My chainsaw finally died

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
LLigetfa

LLigetfa

Minister of Fire
Nov 9, 2008
7,360
NW Ontario
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Nothing lasts forever. It alternates between a weak and no spark.

Time to go shopping for a new or newer saw.

Yesterday I dragged out my log splitter. Checked the oil... good. Checked the gas tank... empty. I poured gas in and ran out onto the ground. Guess fuel lines don't last forever either. A quick run to town and $3 later, it is good as new.
 
Guessing the saw has other problems that makes tracking down the spark issue not worth it?

Ugh, I feel your pain for running to town for a 3 dollar part. Nothing more frustrating than spending 10 bucks in gas to get it <>

My wife doesn't like my "collections" but anymore, if I have to do that, I come home with extra to hopefully save that trip some day in the future.
 
Ja, well... it's a 40 year old saw so it doesn't owe me anything. The tough part is choosing what saw to buy. I'm getting too old to lug such a heavy 65cc saw. Also want a longer bar so I won't need to bend down as much.

As for the splitter, a $3 gas line in 9 years is nothing to complain about. I was fortunate to get to the store before they closed. They had already cashed out the till and turned off the lights. I happened to have the right change but it was in US$.
 
Been wondering where ya been. Welcome back to the joint. I hear ya on the heavy old 65cc saws. Love the ole Pioneer/Partner but can't heft that Pontiac demolisher any more.

Bending down isn't so much of a problem yet. I am built pretty close to the ground.
 
Getting down isn't the real problem , its getting back up that is the challenging part. I swear the gravitational pull of the earth has increased ten fold in the last 3 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PapaDave, Grisu and pen
blades said:
Getting down isn't the real problem , its getting back up that is the challenging part. I swear the gravitational pull of the earth has increased ten fold in the last 3 years.
Click to expand...
You surely can say that again. My problem as well.
 
LLigetfa said:
Ja, well... it's a 40 year old saw so it doesn't owe me anything. The tough part is choosing what saw to buy. I'm getting too old to lug such a heavy 65cc saw. Also want a longer bar so I won't need to bend down as much.
Click to expand...

What dealers are nearby?

If you wanted to keep the weight down and power up, you could get a 50cc saw and get it ported.....
 
Well... I could not resist... ended up with a big bore saw and a 20" bar, so not any lighter than before. The only other saws they had in stock with 3/8" chain were too expensive.

It is a Stihl MS391
 
  • Like
Reactions: pen
BrotherBart said:
It's a guy thing. ;lol
Click to expand...
Ja, sure is. :D

I took the saw out tonight and bucked up a cord or two. WOW, just WOW! I should have done it years ago.

Started on two pulls and purred like a kitten at idle. WOT just screams... not used to such a high RPM saw. Cuts like butta!

After warm up it seems to idle a little fast. Maybe I just need to get used to it. The clutch spring on my old saw was so stretched out that it would move the chain at idle so I had the idle dialled way back.

The extra length on the bar makes all the difference. No sore back tonight!
 
  • Like
Reactions: PapaDave and pen
Wait until the saw is broken in before messing with the idle. I have noticed they usually set the idle a bit high from the factory, but it usually settles down. What kind of saw did it replace. I like some of the older saws. I have an old 60's homelite. Close to 80cc. Your spark issue is probably just that it needs new points.
 
blades said:
Getting down isn't the real problem , its getting back up that is the challenging part. I swear the gravitational pull of the earth has increased ten fold in the last 3 years.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's effects are strangely magnified on knees and lower backs.

LLigetfa said:
I took the saw out tonight and bucked up a cord or two. WOW, just WOW! I should have done it years ago.

Started on two pulls and purred like a kitten at idle. WOT just screams... not used to such a high RPM saw. Cuts like butta!
Click to expand...

Niiiice.

But so close to the holidays, this could be viewed as incitement
 
jrems said:
What kind of saw did it replace...
Click to expand...
The old saw is a 70's Partner R420, 65cc. Don't know where to buy parts for it. After today, I'm not sure I want to.
 
LLigetfa said:
The old saw is a 70's Partner R420, 65cc. Don't know where to buy parts for it. After today, I'm not sure I want to.
Click to expand...

Considering the title of this thread, it seems strange to say Congratulations, but it seems appropriate!
 
LLigetfa said:
The old saw is a 70's Partner R420, 65cc. Don't know where to buy parts for it. After today, I'm not sure I want to.
Click to expand...

You could probably put it on eBay and get a some money for new chains or other bits...
 
