pleasant

Yeah...job would be so much easier if it weren't for the customers ho ho

Got that clutch spring re fitted today so thanks to all. Put the coil spring over one of the shoes together with the centre hub, then clamped it in the vice so the top half was exposed. Managed to partially insert the second shoe under the spring and held that in place with mole grips....still in the vice. Then gently prised the remaining side of the second shoe under the spring. Job done. LIke you say, you need fingers like a bunch of sausages...which fortunately i have.....always a bonus....the wifes a bit wary of them tho .👍k

Hmmm....maybe. Like i said earlier igenerally don't say much. How about the classic ' may i have a new blade for my CHAINsaw?' 'Do you mean the bar....the long flat thing that sticks out the front of your CHAINsaw, or a CHAIN?' ' a new chain please' I' m not really being awkward, as i genuinely have had customers mean a bar, and if they come a long way to collect after we assumed its a chain they need and not a bar and we are out of stock, they arent too happy!

Yeah....I do understand. I don't like to preach, would rather advise and educate. Normally it's my weeked warriors that use the term stretch. I usually say something but don't dwell on it, but when they say will this oregon chain ive got from you stretch as bad as the chinese one on my screwfix piece of landfill, I then go into 'education' mode. 😇

Good man. Ho ho

Yup...i understand. But 'wear' and 'stretch' are completely different,

As i have above. Or are you seriously suggesting a chromed steel cutter and solid steel plate tie strap will stretch? You are mistaking 'stretch' for rivet wear 'bedding in on anew chain' or rivet and rivet hole wear in an older chain. You can see this for yourself particularly on a dry worn chain and it 'rattles' if you shake it off the machine. This is nothing more that wear....not stretch. Also the circumfrence of the bar and sprockets gradually wear....again giving the impression of strech in a chain. One of my pet hate mis advice 'stretch' is

Chains don't stretch. The rivets give and bed in quickly on a new chain so wise to check the tension after maybe half a dozen cuts on a new chain, but do it on a cold chain, not one that is still hot or warm as hot metal expands.....again another misconception of chain 'stretch' As a chain wears so do the rivets holding the links together and this will give the impression of chain stretch, but it is actually the rivets and rivet holes wearing. If you think about it...what you are saying it a solid cutter tooth or solid steel tie strap will 'stretch.....this is not the case. If the cutters and tie straps did strech then that would elongate the rivet holes and it would simply fall apart. Add into the equation the bar circumfrence wears down, as do the sprockets, then it may look as if a chain has stretched, but again this is not the case. Wear and strech are to completely different things...even though they may have similar looking results Been making and selling chains for near 25 years now and never come across genuine stretch in a chain.

Yes spud. More often than not I get same reaction, but sods law means I would rather that than not keep discarded parts and then the customer say ' I'm not sure about this repair, I want to see the old part' Then stating you don't have it to show only adds to the customers suspicions.

Thanks guys. I will pass this info on after the weekend. Appreciated. 👍

We always attach the old carbs to repaired machines in a 'discarded parts' bag for the customer to inspect. The customer is then free to take parts home to inspect, or should they wish they can leave parts with us so we can recycle it correctly on their behalf. We have nothing to hide......although some dealers, and non dealers may. We actually prefer the customer to see the discarded repair parts upon collection as it helps them to understand what the issues were with the part or parts by showing them. Whereas the initial authorisation to go ahead with the repair would have been over the phone, this would be the first time to physically justify the customers expenditure in front of them. A picture paints a thousand words.....and saves a lot of explaining.

Been years since i was a husky dealer selling the popular 136 and 141 models. Been a stihl dealer for last 15 years, so my guys are unfamiliar with the husky. Just taken this 136 in and the clutch drum had worn right through allowing it to collapse and the long coiled clutch shoes spring has rode off the shoes. What is the easiest way to re fit it once the new drum arrives next week. Seems a tight fit...which it needs to be, but is there a knack before my guys are let lose on it with screwdrivers and pry bars! Cheers

So do the premium fuels. Read up on the esso stuff in particular...i dont work for esso btw. Just happens to be the only mainstream supplier of at the pump ethanol free

