Charles Ekin

Hello I am interested in meeting up with people who use and know how to maintain crosscut saws. I am a school teacher with a passion for forestry and the environment. I am particularly interested in using crosscut saws and other tools as exercise. Any contacts gratefully received. Many thanks Charlie

Thanks Sawtroll and Ray1 and great offer, Spud, thank you. I am in Fareham near Portsmouth. The machine is an FS400. The cylinder is off, the piston still attached. The piston is scoured as well. If pictures would help, I can always photograph it and send them to you. I have a reasonable understanding of the machine but my experience/level of expertise in the mechanics of it is nothing to write home about. Ideally, depending on the price, it would be great to hand the whole lot over and be done with it. Alternatively with the pot and piston (either honed - possible?) or replaced, I could have a go at it myself but without a torque wrench or specialist tools, it will be a faff. Let me know your thoughts and again, many thanks for the offer of help. Charlie

Spud Thanks for the details about restoring the cylinder. This is beyond my level of expertise. Do you know of anyone who might be able to do this work for me (paid of course!) Many thanks Charlie

Thanks Spud. When you say, "It is very rare where one gets scored that bad it cant be cleaned up with the usual methods", what methods would you use to restore a scoured cylinder? Thanks Charlie

Thanks for your replies. I bought the machine on e-bay. I could not bring the revs down by adjusting the high speed jet. (I later discovered the tamper proof plastic attachment on the screw put there because of Californian anti-pollution laws). Used it for too long probably on high revs, which may have happened before I bought it also. Power was low. Decided to take the cylinder off and have a look inside. Both piston and cylinder are scoured. Does anyone know if I can get the cylinder machined and therefore just go with the expense of an original Stihl piston, rather than both? Many thanks Charlie

Greetings I need to change the cylinder and piston on my Stihl FS400 strimmer. (There was no specific forum for strimmers, so I thought this was the best place out of the other options). Genuine part £160+vat, non-genuine part on e-bay or elsewhere around the £40 mark. Any ideas about what to look out for, tips, strong opinions, etc very welcome. All I've been told so far is that the same casting moulds that make the parts for Stihl will be used for other brands unless they are Chinese, and in which case, they make their own moulds which are more likely to be dodgy. Any thoughts? Thanks Charlie

Rich2484 The last round of repairs/replacements that I did involved getting new "o" rings. I noticed they were missing the last time I took the carb apart and cross-referenced it with the exploded view parts diagram I had. Didn't make a blind bit of difference. That was the last thing I could think of and when that failed, I turned to the forum. Spud Whenever I took the carb apart there was never any crap in that little gauze. Gardenkit Bloody hell, you know your stuff! That's really casting pearls before swine! Is the metering valve arm what they call the inlet control lever on the parts diagram? Again, many thanks to all. Charlie

I'VE GOT MY SAW BACK! Although I haven't managed to put my finger precisely on the culprit, the saw is now running perfectly after putting in the replacement carb supplied by Jamie. Thank you so much. Fortunately I didn't need to replace crankcase seals or bearings or anything else more serious. For those of you who like "whodunnits", the carb that was in it when I bought the saw was missing the high and low adjustment screw o rings and also the main gasket where it connects with the boot. Can't help feeling some botch recon or replacement job had been carried out. The replacement diaphragm and gasket set which I used was not Stihl but made by some Italian outfit supplied by L&S Engineers. Whatever, it didn't change anything about the behaviour of the saw by comparison to when I first got it. When I stripped the carb down everything else seemed clean and correct but who knows. What might shift inside a carb when you turn it on its side? All I can say is that this whole experience has restored my faith in human nature! You have all been so willing to spend time sharing your thoughts and experience with me and I'm really grateful. I look forward to returning the favour, probably not directly to you because you know so much and I know so little, but to someone else. Thanks Lads very much. Charlie

Jamie Your Carb arrived today. Thanks so much. It could have been one of two and it turned out to be the right one. Can't wait to try it out later on. It will help eliminate several posibilities. You're a star. Thank you very much. Oldnwrinkly The front AV buffers were slackened off and the rear ones removed when I pivotted the tank housing forward to get at the carb boot. They were all in good nick. The rear left near the ignition module which seems to cause the most problems, was fine. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check out the impulse line later on. Ricbob I'll throw the idea of the crank bearings into the mix but unfortunately I'm not clued up enough about the stuff right down in the bowels of the engine. By comparison to the 038 I had before from new and which worked a treat for 20 years, it doesn't seem to behave any differently when it's working! Thanks again to all. Charlie

Thanks Spud. The impulse line is also brand spanking and not kinked!

