It's that time of year to go through the log pile to sort out turning wood from fire wood. I cut up a bunch, and took a lunch break. Came back out after lunch and tried to start the saw. The pull cord wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pulled, and I can pull pretty hard. Well, I took the housing off, and the pull cord would pull, but the motor wouldn't budge. Off to see Mr. Chainsaw. They called me back, which is never a good sign, and the repair guy said the piston looked like it was covered in caramel, and it was frozen up tight. About $120 to fix it.
"What are you running in the saw for gas?"
"Shell premium."
"The only thing I have seen do this is too much oil, or cheap gas that sat too long, or leaving gas in it all winter long and not using it and the gas evaporates out of the carborator, and gunks it all up."
Well, after thinking about it, I figured there were two possible causes. One was earlier in the year when I was fueling up the saw. I always refil the bar oil when I add gas. I took off both plugs, and accidently put the bar oil in the gas port. Realizing that, I poured out all I could, then added a small bit of gas to rinse and dilute with, , poured that out, and repeated a couple of times. I didn't think that was it. I also now only take the plug off the one I am filling, not both at one time.
The other thing was the culprit. I had the gas can (plastic) on a workbench outside the shop. It had a canopy over it, which kept it under shade most of the day. The can had sun bleached out, and just in the last few weeks, the spout developed a small crack. I didn't thing anything about it. Well, that caused the gas to evaporate, and condensed the oil mix considerably, which caused the piston to coat and freeze up.
From now on, the can stays inside the shop, except when I am out cutting. More advice from the repair guy: if the gas is more than 6 weeks old, even with stablilzers, toss it. Don't use any additives. Alcohol has been in gas since we went to unleaded. It is actually good for your saw as it removes/absorbs water from the gas. What are you really saving compared to the cost of the repairs? Pennies. Mix up only what you use. Forget the 5 gallon cans.
robo hippy