Stihl ms280 help

[atmfixit]

I purchased new a Stihl ms280 approx 3 years ago and almost from the start I had issues. I will start out saying that I do not use this saw commercially, it gets used about 1 weekend a month for a couple of hours. Some of the problems I have been able to correct (recoil flying apart and ignition modual burning out) but one of them still haunts me. The saw will start fine cold but after about 15 mins of use it wont idle and dies, then the ONLY way to restart it is to lock throttle in the wide open position pull the recoil about 10 times then it will restart. This is what I have done to try and correct this problem: removed, cleaned, and rebuilt carb (twice), adjusted mixtures screws from one extreme to the other, replaced intake boot from carb to the cylinder jug because it did have a tear in it and the spark plug multiple times. Does anyone have any ideas. Thanks.

 

[cmonSTART]

Wow, that's incredible that you've had that many issues with that saw so far. Since the boot did have a tear in it, first thing's first: Pull the plug and/or the muffler and see what the piston and cylinder look like. If they're scored, that's that. You should also pressure/vacuum test the lower end to check the crankcase seals.

 

[atmfixit]

Thanks cmon. I looked in thru the spark plug hole. I guess i dont have a trained eye for what i am looking for. Am i looking for scorched spots on the cylinder wall. I do see light scoring but but nothing heavy.

 

[MALogger]

Have you taken the saw back to the dealer? I would think they could help you out if you have had these issues since you got the saw. If they don't help you contact stihl directly. The whole point of buying a good saw from a dealer is in the event of problems you can't easily resolve the dealer should be able to help you.

Craig

 

[bill*67]

i agree w/cmon, have the unit vaccum/pressure tested. it might have a bad gasket between cyl. and crankcase. let me know what you find out k?

 

[cmonSTART]

MAlogger has a great point. The reason Stihl doesn't sell in box stores is that they want folks to have good dealer support for their product. It might be time to drop it by your local dealership and have them diagnose it. A $30 dollar bench charge is probably worth the trouble at this point, and they should be able to tell you exactly what's wrong.

That being said, any vertical lines are cause for concern. There are different types, depending on what causes them (overheat, lean burn, lack of oil in the mix, dirt, etc.) Ideally you shouldn't see any, but some are worse than others. Some are instant death for a saw, some aren't.