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Author Topic: Stihl 180 chainsaw  (Read 8323 times)

Sudanpan

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • West Cornwall
    • Movement is Life
Stihl 180 chainsaw
« on: December 21, 2011, 08:41:08 pm »
We have a Stihl chainsaw which we use to sort out our firewood. We use it probably once every couple of weeks in the winter, then not at all in the summer.
We sharpen the chains ourselves and keep the chains well oiled.
In the last few occasions of using the saw it sporadically loses power - giving it a good shake seems to help sometimes but this last time we ddn't even bother starting on the wood because the power just kept dying.
We've stripped it down to clean the air filter, cleaned the spark plug (wasn't dirty) checked the electrode gap (was 0.5mm as in specs), cleaned the fuel filter - but no joy.
Any suggestions? We are going to get a new spark plug and if that doesn't work we'll get our local Stihl outfit to look at it - but if anyone can give us a clue as to what else to try that would be great cos we are a bit cash strapped right now!
Thanks
Tish

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2011, 08:58:44 pm »
dirt in the carb   or gummed up could also be water in the fuel filter it also acts as a pump the filter is on the end of a pipe inside the petrol tank you should be able to pull it out (the pipe/rubber hose) it may also need re tuned  but if you are not clued up leave the tuning alone
the tank should be drained out when not used for long periods     ask your local stealer how much it is going to cost     you could buy a new one and sell the old one on flee blag  there is always a numptie out therethat will pay more than new price       there was a sthil 08s sold for £245 recently :farmer:

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2011, 10:39:10 pm »
dirt in the carb   or gummed up could also be water in the fuel filter it also acts as a pump the filter is on the end of a pipe inside the petrol tank you should be able to pull it out (the pipe/rubber hose) it may also need re tuned  but if you are not clued up leave the tuning alone
the tank should be drained out when not used for long periods     ask your local stealer how much it is going to cost     you could buy a new one and sell the old one on flee blag  there is always a numptie out therethat will pay more than new price       there was a sthil 08s sold for £245 recently :farmer:

 Remind me never to buy anything off you Rob  :D  , I  used to help run a plant hire repair business.

 Sudan ,
it was interesting to hear how you described the problem , it does sound a classic case of barrel wear mainly due to incorrect lubrication and your getting crank case conmpression as a result .
Which blows back un burnt fuel mix  up the worn side of the piston and barrel and backout  through the carb .
 
If you can remember the filter being well oiled  up after the use or you can see evidence of lots of oil /fuel mix  on the fikter side of the carb  you might just as well go for a new machine and be done with it.


 But if you want to play and see whats what ....
As its been a few years since I was playing in the repair game things may be slightly easier/different due to  design changes ....sometimes you can use a torch when the carb & silencer are  off to look down into the cylinder through the spark plug hole  when the piston is at the bottom of the stroke and see the exhaust & inlet port  area of the cylinder wall wear looks like . If it is worn  will look dull drey area around the holes in the cylinder wall . Frequently you will see vertical scoring  around these ports and in first 2/3  of the cylinders downward travel where all where the piston rubs against the cylinder wall when  the engine is turned in the correct direction  .

if you can see wear again go for a new machine

Alternativly  if your really happy to play and dont mind the fair likelyhood of the  machine dying from some other malady such as a worn bar & chain sprocket , failed safety brake etc .   .........

Do you have a screw in compression tester for the plug hole .. if you can get hold of one look for compressions in excess of 18 pounds  18 to 21 is good .. if you can't reach that add a level dessert spoon of clean engine oil to the barrel via the spark plug hole connect the tester pull the cord several times and see if it comes up  in pressure  ..... if it comes up to around 24 psi  , your barrel and piston are badly worn & need replacing and its nearly as cheap to buy a new machine .

You could confirm this by carefully stripping the barrel and piston out and looking inside of the barrel for a really dull mat grey area  by the portholes when compared to the rest of the shiny barrel
 Take lots of pictures if you do this and don't feel happy doing it , mark all sides and surfaces with matching & corresponding marks so you can reline things up if needed .

 Other thoughts in the fuel tank there should be a pick up fuel tube with a compressed brass micro ball filter device or a fine nylon mesh filter on the end . See if you can use a bit of clean wire to ease the end of tube and filter out the tank , remove the filter and  wash it out in meths ( this will dissolve the oils and absorb any water in the filter  then let it dry narurally for a couple of days.

Like Robert said about the fuel ......never store any two stroke machine or any other small plant with fuel in it .
 Not only does modern low octane fuel decompose / oxidize  within a few weeks of being decanted  from a fuel container  it also evaporates out of the two stroke mix leaving you with a greater two stroke oil density .
 This often sticks the reed valves & diaphrams in the carb , easing them off frequently distorts them .

 The only long term effective way I found to overcome this prob was to replace all reed valves  and rubber diaphrams etc.using  the manufactures own carb repair kit , after air line blowing out every drilling on the carbs & cleaning the complete fuel lift tube including replacing the old fuel filter..

