Stihl 026 Chain Saw -Won't Start

[csutton88]

Good afternoon all,

I have a Stihl Chainsaw 026 that is about 6 years old. It was given to me by my grandfather who hasn't used it in 3 years because it is now getting heavy for his use as his age catches up.

I am fairly handy mechanically and I am unable to get this started. It does not even fire at all. I have taken the spark plug out and cleaned it up. It looks like new. The gas is fresh. I am not sure if it has something to do with the master control as I inspected it further and it appears that it is not the greatest setup. I assume that metal to metal contact between the master control and the other metal tab is so stop the engine. When it is in the cold start position no contact with metal is made.

Everything looks clean. Could it be that the carburetor needs to get cleaned out? What is the best way to trouble shoot this further? It looks very tough to get to the carburetor bowl to even drain that.

Any assistance and tips would be appreciated as I really could put this machine to good use and I know it will last forever.

-Chris

 

[Willl]

Are you getting spark ?

 

[ToadHill]

I had the same model several years ago and when it wouldn't start I took it to the dealer. He called about 2 weeks later to say it was working and to come get it. When I asked what I owed he said nothing, it seems the ignition molule self distructed and Stihl said that couldn't happen. They sent him a new one and told him to fix the saw for free.

Maybe you have the same problem.

 

[pitt_md]

It's basically gas, spark compression. check your spark. if you have spark, put a tiny bit of mixture in through the sparkplug hole and see if it gets ignited. if it does, take about $150 out of your wallet for a new carb. They don't seem to rebuild these carbs for some reason. Compression can be felt when pulling the cord. My 20+ year old Super Wood Boss 028 is still stiff to pull.

good luck.

 

[Egon]

Chances are you will find several screws on the side that say Hi and low. Twiddle with these a bit but remember not to mark their original position. Others have also put a couple of squirts of oil into the cylinder to help increase compression.

Keep pulling!

 

[AndyMA]

I had one of these. I would guess gummed up carb unless it was run out of gas when parked for 3 years. You can try removing carb and all screws counting the turns on each for return and dowsing with carb cleaning spray.

Andy

 

[studor]

There was a recent thread in here on the same thing -- do a search on stihl -- I think it was a 290 .

 

[ihookem]

It might be the ignition module, (lifetime warranty) but most likely the carb after three years of gas in it. I have one and it starts very hard if not used for a few months. Clean the plug, choke it all the way, and pull it about 30 times. If it won't start take it off choke and pull with the trigger wide open 30 times. If it won't start then it's not going to.

 

[wushaw]

Starting a Sthil requires full choke till it fires ( it probably won't start) then put choke at mid setting then pull it another time and it should start.
If you keep trying to start it on full choke after it fires you will flood it.

If it never fires then check for spark, pull plug leave it connected to wire then ground it to case and pull her through and see if you get spark, if you do the plug may be bad to where it will not fire under compression.

 

[B2400]

If it has sat for 3 years without running , it needs a carb kit put in it. The rubber diaphragm dries out and won't pump fuel. Kits are cheap and it only takes 1/2 -1 hr at an easy pace to do!!

 

[csutton88]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. I am going to check the spark tonight. If I get no spark then I know it is the ignition control module. I am suspecting it is the carb though. Looks a little tricky to get to but, I will give it a shot.

I'll keep everyone updated if I need further assistance.

 

[brianMO]

Go to arboristsite.com and registor. Search the chainsaw thread. These guys are great. They will help you.

Brian

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Yep if you have a bit of spark at all that is half the battle. I wouldn't start twisting the carb adjustments yet. If it sat that long pull the fuel line that feeds the carb with some fresh fuel in the tank. Tip the saw at what ever angle to see if you get fuel flowing out of the gas line by the carb.
Next step is to remove the diaphram cover where the fuel line came in. The diaphram may have junk or hardened fuel in there. Be really careful with the diaphram as it will rip easily. Look for any microscopic bits of debris in there. Also look to see if it looks like hardened honey in there. Fresh gas might clean that out.
Just in case there is no spark make sure your start switch is working for the contacts. I think they ground the module to shut them off by flipping the choke and run lever cam to ground out the module to shut it off. I have run lot's of chainsaws and only seen 2 modules failed that I can think of in 40 years of playing with chainsaws.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

there is a real good thread somewhere.....

once in the carb, if there is any blueish scale (or the color of you two stroke oil) then the gas has dried out and left behind this scale........good carb cleaner will usually take this out...

make sure you check the little filter screen inside the carb......sometimes it looks white and like it's supposed to be that way.....almost like calcium or lime build up you'd see in plumbing........you can take a pocket knife and pop it out.....to put it back in, flatten it on the table with your finger and then press it back in with a small socket or something........if it's in question, leave it out and try to run the chainsaw......some people leave them out totally, some clean their old one and some insist on putting it back in as new.....

i hope this makes sense

 

[thl]

Chris,

I have a model 29 and had a similar problem. I removed the plug and sprayed a bit of fuel in the chamber. It fired but did not stay running. I traced it back to a faulty pickup tube that delivers the fuel to the carb form the the fuel tank. The tube had become comprimised over time. New pickup tube and filter and it's running great.

Terry

 

[studor]

I know this may sound like a wimpey way out but how about going to the dealer that sold the saw and having them check it over anyway? I have found that the Stihl dealer network tries to live up to the ads about why you can't buy their products in big box stores and in most cases are very good at helping out. Not only that they are usally very good at giving basic instruction on how not to screw up the saw . Besides it gives you an opportunity to buy new chains and look at other toys (I mean tools )

 

[csutton88]

Studor,

I thought about doing this however, the saw was given to me by my grandfather who lives 30 miles a way. I may just take it to a local dealer or at least give them a call to see what I can do. My grandfather purchased a smaller saw as he is now in his 80's and this was getting too hard for him to pull.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[djradz]

The 026 is a great saw. Let me know if you decide to not pursue getting it fixed. That said, once you confirm you have spark, I'm going to guess the old fuel left in the carb has gone bad and either gummed up the ports or caused some deterioration of internal parts such as the diaphram, or both. Also, some deterioration of the fuel line may have occured, which could be letting in air and not supplying good fuel to the carb. As I said though, start with the carb if all else looks well.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

take him to the dealer and let him try one of the new stihl ez starts (or whatever the name is).......they really do work unlike most gimmicks......you pull the rope and that winds a spring, after a certain about of force is built up, it automatically releases and starts.....poor description, i know..

anyway, it makes it much easier....

Studor,

I thought about doing this however, the saw was given to me by my grandfather who lives 30 miles a way. I may just take it to a local dealer or at least give them a call to see what I can do. My grandfather purchased a smaller saw as he is now in his 80's and this was getting too hard for him to pull.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[csutton88]

Ok some good news....I did put gas in the cylinder and it fired right up. It quit shortly after. It seems as though it definetly is not getting gas though. At least I was able to rule out a few things. I am going to investigate a little more when I have some free time.

Thanks for the information.