I have a ms361 stihl, bought new 6 years ago, it has cut about 20 cords. it has been well cared for, i use 89 octane and use stihl oil for mix. was cutting yesterday and it died sudden like , still had 1/3 tank of gas. does have spark, but won't even pop or run. lately it didn't idle down very quick, took 30 seconds or so . where do i start
Need help with ms361 stihl saw
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fuel on the plug when you pull it? (let's start there and go back through the carb, then the lines, then the fuel pickup, and even tank vent.)
Jon1270
Minister of Fire
How does the compression feel? Not idling down normally sounds like a potential air leak, which can quickly become piston damage.
you're on it. be prepared to order new line and a new filter. If you have to dig into that stuff you might as well just replace it (even if it's NOT the cause for failure). I consider that to be preventative maintenance.
I'd check fuel lines first as suggested here and make sure there are no cracks or such in the lines. Replacing the lines is cheap preventative maintenance. After that I'd move to putting a kit in the carb and cleaning it out, it's very possible some crud got in the jets especially given the fact that you're not using non-ethanol fuel.
just discovered piston is damaged. i can't afford new , so need to consider rebuild. dealer said i am probably looking at 3-4 hundred if they do it. are there any good long blocks on the market ,if so am i wrong to think i could do it myself, i am good at lawn mower, splitter motors but i know chainsaws are different because of high rpms ect
need a whole piston or the cylinder, too?
If you can take apart those other engines, this is easy, just smaller.
If you can take apart those other engines, this is easy, just smaller.
oh, fun, just found out they carry a big bore kit. Wonder if there are any mods required to do it (says it MIGHT in the notes)?
http://www.baileysonline.com/Chains...-Assembly-49mm-for-Stihl-MS-361-Chainsaws.axd
http://www.baileysonline.com/Chains...-Assembly-49mm-for-Stihl-MS-361-Chainsaws.axd
It hurts to pay + $100 to end up with the saw you had. Makes it feel a little better when you end up with a cooler saw. (even though it's not running, so anything would be an improvement, really, lol)
Jon1270
Minister of Fire
I'd reuse the original cylinder if its salvageable. A good Meteor piston is probably about $40. The first thing, though, is to figure out why this happened.
I have used the baileys kits. Acually on a 361. The parts are decent but lack finishing. I spent a good hour using emerycloth on the piston skirt edges. They were very sharp, they should be smooth and rounded. I also rounded the port edges, they were sharp as well and should be rounded so they don't scrape the oil off the piston. I used to build 2 stoke racing engines. If you spend a little time knocking the sharp edges off it will help a lot with longevity. The saw was still running great 4 years after the rebuild and it was for a landscaper so I'm sure it saw it's share of abuse. Check the piston clearance before you fire it up. I needed to use 2 base gaskets or the piston would actually contact the dome.
If you were closer I could help you out. In across the state by Fairfield/Litchfield border. Let me know if you have a question. Find the cause of the piston damage. I have seen the flywheel spin so the ignition timing became off and the altered timing overheated the piston and burned a hole in it.
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