Chain saw loosing its balls?

[FatttFire]

I have a 041 AV Stihl, I am guessing it is from the 80's. It was my uncles saw, he passed away I go it! It was not used alot I would say a couple times a year thats it! When I first used it it needed a tune up, I did it myself since I do it all the time at work. Still couldn't get it to run with an " strength " so i took it to a local stihl dealer, and they fixed it up for $90.00 Ran better, but still doesn't have any " strength" I say this because I am comparring it to a 2 year old Stihl 026 pro that I bought for my father. That 026 will cut through anything with more to spare. It has a new chain with an 18" bar. My 041 AV has the same thing 18" bar with new chain. It is a chore to cut with the 041 AV, you set it down and pick up the 026 pro and it zipps right through it! What gives? By the way I thought maybe the bar on the 041 was pinched, so it has a new bar too. Anybody ever have this problem? Is there a time when the saw just looses power from age?

 

[Carl]

Maybe the parking brake is still engaged or stuck? It should have lots of power.

 

[cmonSTART]

Well, check the obvious things, like air filter and spark arrestor if it has one (probably not). Pull the muffler and see if the exhaust port is carboned up. Also, peak at the cylinder walls while you have it off. Gut feeling here though is its just an older saw that probably isn't getting full compression anymore. She's old now. If you have a compression tester give that a shot.

 

[Jack33]

First, those saws are different animals. The 041 is a low revving high torque saw while the 260 is a high revving low torque saw. The 260 cuts with speed and the 041 is more grunt. So, the 041 was never "zippy" even when new.

You need to start with a compression test. Any automotive one will work as long as there is a valve inside the hose at the plug end. Just keep pulling till the gauge stops.

Other simple things to check are a plugged up muffler, dirty air filter, and a fouled spark plug. I would assume the carb is adjusted correctly since you had it at the dealer to be tuned.