CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
<font color="blue"> The stihl will sometimes take 8 to 10 pulls </font>
Alan, something's not right if it takes 8-10 pulls, especially an 028. One or two pulls to get a kick should be all it takes. Those cloth-type filters aren't really state-of-the-art anymore, and could stand to be replaced after a few years.
Also, there's nothing like a new plug and fresh gas to get your saw humming again. You can take a spark plug out, look at it, and say it looks OK - even ground it out, give the cord a couple of pulls and see a good-looking spark jump across the gap - and still the plug won't function up to par when subjected to the harsh environment of a cylinder doing its thing. A fresh plug is almost always my #1 suspect when hard starting is experienced. (I say that because we always have good fresh gas).
Speaking of gas, the Echo website had some interesting info on that. They recommend using gas that is no older than THIRTY days, ninety if you use a stabilizer like Stabil in the gas container. I always thought Stabil mixed thoroughly with the gas, but according to them it forms a film on the top of the gas to keep it from reacting as freely with the air in the container. Anyway, maybe its a good idea to occasionally dump your older 2-cycle gas into a another vehicle (the small amount of oil won't hurt anything) and mix up a fresh batch. We use the 6.4 oz. bottles, but the 3.2 oz size makes more sense for occasional users, to make 1.25 gallon batches.
Echo also talked about octane ratings, and say to be sure NOT to use regular grade (87 octane), but rather to use anything between 89 and 92, which rules out premium in my book (93 octane in these parts anyway).
Alan, something's not right if it takes 8-10 pulls, especially an 028. One or two pulls to get a kick should be all it takes. Those cloth-type filters aren't really state-of-the-art anymore, and could stand to be replaced after a few years.
Also, there's nothing like a new plug and fresh gas to get your saw humming again. You can take a spark plug out, look at it, and say it looks OK - even ground it out, give the cord a couple of pulls and see a good-looking spark jump across the gap - and still the plug won't function up to par when subjected to the harsh environment of a cylinder doing its thing. A fresh plug is almost always my #1 suspect when hard starting is experienced. (I say that because we always have good fresh gas).
Speaking of gas, the Echo website had some interesting info on that. They recommend using gas that is no older than THIRTY days, ninety if you use a stabilizer like Stabil in the gas container. I always thought Stabil mixed thoroughly with the gas, but according to them it forms a film on the top of the gas to keep it from reacting as freely with the air in the container. Anyway, maybe its a good idea to occasionally dump your older 2-cycle gas into a another vehicle (the small amount of oil won't hurt anything) and mix up a fresh batch. We use the 6.4 oz. bottles, but the 3.2 oz size makes more sense for occasional users, to make 1.25 gallon batches.
Echo also talked about octane ratings, and say to be sure NOT to use regular grade (87 octane), but rather to use anything between 89 and 92, which rules out premium in my book (93 octane in these parts anyway).