Thanks to all of you. I'll get back to you asap and when I've gone through the extensive check list you have provided me with. Many thanks again. Charlie

Thanks for replying, Al The fuel line is brand spanking new and a Stihl original part. It also has behaved no differently since replacing the old one. The problem persists even when the tank is full of fuel. As far as the attachment of carb to fuel line is concerned, it's a metal one like thislike this: Google Image Result for http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjcwWDEwMjQ%3D/%24(KGrHqFHJCsE70J)sksQBPDeHNszhw~~60_35.JPG Many thanks for your reply and also to Spud for the welcome. It's got to be said, Lads, you're a committed and generous lot! Charlie

Elfinwood Saws Inspired idea about the air filter flap. Although the mesh and body of the filter are new, I took the flap and the split pin and spring out of the old one. I'll give that another check over as well. Jamie1 Fantastic offer of the spare carb. It's a Bing I've got in there at the moment. That would be a great way of eliminating a few ideas. I'd be great to take you up on that. I'll send you my postal address. Spud Thanks for the details about the carb after it's cut out. As I've been offered a carb and I'm a bit pushed for time, I'll try that out first but if that doesn't work, I'll definitely be buying a new boot just for good measure. Thanks again to you all for your interest and help. I've been, well, blown away, really. Charlie

I bought the saw on e-bay after an 038 Farm Boss of mine got knicked. For as long as I have had the saw it has done this. I bought it about 6 months ago, used it once, thought, great because it worked well to cut normally, then didn't use the saw for a couple of months by which time I had no recourse.

Thanks Elfinwood Saws. It still cuts out even if the tank is full to the brim Great idea about trying a different carb but I haven't got one. All diaphragms and gaskets are new and all the parts I took out (I took it all apart except the throttle shutter and the valve jet and gave it a good compressed air blast) seem in good nick. Cheers Charlie

Really chuffed that you have all gone to so much bother to try and help me with this. Thank you. To answer a few questions: SPUD I didn't see the vacuum and pressure test being done, just left it with a Stihl agent and then picked it up. So although I could ring them up and find out what the bloke did, I don't as yet, have any info apart from the fact that, as it was already half stripped down, I gave it to him with the tank housing pivoted away from the engine with the carb boot off. He told me that he changed the pressure through the impulse line nozzle and blanked off the intake manifold. As far as how it starts hot is concerned, as long as it is in the normal cutting position, it starts on the very next pull. The fuel line is a standard Stihl spare. Just to be sure, I did what you saw in the video with a completely full tank of fuel and it still behaved in exactly the same way. So I think that rules the flopping fuel filter thing out. I'll certainly have a go at checking out the spark plug when it cuts out. I haven't heard of checking the carb though. Can you give a bit more advice. Do I take the whole thing out, remove the covers both ends and take the diaphragms out? What am I looking for? Kind offer to "pick up the pieces". I am in Farehamn near Portsmouth. STUBBY Thanks for your post too. The HT lead, the earth wire and the cut out wire all had wear to their insulation so I changed all of them too! I really am clutching at straws! GARDENKIT Thanks also. As far as the boot is concerned, can a really close inspection with 20/20 vision miss a hole or a tiny crack? If it can then I'll just chuck that in as a next part to replace in the hope that it might work. I'm only a bit reluctant because they are about £25-£30 ex vat Anyway, many thanks to you all again and any ideas in light of what I've just said would be very gratefully received. Cheers Charlie

Thanks for the reply, Rich. The mix is bang on. I even tuned it whilst it was at full throttle and cutting to get the bubble just right. Idles perfectly and accelerates swiftly. Spark plug dark brownish, not black and sooty. Charlie

