause problems, but neither is it so good that it cures pre-existing issues. I reckon a good service is in order. Once the saw is in good order it will stay that way with Aspen. Where are you based?

There have been nearly 200 signatures in the last week compared with only 470 in the first 6 months. So a big thankyou to those of you who have signed. But there are still over 19000 Arbtalkers who have not taken part, I wonder why? So come on guys, even if you have only ever read the forum and never posted, get involved now. https://www.change.org/p/government-...share_petition Then make post on this thread and let us know your reasons for signing, or for not signing. We want you to participate in this, as well as other forum topics.

Haha, you really do not like 4 mix do you? Must admit I agree with you though.

another bump

I agree totally with you on the consistency issue of pump fuel. It is indeed very variable and can be pretty rubbish stuff. But I personally have never favoured draining the tank, I have seen the insides of too many carburettors that have been stored dry. However, I have seen the insides of carbs stored with fuel in and they can also be pretty grim when the fuel has degraded, undergone phase separation and formed other solids. So in my opinion to store with petrol in is bad, and to drain it is bad. This is where Aspen comes in to its own. It is 100% consistent, every can is batch coded and each batch is tested on filling. As others have said it will last up to 5 years, either in the can or in the machine. In fact, as it is chemically stable it should last indefinitely, but thats a bold claim to make. It will never attack rubber or plastic, will not absorb moisture, will not seperate from the oil, will never form solids. And so it should be left in the machine during storage. To drain it would be totally wrong.

Oily discharge can only come from unburnt 2 stroke oil. Some after burning of oil takes place in the exhaust before the exhaust gas leaves the machine, but if the exhaust becomes loose or broken the oily residue escapes between the exhaust and the cylinder and can then get pulled around the fan casing by the flywheel. A loose exhaust will of course make a nice throaty roar. So, is the exhaust loose? Has the mix, or the oil type changed?

That should about cover it Steve. A good public liability insurance is pretty important too when doing any charged for repairs. Just in case. Beats losing the house.

Is this before, or after switching to Aspen? I am guessing, before.

It may indeed come on a bit quicker (more inertia), but will it have sufficient spring tension and surface area to brake the chain? Bigger saws have bigger bands and drums for this reason. Just thoughts, not trying to argue.

Absolutely correct Steve, nobody is going to come along and arrest you for modding a saw. But ponder this scenario. Just say an accident with a modded saw occurs due to kick back, and the chainbrake is just a little slow in stopping the chain. This could be blamed on the chain speed and torque of the modded saw exceeding the design parameters of the factory standard chain brake. The manufacturer will be off the hook, but the casualty (or worse still, his widow) is looking for someone to blame. Just saying.

This is one reason why dealers on the whole do not get involved in modding. It is just too much of a risk to take. IF there is an accident due to a non standard saw, the saw may well go back to the manufacturer, but once found to be non compliant the manufacturer will be able to wash their hands of any liability. The dealer would then have to take sole liability and try to prove that the accident was not due to the extra power produced by the modding. It could get very messy in this modern litigation society, and insurance companies may also take the opportunity to back out. Its all OK until something goes wrong and there is an investigation. The person who carried out the mods could be in deep water. All these things are OK until the day something happens.

And register your kit on Arbsafe.

Its good to be fair with problems of this nature. All too often people try to claim that issues are warranty when its obvious to me that the fault is their own. This one was definately a fault which had nothing to do with the operator. There was no abuse, lack of oil or stale fuel. To be fair, it probably was not 'faulty parts or workmanship' either, but I have always found manufacturers to respond fairly, as they know I never try to 'pull fast ones' with them.

Follow up. I submitted the engine for warranty consideration and it was passed, despite being over 4 years old. All new parts supplied FOC by Tanaka with the customer to foot the bill for labour. Tanaka are a very good firm to deal with.

Aspen is only available in 5litre or 200l cans in the UK. 25 litre cans have been looked into, but the price per litre would be no less than in 5litre cans. Some dealers may offer a small discount on a reasonable size order of 5litre cans. It may pay to ask.

Congratulations to the new winner!

To be honest, in most cases you can just put Aspen in and go. So don't think you HAVE to do anything. But as others have said, in some cases you may need a very slight retune. On a saw the age of yours you should not have to anything with the diaphragms and hoses UNLESS they need attention anyway as a result of exposure to very stale petrol. Its probably not a bad idea to have a full service on a secondhand saw anyway, irrespective of which fuel you intend to use, and it does not cost much on top of a service to fit a carb kit. I short, if you don't want to spend any money then just try it and see. If you want to spend on a service then have the diaphragms done too.

640 signatures so far. Only 9360 more needed. Remember, sign only. Do not commit to donations or receiving mail. https://www.change.org/p/government-uk-abolish-road-fuel-duty-on-garden-power-tool-specific-alkylate-petrols-designed-to-protect-users-from-harmful-emissions?recruiter=92753060&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

That pin looks like a roller from a con rod bearing.

Stiga have just announced a new blower. On paper at least, it produces more blow than any of the major opposition. It looks good, with a sturdy base and is very cost effective. When stocks arrive I will post up a some pictures and give it a review.

I should imagine that you are feeling a little dissapointed with such a low take up Steve. I doubt that many Arbtalkers really appreciate the time, effort and money that you have put into this venture, as well as the sponsorship from Stihl. Stihl must also think its a pretty poor return on their money so far. Don't get me wrong Steve, this is no criticism of your very worthy efforts, it is a gentle nudge to members to overcome their apathy and support ventures such as this which are, after all for their own good. Come on guys, don't just read this forum, participate.