We now only fit new carbs as a whole....we introduced this when the e5 came out and were inundated with nonstarting machines not run dry whilst laid up. This got worse when the e10 came out in 2021. It actually works out proportionally cheaper for the customer to fit a new carb (obviously once we have established it is a carb issue) than it would be to remove it, us fit a diaphragm and gasket kit, then re fit, and find there are still running issues with it. We are potentially doing the job at least twice. I get it from a hobbyists point of view where time and labour are not an issue, but if i said to a customer it will be an hours labour plus a kit to overhaul your carb, and once re-fitted there still could be an issue, so you will have to pay again for us to remove it again compared to just over half an hours labour to fit a new, known working carb so it is right first time. Instead of take old carb off, re build it, put it back on, still issues so remove it again is a lot more labour than simply fitting a new carb first time. Labour for us is £44 per hour plus vat...so labour to fit a new carb and set it up will be around £25 plus the carb. Potentially an hour and a half or more faffing around with the old carb could easily be £60 odd quid and yiu still have an old unknown carb fitted. So £100 to fit a new genuine stihl carb with a warranty or £60 quid labour plus a carb kit and no guarantees another issue may soon arise. Extra £30 or £40 for piece of mind and warranty is worth it...not just for the customer, but also us as a company as 'come back jobs we don't earn on. I am quite happy to explain this and never had a customer since ethanol state he wants us to re build a carb. There's your answer why we don't re build anymore spud.

If you have an hour to spare, check out your local esso stations. A large number of them (but not all) sell thr esso premium unleaded, which is ethanol free, so no need for a load of stabilisers or aspen anyway. A quick google may well tell you of your nearest ethanol free esso station. I will check, but even if ethanol free, they do put e5 of the pumps so I believe Whose "E5" is really "E0" ethanol free? - Page 1 - General Gassing - PistonHeads UK WWW.PISTONHEADS.COM

I sold my own ms261 just before christmas on the 'bay' If it's any help, mine had only 4 hours use on it..2011 pre m-tronic. Pretty much as new...got £485 for it plus carriage. I had the option to buy a 2021 model from a customer for £500, so it was a no brainer. I can't make a comment as to which way you should go re the 400 but at least it gives you an idea of worth for you 261. A decently worded advert and loads of good, clear pictures will help your cause to get a good price.

The official line from companies such as briggs and stratton, honda etc is e10 pump fuel has a shelf life of around 30 days before it rapidly deteriorates. E5 is around 6 to 7 weeks. I sell briggs and stratton fuel fit and have for years since the introduction of e5. It does work and will prolong the fuel life, although if used with e10 then the doseage should be increased by 25% more than the dosage for e5, although you cannot overdose using it...will not go as far if you do. Aspen is fine in 2 strokes if you have used it since day one in your machines, but not recommended for use in diaphragm carbs that have previously been used for protracted periods on pump fuel. In your 4 strokes aspen will be fine irrelevant what you have previously been using.

Dan & Chris?? Did you mean me OP?

Alloy crankcase ideally would need replacing. Repairing cracks around the mount holes is nigh on impossible, and something like a bar stud needs to be 100% secure before you use it.

I hope you have check the cylinder block (no separate 'pot' on this engine) for scoring before you have ordered all those parts?

No it doesn't. It simply means the spring has lost a degree of its original tension to retract the rope. If this is a sudden difference in performance, I would suggest the spring is the issue. Springs can break in the centre of the winding, which is difficult to see once wound up in the housing, and means only a fraction of the spring is being used to retract the rope and handle. I would remove the recoil handle and allow the rope to lose all tension. Then lay the recoil housing flat, remove the circlip retaining the pulley. Lift the pulley up cleanly and slowly, whilst also checking the tail of the spring isn't caught in the pulley as you are removing it. Put on a pair of safety glasses or goggles whilst doing this to be safe.

Being a dealer, I have no experience in 'modding' machinery beyond stock, so I won't advise as to whether adding a big bore kit or what is involved in doing so is a good thing. Personally, if you have decided your issues are primarily piston and cylinder, then get those on order. You need to ascertain why there is scoring etc in the first place, as simply re-fitting new parts without finding the cause will simply mean the same issues arising again. I wouldn't aoutomatically replace the carb.....I would definitely try and keep the original one....just re-build it. There are a lot of rubbish carbs out there which can cause other issues once fitted....unless you bite the bullet and get a genuine stihl one for around £90. But, again a new carb and pot and piston won't cure an issue such as leaking crank seals, which could be the original issue...amongst others.

Just a footnote to my earlier comment. Remember, that if you think you can get away with just a piston and then find out your cylinder isnt any good, you cannot buy a cylinder on its own...they come as a pair, so you will end up with two pistons, one of which will be surplus and wasted money.

I would strongly advise removing the spark plug lead before pulling it over with you face near the chain and exhaust port....even if the switch is in the off position.