Small engines need tuning.

Since I’m laid up after hand surgery and won’t be working on anything for a while I thought I’d write a post about something I’ve been seeing a lot of lately.

With ash trees dying in huge numbers I’ve been getting a lot of chainsaws in that need work. Most of these are from homeowners and of course many have the usual problems of having sat in the shed with fuel left in the tank.

But one problem I’ve seen now for three saws in a row is owners not understanding that these small two-stroke engines need to be constantly tuned to run well. Chainsaws especially need frequent tuning for peak performance.

If your chainsaw bogs down when you hit the trigger or won’t stay idling it is most likely because the carb is not tuned properly. Just because it was running well back in the winter or running well 2 years ago when you last used it doesn’t mean anything.

I’ve had several people tell me over the years that they almost threw the saw in the rubbish bin because somebody told them that poor performance was a sign it was shot. I can’t believe how few people know that a simple tune up is a necessity and if you’re using your saw year-round many times you have to do it multiple times in a year.

Another thing I’ve seen again recently is people not understanding do not run a dull chain on a chainsaw. Dull chains cause over revving and in the summer especially that will overheat the engine. Overheating a chainsaw engine will cause piston scuffing and cylinder wall damage. Unfortunately I had to throw a Stihl chainsaw away because it was simply not worth repairing because it was so badly damaged. This was all caused by running a dull chain.

Everybody has their own method for tuning chainsaws and sharpening chains so I’m not going to go into details here. Just a reminder if your saw isn’t running right a simple tune up will almost always cure the problem. But it has to be done more frequently than most people think.

sure wish you lived closer Grouse. A good small engine mechanic is always something in high demand.

Amen to that! I run a Poulan Wild Thing, which as you probably know is widely considered to be a huge POS. The carb adjustment tool is a very small, notched nut driver. Amazon sells an assortment of odd carb adjustment tools for like $10. A small turn in either direction once a year keeps this thing running like a top.

Once used it to cut down a tree for my buddy, I showed up with it and he laughed at me. After trying to start his Stihl for 20 minutes he finally gave up and fed me beer while the wild thing did all the heavy lifting that day. I really want to invest in a nice Echo or Husqvarna, but I just don’t see a reason to as long as this thing keeps spinning. I just downed a large boxelder tree last night in my backyard that needed to go as it was growing almost completely horizontal right over my kid’s playset.

If I am being honest I have never messed with adjusting the carb on my stihl chainsaw that I have had for the past 6 years, it has always just ran awesome. Good piece of advise to know for troubleshooting in the future so thanks for the insight. Might have to purchase a set of carb adjustment tools you mentioned to have on hand. If you don’t mind detailing your carb tuning procedure Grouse, I would be all ears.

KPE wrote:

Amen to that! I run a Poulan Wild Thing, which as you probably know is widely considered to be a huge POS.

This is an example of another power equipment product whose reputation suffers from owner neglect rather than being an actual poor quality product. I’ve worked on several of these and for the homeowner user it’s more than enough saw. As long as you don’t neglect it.

Yes you make another good point. You need specialized tools to adjust carburetors now thanks to another stupid EPA regulation. I believe I have about 15 different carb adjustment tools now. You can buy sets of them off of Amazon that cover the most common shapes.

The biggest thing with occasional use power tools like chainsaws, generators, and hedge trimmers is to drain the gas when you’re done using them. Then start them and run them until all the fuel is run out of the carburetor. If everybody just took this simple step their equipment would work much better and they would have many fewer problems.

Or use Non-Oxi gas with a little Seafoam. Never dump gas in the lawn mower for the winter or the Snow Blower for the summer and they always start 1st or 2nd pull the first time.

i would guess they went to specialized tools to adjust them so the basic homeowner who doesnt have a clue doesnt start adjusting them. if your going to start playing with your high/low/idle speed screws you better know what your doing or your going to be very frustrated very fast lol.

most common mistake is people using crappy gas in small engines. spend the extra money and buy non oxy gas. if your a homeowner that is only using things a couple times a year i would buy the stihl pre mixed stuff in the can. its expensive but might save you alot of headaches and misery.

between me and my father doing lawn care / fence work we own ALOT of small engine equipment. they all get non oxy gas and i prefer VP oil for mix. you cant just throw something in the corner with crappy gas in it and expect it to work right a year latter. take care of your equipment and it will work alot better over time

Absolutely on the gas thing. I have a system that works for me, but it only works because I’m very strict about it. Anything that doesn’t drive on the road regularly gets non-oxy. Last Tank before something sits for a season gets a small dose of whatever fuel stabilizer I have on hand at the time. Tanks sit full- this is the part where people have really different views. I keep my tanks full to avoid condensation. but- I also know exactly when I will pull the equipment out of the shed and start it again. My least-used item is my generator. it sits full of non-oxy with stabilizer year-round. Once every year it gets run for an hour, then I take the fuel and dump it into my truck and re-fill it with fresh non-oxy and a small amount of stabilizer. Always want the gen to work if I need it.

Everything I own starts on the 2nd pull, every time.

I have got in the habit of adding the fuel stabilizer to the can of gas right there at the pump. Never know how long that will be sitting until it is empty and needs to be refilled. Think the little marine bottle of stabil is less than 10 bucks and last for like 80 gallons of fuel. I just leave the bottle in my truck so I have it when I am filling up the boat or filling up a gas can.

last i knew seafoam recomended 1oz per gallon. thats what ive always gone by

KPE wrote:

Absolutely on the gas thing. I have a system that works for me, but it only works because I’m very strict about it. Anything that doesn’t drive on the road regularly gets non-oxy. Last Tank before something sits for a season gets a small dose of whatever fuel stabilizer I have on hand at the time. Tanks sit full- this is the part where people have really different views. I keep my tanks full to avoid condensation. but- I also know exactly when I will pull the equipment out of the shed and start it again. My least-used item is my generator. it sits full of non-oxy with stabilizer year-round. Once every year it gets run for an hour, then I take the fuel and dump it into my truck and re-fill it with fresh non-oxy and a small amount of stabilizer. Always want the gen to work if I need it.

Everything I own starts on the 2nd pull, every time.

I do the storage thing both ways, full tank with fuel treatment and removing all the gas out of system. It really depends on how much gas is in the tank at time of storage. I have had no issue with engines starting doing it both ways. I also use non oxy premium in all my small engines.

I can’t find the carb on my DeWalt.

KPE wrote:

Amen to that! I run a Poulan Wild Thing, which as you probably know is widely considered to be a huge POS. The carb adjustment tool is a very small, notched nut driver. Amazon sells an assortment of odd carb adjustment tools for like $10. A small turn in either direction once a year keeps this thing running like a top.

Once used it to cut down a tree for my buddy, I showed up with it and he laughed at me. After trying to start his Stihl for 20 minutes he finally gave up and fed me beer while the wild thing did all the heavy lifting that day. I really want to invest in a nice Echo or Husqvarna, but I just don’t see a reason to as long as this thing keeps spinning. I just downed a large boxelder tree last night in my backyard that needed to go as it was growing almost completely horizontal right over my kid’s playset.

man dont knock the poulan wild thing……..my family has 3 of them and does everything its ever been asked. only issue we’ve ever had ws one quit oiling the bar.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

I can’t find the carb on my DeWalt.

you must gotz one of them tree hugger things!!!!!!!