Argh. Stihl Tool Free Caps Again.

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S

slowzuki

Minister of Fire
Feb 1, 2007
528
New Brunswick, Canada
www.onthefarm.ca
My MS260 is about 10 years old or so with a few hundred tanks of fuel through it. The last 5 years the tank covers, especially the oil cover have become a pain going from jamming every 10 times to jamming everytime, sometimes taking 5+ tries to seat, never forcing it. I understand exactly how they work, and know about reseting them so they will seat.

I grabbed the saw last week to oil up and the cap fell apart. Great. Inspect all the pieces, a tiny plastic pin inside sheared.

Head to saw shop, they sell me new updated covers, has a nice arrow on it to show when the parts are out of sync. Get home, no way will the darned thing lock and its starting to mess up the two little plastic shoulders that are supposed to keep part of the cap from turning. There is absolutely no debris in the seat area and no visible damage to tank neck except white paint worn off the 2 tiny nubins that engage the cap shoulders.

I'm gonna head back but is there any other secrets? Epoxying in a treaded bung for a normal cap appeals to me right now. Should've bought the 246xp!
 
Thats the thing I hate about all stihl equipment. I had my 441 bar oil cap come off and poured the whole tank of bar oil no my new bib overalls. I was a little pist on that. I wish they would go back to the old screw type caps.
 
Here's what the manual for the 192 (and others, I'm sure) has to say:

Misalignment of the cap parts

If the cap does not drop fully into the
opening when the positioning marks
line up and/or if the cap does not
tighten properly when twisted, the
base of the cap may be rotated out
of position vis-à-vis the top.

Such misalignment can result from
handling, cleaning or an improper
attempt at tightening.

To correct a misalignment, turn the
cap (with the grip up) until it drops
fully into the tank opening.

Twist the cap counterclockwise as
far as it will go (approx. 1/4 turn) –
this will twist the base of the cap into
the correct position.

Twist the cap clockwise, closing it
normally – see the sections
"Closing" and "Checking for proper
closure."

If your cap still does not tighten
properly, it may be damaged or
broken; immediately stop use of the
unit and take it to your authorized
STIHL dealer for repair.
 
Jon1270,_g

I'll admit I am not to smart a guy sometimes.;hm

But when it takes 6 paragraphs in the manual on "how to seat an oil or gas cap", perhaps the thing is over engineered.

Flippy caps are Stihl's answer to a problem that does not exist.
 
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I have to agree FB even though I prefer Stihl. Echo doesn't have flippy caps. ;)
 
I like mine as long as they are working properly. I had to get a new gas cap last summer for my 025 as it came apart. Luckily it didn't spill gas all over. And my oil cap on the 460 leaks, will probably have to replace that
 
I have also had good luck with the flippy caps. No wrench ever needed - never had one get stuck on too tight.
 
I'v had good luck with my flippy's.If i ever have a problem i have a pile of part,and project saws.Just like anything else you just have to be smarter then them.;)
Thomas
 
I replaced mine 3 years ago. They were bad for a long time. Supposedly the issue was the gas swelled the plastic in the cap. I did both caps, as neither was good. The new ones worked better, but I still go through that learning curve ever time I put them on. I know they won't do it, but a conversion cap that turned it into a screw on is what I want.

Any chance they gave you the wrong cap? All of ours are likely to screw up any momement, so keep us posted what you find.
 
I actually switched to Stihl from another brand because the other brand had caps that were bloody impossible to work after 2 yrs. I do have the older style caps on my two 026's though. I've rebuilt one of them with a new cylinder & piston rather than buying a new one. Much happier and cheaper.
 
My flip caps on my 460 are a-ok
 
Well I'll be. Husky flippy caps fit on any saw they make, even the old ones. If you don't like them, you can put the old style on. Hmm.. kind of hard to improve on a threaded cap with an O ring.

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