Last edited:
I was down to just a few logs left to buck and I ran into barb wire. Damn! I have some serious filing to do on my new chain. Good thing I had a spare so I could just swap it out and get back at it. All I have left now are the skids the load was sitting on but it was getting too dark to knock them off. I need to lift them up out of the dirt, peel the bark, and brush them off well so I need the light of day for that.

The wife's been running the splitter. While I was at work she towed it over to the pile and got to it. Problem was, when she ran out of gas, she refuelled the splitter with my 2-cycle mix. I syphoned out what was left in the tank when I got home.
 
LLigetfa said:
I was down to just a few logs left to buck and I ran into barb wire. Damn! I have some serious filing to do on my new chain. Good thing I had a spare so I could just swap it out and get back at it. All I have left now are the skids the load was sitting on but it was getting too dark to knock them off. I need to lift them up out of the dirt, peel the bark, and brush them off well so I need the light of day for that.

The wife's been running the splitter. While I was at work she towed it over to the pile and got to it. Problem was, when she ran out of gas, she refuelled the splitter with my 2-cycle mix. I syphoned out what was left in the tank when I got home.
Click to expand...

Might give you a little trouble starting, but won't hurt a thing in the long run. No good deed goes unpunished. I'm sure she feels badly. If she needs encouraging words, I'm sure we could all start telling stories of us doing much worse!

pen
 
Why am I reminded of when Mom got mad because I hadn't mowed the lawn and started the mower and started doing it red in the face. And ran out of gas and filled it out of the kerosene can. Since it was already hot it started and ran. But not after it got cold.

Which my butt didn't for three days after Dad got his hands on me after he got home from work. ;em
 
BrotherBart said:
Why am I reminded of when Mom got mad because I hadn't mowed the lawn and started the mower and started doing it red in the face. And ran out of gas and filled it out of the kerosene can. Since it was already hot it started and ran. But not after it got cold.

Which my butt didn't for three days after Dad got his hands on me after he got home from work. ;em
Click to expand...

At 13 or so I was mowing lawns for people in the area (lived near a couple of lakes with vacation homes on them) for my first job. Dad asked me if I needed gas for my mower and told him no.... (didn't want to tell him I didn't have the cash to give him that I spent it on smokes or something equally stupid) and figured I had enough to get the job done.... I didn't,,,,,, tried using a piece of 3/4 inch garden hose to siphon gas out of his tractor for my push mower and swallowed a poo-ton,,, got sick as a dog, lucky I didn't get into major medical trouble as I passed out for a while, woke up, got sick again, mowed the lawn I had to do and never got caught until I burped while I tried to swallow some supper that I was struggling to get down!

My rear hurt for a few days as well once they pieced it all together <>

pen
 
Last edited:
I guess she had not noticed the colour of the gas but none the less, it was my fault. I have two Scepter 2.5 gallon cans for my 2-cycle mix. Until just recently, all my straight gas was in 5 gallon cans. I would mix 5 gallons at a time and transfer it to those two cans. All the cans had translucent spouts so you could see the colour of the gas. Then I bought a 5 gallon with easy-pour spout and semi-retired my two old 5 gallon cans.

The wife has started collecting OPE... first was her 4-cycle mini-cultivator for which she insisted on having a small 1 gallon can so I obliged her. Then she bought herself a 2-cycle leaf blower. I told her to use my 40:1 mix I have, but no... she had to have her own little 1 gallon can. To tell the two apart, I wrote 40:1 mixed on her can. Then she bought herself a snow thrower and insisted on having her own 2 gallon gas can with one of those easy-pour spouts.

So, to make a short story long... I had transferred 2 gallons of gas into her "snow thrower" can from the new 5 gallon easy-pour which was what I was using for the splitter. I showed her how well the easy-pour spout works so was surprised when she grabbed the old can of mix. Anyway, she recalled my marking her 40:1 mixed can and assumed I also marked my two old cans. I have way too many gas cans. Maybe I should fill all of them up and turn prepper for when TSHTF?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: pen
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
2014 Harman P43 Auto Ignite Troubleshooting
Replies
10
Views
1K
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
battlinbones
B
G
Log splitter is dead - what could be wrong?
Replies
72
Views
6K
The Gear
VirginiaIron
VirginiaIron
tbear853
burn pot air blocked by ash ... finally
Replies
1
Views
2K
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
Mt Bob
Mt Bob
O
Help with optimal running my EPA stove
Replies
5
Views
1K
SBI: Century,Drolet,Osburn,Valcourt,Englander
EbS-P
EbS-P
J
Xtrordinair 44 Elite experience
Replies
0
Views
2K
Travis Industries: Lopi, Avalon, FPX
jnewman67
J
Top Bottom
Back