Warning To Any Potential Stihl FS45 String Trimmer Buyers

Flippy caps are an over engineered blunder.

+1

Good ole K.I.S.S. ! More to go wrong during a simple task.

Anybody having trouble with Stihl's "flippy" fuel caps (They start to get difficult to remove, they unlatch but are hard to pull out of the tank.) should pull the cap and check the letter printed underneath. If it's a "D" or earlier cap then ask your local dealer to exchange it under warranty. New caps are ethanol-proofed and work as advertised. I personally never want to go back to a threaded cap nor does anyone else I know that ever fought a leaking, stuck, stripped out center, threaded cap.

Good info, I'll have to check mine. I broke one last year and bought a replacement, but it is still a hassle. By "D" or earlier, do you mean if its an A,B,C, OR D it can be exchanged?

Yeah, whatever. This is like the third gas dump for me on that trimmer.

I've had that the same type of thing happen with my BR550 backpack blower. Fuel up the tank, throw it on my back and after a bit of moving about, feel the coldness of 2 stroke fuel saturating my pant leg. I learned after that experience that you have to pay close attention to how you orient the protrusions on the cap with the cut outs on the fill hole where the cap goes. You have to line it up very precisely or it won't seal correctly. It really can be a huge PITA.

Thing is, if you're not very careful, it'll seem like it's on tight.
Plus, I have a tendency to do stuff without my reading glasses on all the time.

You have to buy several 5 packs of reading glasses at BJ's, Sam's Club, etc... and leave a pair or 2 in every corner of your house and property .

I already do that. I lose them when they fall out of my shirt pocket, then run over them with the mower, step on them, etc.

Talked to the owner of the local Shell station. Their gas is 10-15% ethanol mix. I bet most gas stations are. I'm betting on the carb material is junk as another poster says. I'm not going to worry about trying to find purist gasoline because my other equipment is running fine. I'll try the warranty route next time (I know what they will say) or another carb of Ebay for $25.

That's correct. I'll scan & post the recall when I get home if I remember. The updated caps have a small bump on the black flip portion that the earlier caps do not. I swapped my BR600 & FS110 caps out in the spring and they have worked perfectly since.