Greetings Please help! I'm tearing my hair out trying to find the cause of the problem that I am having and after loads of research and ideas from various people, many spare parts and tests later, the problem persists. I am making this final appeal to your collective wisdom and experience before I go nuts!! To see the saw in action and the problem that I have with it cutting out, please go to the following You Tube clip which my son filmed; [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfTfUWPwhY]Mysterious problem with Stihl 038 AV super chainsaw - YouTube[/ame] The problem: The saw cuts beautifully in the usual vertical position but cuts out when turned horizontally into a typical felling position. It does however work well when turned into the other horizontal position. What has been recommended to me: It’s a) an air intake issue which is affecting the mix, b) leaking crankcase seals, c) leaking impulse line or d) scoured piston and cylinder causing temporary compression issues. What I have changed or had done: Fuel system: New fuel tank breather New fuel line and filter New carb diaphragms and gaskets (no other damage or wear visible to rest of carb) New air filter The carb boot (or elbow connector) has been removed, checked for damage and reconnected. Piston and cylinder: While the tank housing was opened away from the engine, the exhaust was removed and the cylinder and piston are in virtually mint condition. Crankcase: The crankcase has been professionally pressure and vacuum tested and passed both. Impulse line: No apparent sign of cracking or splits but replaced anyway. So, please have a look at the video. Here’s the link again: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfTfUWPwhY]Mysterious problem with Stihl 038 AV super chainsaw - YouTube[/ame] The saw is only used for firewooding but I want to use it for felling as well but cannot due to this problem. Your help would be really appreciated. Many thanks Charlie PS Although this is a new thread, some of the information in the "Stihl 038 AVS Replacing Elbow Connector" thread relates to this, with some great comments but....My hunch is that it is the crank seals in which case why did it pass its pressure and vacuum tests? Anything else I might be overlooking?

Greetings You guys have been really helpful with all your suggestions, but I've done all I can without pulling all my hair out, so in a last ditch attempt to try and get the problem solved, I have posted a clip on youtube showing the saw in action, so please have a look. Thanks so much in advance. To see the saw in action and the problem that I have with it cutting out, please go to the following You Tube clip which my son filmed (the hyperlink tool doesn't seem to be working so please paste this url into your address bar) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfTfUWPwhY]Mysterious problem with Stihl 038 AV super chainsaw - YouTube[/ame] The problem:The saw cuts beautifully in the usual vertical position but cuts out when turned horizontally into a typical felling position. It does however work well when turned into the other horizontal position. What has been recommended to me: It’s a) an air intake issue which is affecting the mix, b) leaking crankcase seals, c) leaking impulse line or d) scoured piston and cylinder causing temporary compression issues. What I have changed or had done: Fuel system: New fuel tank breather New fuel line and filter New carb diaphragms and gaskets (no other damage or wear visible to rest of carb) New air filter The carb boot (or elbow connector) has been removed, checked for damage and reconnected. Piston and cylinder: While the tank housing was opened away from the engine, the exhaust was removed and the cylinder and piston are in virtually mint condition. Crankcase: The crankcase has been professionally pressure and vacuum tested and passed both. Impulse line: No apparent sign of cracking or splits but replaced anyway. So, please have a look at the video. Here’s the url again: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfTfUWPwhY]Mysterious problem with Stihl 038 AV super chainsaw - YouTube[/ame] The saw is only used for firewooding but I want to use it for felling as well but cannot due to this problem. Your help would be really appreciated. Many thanks Charlie

Thank you all so much for your input about this. I think the squirt of WD40 did the trick. The old lead easily budged after that and it unscrewed anti-clockwise no problem. In case it might help those who have not done this, as you push and turn the new lead in, the insulation on the lead auto-threads itself into the female thread on the module and this impales the conducting part of the lead onto a spike in the module, (on my IIDA version at least) Thanks to all. Charlie

Hello I'd really appreciate your help and advice. This is a great saw but the engine on mine has begun dying on a felling cut. Cuts perfectly well when cutting downwards (vertically) but I am supposing there is some kind of air intake that is upsetting the mix. To date I have replaced the carb diaphragms, the fuel filter and pipe, the tank breather and the main carb gasket. It's still doing it. Is there anything left apart from the elbow connector that could be causing an air intake, or am I maybe overlooking something else? If you agree that it could be the elbow connector, which of the two ways of accessing it would you say requires the least effort: removing the cylinder and going in that way, or to remove the four AV mountings and swinging the whole tank housing section away from the engine? Thanks very much Charlie

Megatron Many thanks for your help with this HT lead story. Hope the pics are good enough. Am I just being too ginger with unscrewing the lead from the module or perhaps turning it the wrong way (undoes normally, ie anti-clockwise, or has it got a reverse thread on it)? In any case, many thanks for your help. Charlie PS the lead damage is underneath the sleeve

Pleasant by name, pleasant by nature! Thanks so much for the useful reply. Charlie

Greetings Would be very grateful for your advice: Damaged HT lead so I have done as the manual suggests, got replacement parts and have reached the point where I should, "pull lead out through the [spark plug] terminal after unscrewing it from the woodscrew on the high tension output of the ignition armature (or module)". My question is this, do the leads unscrew from all models of ignition modules or are some sealed units? I have tried to unscrew it with a reasonable amount of force, by hand and with a pair of pliers, but don't want to bust the cable inside. Thanks Charlie