stihl 024 stops cutting under load

[tuco1963]

hi gang
my stihl 024 older model after takeing the bar and chain off to get chain sharpened my chain acted like the break was on then it started slowly going then acted normal
took it over to test it on some 14" limbs in the pile and it cut then acted like the chain was pinched it wasnt
when i would take it out of the cut it would go full speed and cut again till it wanted to act pinched up again
my chains not tight and i greased my needle bearing its still good .
clutch?
all help appreciated
thanks
charlie

 

[gerry100]

sounds like a fuel/air problem

Try cleaning your air cleaner and maybe your fuel filter( in the tank)

 

[tuco1963]

dirty air or fuel filter?
i will look at this tommorrow.
i did notice it wouldnt idle

 

[Galt]

What he said ^
Start with the simple and move on from there. How old is your fuel mix. This ethanol crap turns to small engine fouling garbage in a matter of weeks. If you're not already I recommend finding a non-ethanol dealer (there are some) or at the very least try Sunoco Ultra (less effected by the evil ethanol content) with some marine grade Stabil or comparable.
All of that said, gauge your bar. Check to make certain that the rail didn't get somehow pinched, and then go over your chain link by link to make sure nothing got mashed or bent. Remove your bar and check to make sure that you had your chain seated on the drive sprocket.

 

[tuco1963]

Remove your bar and check to make sure that you had your chain seated on the drive sprocket.

ok how do i do this im new to putting the chain on my stihls my 028 wb was sluggish also but never acted like it was pinching out
is theyre a wrong way to put the chain on?

 

[Galt]

ok how do i do this im new to putting the chain on my stihls my 028 wb was sluggish also but never acted like it was pinching out
is theyre a wrong way to put the chain on?

Well of course backwards is never good.

When you remove your side cover lay your saw on a flat surface with something that will support the nose of the bar at the same level as the power head. This is not required but it helps assure everything stays put when you reassemble. Particulary helpful with bigger saws and longer bars.

The chain is driven off of the output shaft by a spur sprocket that rides on a caged roller bearing (metal drum shaped object with a seven point star, in this case molded onto the face of the drum. The star carries the rim sprocket which is meant to kind of float back and forth along the depth of the star casting. As the drive sprocket wears you'll start to see groves appear in the star that impede that float and this will usually become obvious when your cuts start to wander even with a sharp chain.

If you decide to replace the drum it's probably a good idea to replace the E-clip, dust shield, drum bearing and rim sprocket all at once... about $30 in parts at Bailey's on-line, but there are some commercial suppliers that are priced even better than that if ya have a business.

Parts aside, when resetting your chain you want to make sure that your drive teeth are properly seated in the rim sprocket and that as you replace the bar nothing gets bound up or misaligns your chain deflector (thin polished metal plate between the chain and the case).

Make sure that you store your saw with a little slack left on your chain and of course retighten before you fire it up for use. Once warmed up it's always a good idea to check tension again since the chain will tend to loosen as it heats up. Making that a habit will add life to your saw chains, sprockets, bars and bearings. Also make sure that you don't over tighten. Lots of YouTube stuff to give you a visual on that.

 

[tuco1963]

thanks for the detailed info galt
i never thought about placeing the saw on its side while puting the chain and bar on i will try it
ive blown out the air filter it wasnt to bad and looked at the fuel filter its still on the newish side
i replaced my mixture with premium gas and will try cuting tommorrow if it quits raining
thanks much
charlie

 

[DougA]

I get a similar reaction when the air filter is plugged. Even with a new filter, it needs to be removed, taken apart and cleaned out every few tanks full. I've even had sawdust get into the carb, then things get even worse.

 

[Galt]

thanks for the detailed info galt
i never thought about placeing the saw on its side while puting the chain and bar on i will try it
ive blown out the air filter it wasnt to bad and looked at the fuel filter its still on the newish side
i replaced my mixture with premium gas and will try cuting tommorrow if it quits raining
thanks much
charlie

I think you've probably got'er licked, but the air filter check should probably always be a "clean every tank full", especially when buckin' and felling. Limbing doesn't accumulate as much crud as quick 'cuz you're pretty constantly moving, but when you get your power head buried right up tight to the log and really start eatin' wood it doesn't take long to clog 'er up. Gettin' into big wood with a smaller saw of course makes it all happen even faster yet.

If you find that you're still having power loss ya might also wanna do a compression check. If ya don't have one Harbor Fright has a couple that they run on sale for 15 or 20 bucks every so often that'll do the job.

Good luck and happy, safe cuttin'.

 

[webie]

I had an 024 and did nearly the same stupid stuff , would run fine then would race then would cut ok then on and on , took it to the stihl dealer got it back did a carb rebuild and changed fuel filter , couple of cuts later from the stihl dealer same crap took it back rebuilt carb again new airfilter and new plug fresh gas good to go , Got it back started cutting same thing . Took it back again and bought a new 026 had to cut wood now . They had the saw for at least 4 weeks and worked on it and couple of guys took it out cutting , finally they found it . Its a fuel problem . Try changing the fuel line there was a tiny crack in my fuel line and when you would move the bar up and down as in cutting the mixture would lean out .

 

[Galt]

I had an 024 and did nearly the same stupid stuff , would run fine then would race then would cut ok then on and on , took it to the stihl dealer got it back did a carb rebuild and changed fuel filter , couple of cuts later from the stihl dealer same crap took it back rebuilt carb again new airfilter and new plug fresh gas good to go , Got it back started cutting same thing . Took it back again and bought a new 026 had to cut wood now . They had the saw for at least 4 weeks and worked on it and couple of guys took it out cutting , finally they found it . Its a fuel problem . Try changing the fuel line there was a tiny crack in my fuel line and when you would move the bar up and down as in cutting the mixture would lean out .

Don't know if that's OP's issue but it's great to know. I never considered it on my own repairs 'cuz I usually replace the line with the fuel filter by default. Never considered that I might be short circuiting another problem in the process.
God bless ethanol and all of small engines that it has destroyed. Don't ya just love it when gov't fixes stuff for us poor dumb unwashed. I honestly don't know how I ever managed to get off of the toilet without 'em.