Stihl crazy after all these years...

[jinman]

I've owned a Stihl 021 with 16" bar for around 10 years. It's an occasional use chainsaw since I cut no more than a cord of firewood per year. It's mostly used for cutting down dead trees or trimming them to push into a burn pile or gully. I admit that I haven't been emptying out the fuel when I put it away. It's use is intermittent and I just grab it and go when I need it.

Last week I was using the saw to buck logs when it started choking down badly and dying. I added fuel even though it was 3/4 full and it started right back up. As I started to cut, it coughed and died. I figured my leaving fuel in it had clogged the carb, so off I went to remove and clean the carb.

After cleaning every orifice in the carb and reinstalling, I again tried to start, but it was no-go. I poured a bit of fuel directly into the carb intake and the saw fired right off for about 5 seconds and then died. I was convinced I had water in the fuel tank, so I dumped out the fuel.

What a surprise to have the fuel filter and a section of the pickup fuel line fall out of the fuel tank when I dumped the gas. The pictures below show the condition of the fuel line. It was soft and malleable, almost like Silly Putty. I had to handle it very carefully to get the pictures below because as I squeezed it, it just turned into a mushy ball of rubber. The section of the hose on the outside of the tank was fine; although, I could only judge the outside of the hose. It may have been deteriorated on the inside.

I drove to my Stihl dealer about 20 miles away and bought a new fuel tank hose and filter (Cost: about $17). The hose is similar to the attachment. I found the fuel hose was very easy to install without anything more required than removal of the carburetor. With everything reassembled, the saw fired off and runs like new.

I'm not sure what caused the fuel line to do this. Could it be ethanol in the gas? Could it be not always using Stihl 2-cycle oil? Could it be my storing the saw with fuel in the tank? My guess is some or all of the above. Now, when I store the saw, I'll dump out the fuel in the tank at least. Has anyone else seen this?

. . . and yes. I'm still crazy about my Stihl after all these years.

[randy41]

it looks like it was expose to excessive heat but i don't necessarily think this was the cause. did the parts guy at the dealer have anything to say about it?
btw...i have a stihl and i never empty the fuel out and i haven't had a problem like that even though the saw is almost 20 years old.

[jinman]

To quote the counter-guy, "Dang! What happened to that?"
Me: "Do you suppose it was ethanol in the gas?"
Counter-guy: "Probably!"
Me: "Hmm. . ."

That's about the extent of our analysis.

[JESSE1]

I have an '85 Stihl 038 w/20" bar that had the same thing happen to it a few years ago. Always used the Stihl 2 cycle oil. Since these saws were built before ethanol was commonly used ethanol may be what caused the problem.

[RobertN]

Dunno, but same happened to my Dad's 024(awesome saw, especially for being 25 years old!).

Simple quick fix, and not bad for about the only maintenance on the saw besides plug and air filter cleaining in 30 years(My Dad has worn out chains, messed up bars, but never had problems with the power head)

[escavader]

I agree with it being the new gas.
ALAN

[jinman]

Originally Posted by RobertN

Dunno, but same happened to my Dad's 024(awesome saw, especially for being 25 years old!).

Simple quick fix, and not bad for about the only maintenance on the saw besides plug and air filter cleaining in 30 years(My Dad has worn out chains, messed up bars, but never had problems with the power head)

Thanks everyone for letting me know there are others who have seen a similar problem.

Robert, I couldn't believe how easy the fuel line replacement was. It has a double flange on it like a grommet with the part that goes inside the tank being slightly smaller and angled. All I had to do was pull on the hose from the inside while pressing down on the outside and it popped right into the hole in the tank. I didn't even have to apply any grease. Not a drop of fuel leaked when I turned it upside down. It was the easiest fuel line replacement I've ever done.

[Bird]

I no longer have a chain saw, but I do have a Stihl string trimmer and Mantis tiller and I've been leaving the gas in them. So I guess I won't be surprised if I have a similar problem. So I'm glad to know what might be the problem if it happens.

[kennyd]

It is definitely the Ethanol. The new gas formulation has been great for small engine shops!

[jinman]

When I was in Norman, OK a month ago, I filled up at a gas station that had a sign saying there was no ethanol in their gasoline. The next time I go up, I may take a jug and fill it with fuel. However, emptying out the fuel and refilling is probably just as easy. If the pickup hose had not broken off from the top of the tank, I might never have noticed because fuel with oil is too dark to see much inside the tank. There's no telling how long that filter had been rolling around inside the tank, attached to nothing.