International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2011, 11:13:22 pm »
ignore plantoids ramblings he still thinks he is working in the repair business with somebody else footing the bill
infrequent use does not cause piston and barrel wear no oil in the petrol does this and you would not even get it to fire      chainsaws are like land rovers even old ones if you spend money on them they will still run   bars and chains do wear out as do chain brakes and are easy to replace    if you were close to me i would get it running in a short time  what you have to remember is what the spanner monkeys rip you of for per hour
o and plantoid remind me never to let you within hammer distance of anything mechanical that i own or it will be buggered beyond repair ;D :farmer: ;D

DJ_Chook

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Mid Wales
  • Chicken mad, nothing else just chickens.
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2011, 12:06:25 pm »
The fuel you are using might have had condensation built up in it over the summer, this will knacker your fuel filter. I would empty the tank, clean it out with clean petrol. Get a new fuel filter rather than cleaning it. Then refill with a fresh mix of fuel. A new fuel filer shouldn't cost you more than £10, well a Husqvarna one doesn't.

If this doesn't solve the issue it's most probably the carb. If you feel competent to clean it, get a carb kit.  As for the piston. I wouldn't take it apart, but it will always benefit from a new ring.

I recently sent my powersaw for a service at the local agricultural mechanic dealer. New fuel filter, carb overhaul, new ring & and labour. £58 well spent. I might easily have spent £30 buying bits for it and still ended up getting it looked at.

You could spend £30 and not resolve the issue. It'll be money lost if you end up having to have someone look at it. A new fuel filter would be a good place to start.

Dave (One half of this Log-on ID) Ex-Forestry worker.

Chicken nutter extraordinaire.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2011, 01:04:50 pm »
o and plantoid remind me never to let you within hammer distance of anything mechanical that i own or it will be buggered beyond repair ;D :farmer: ;D
Dave, don't take this personally, yeah?   ;) :D
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Sudanpan

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • West Cornwall
    • Movement is Life
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2011, 02:39:14 pm »
Many thanks for the advice and suggestions  :D
There is no evidence of oil build up around the filter - or of wear in the cylinder. OH took the chainsaw to bits again today and gave it a good blow out through the cylinder and sparkplug hole, plus clean off with fresh petrol and it seems to have done the trick  :D
We can now have a woodfire again tonight  ;D
All the best and Happy Chrimbo  :thumbsup:

Odin

  • Joined Oct 2011
  • Huddersfield
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #7 on: December 23, 2011, 05:18:06 am »
There is a site on U tube demonstrating how to repair chainsaw carburetors. Allow for the fact that it is American, good ol' apple pie on Sunday' stuff, I found it helpful. The chap shows how the fuel is fed from the tank to the carb and how the carb meters the fuel. Having understood how the fueling worked and about a 'service kit' for the carb, I then went to the Stahl dealer who explained things a bit more, sorted.
Reference 'Spanner Monkeys' ripping folk off, something I do for a living, well ... some folk know the price of everything and the value of nowt. An equipped workshop costs a lot of money to create and insure. The experience to make it work takes a long time and you never finish learning. Then some folk expect it all for nowt.
The worlds best mechanic is the one who is hung up on the back of the door and only charges a fiver.
Peace and goodwill to all men   :carols:

 :merryxmas:
A man who cannot till the soil cannot till his own soul !
A son of the soil .

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #8 on: December 23, 2011, 09:32:20 am »
Reference 'Spanner Monkeys' ripping folk off, something I do for a living, well ... some folk know the price of everything and the value of nowt. An equipped workshop costs a lot of money to create and insure. The experience to make it work takes a long time and you never finish learning. Then some folk expect it all for nowt.

As the TV repair man, who had just fixed the telly by hitting it with a spanner, said, "Hitting the telly with a spanner - 10p.  Knowing when, where and how to hit it - £24.90."

:carols:

:merryxmas:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2011, 09:33:46 am »
Hear, hear.

In my youth I looked after 4 multi used Husqvarnas, the ones with the ten rubber mounts.  They were lovely saws but frequently on the bench because the operators didn't look after them.  Crap in the fuel didn't seem to trouble them too much, but overuse with blunt chains really buggered the rubber mounts.  A perfectly tuned saw is a joy, and I still catch myself critiquing someone's saw two fields distant.
 
These days my local expert Bradstock power tools gets my business.  He knows the machines inside out and has all the spares.  Makes it easy.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #10 on: December 23, 2011, 10:00:04 am »
from the description that was given on this forum  i will let you decide if i gave the correct solution to the problem or if plantoid did
i to have had a long career in plant hire and working with chain saws    the reference to the spanner monkeys covers all mechanical repair men (some the nearest they will come to being fitters /mechanics is if they sleep with them) this conclusion i have observered in my lifetime
the only time anybody is allowed near anything mechanical that belongs to me is either warranty work or sadly computer diagnostics for the mechanical brain
nothing anybody has written on this post other than the one that asked for advice  and was given that advice that led to the correct repair of the saw  has any value
yes anybody that has a proper business has overheads and has to charge accordingly maybe i am fortunate that i have the skills so i do not need to outsource independent repairers
maybe next time somebody asks for advice i will let all these experts rattle away like a set of big ends on there way out
then again  :farmer:

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #11 on: December 23, 2011, 10:03:42 am »
We have two local chainsaw shops. One is friendly, knowledgeable and reliable, and the other is frankly dreadful. The price is basically the same for both, but I know which one I use.

Price is what you pay, and value is what you get.
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

nick-in-ca

  • Joined Jan 2009
Re: Stihl 180 chainsaw
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2011, 06:32:04 am »
i must have 10 chainsaws the 3 places i look are 1 gas-filter  water in gas   2pump diapham on carburetor setting to long 3flapper behind carb. dust particles  clean put back   if sawdust in carb. area to test put finger in carb. throat  crank should be suction if not flapper has sawdust on it 

 

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