what are the common reasons that make chainsaw won't start?

[Hipa Store]

Defective spark plug? Restricted carburetor? Clogged fuel filter? Broken recoil spring? Malfunction recoil starter? What other reasons?

[Andrew Hughes]

If the saw was stored with gas it will dry up in the carburetor. A varnish looking plastic stuff will be under the diaphragm
Thats been my problem.
Good Luck

[John DeSalvo]

I agree, carb is gummed up.

[Bill Dufour]

Location? In California water in old gasoline because they add alcohol which absorbs water from the air. Any starter problems will be felt as too easy to pull or the rope does not wind back into the drum.
does it have a compression release?
For me it is being to old to pull it fast enough after a few tries.
Bill D

[Greg Quenneville]

As has already been explained to you in your other thread, check the exhaust spark arrester screen. That does not mean the spark plug.

[Hipa Store]

As has already been explained to you in your other thread, check the exhaust spark arrester screen. That does not mean the spark plug.
Thanks. So it is important to clean the arrestor screen periodically.

[Larry Frank]

I gave up on my Stihl chainsaw and will be selling it. Pulling on the starter too hard on me and frustrating. I drain it every year and do all maintenance.

Now the reason my new chainsaw will not start is the battery is down. I LOVE my new EGO chainsaw as it starts so easy.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Ditto, I've pretty much retired all my Stihl 2 stroke products in favor of my Ego battery tools, chainsaw, blower, string trimmer, pole saw.

There's nothing that EGO can't do.

[Adam Herman]

Ditto, I've pretty much retired all my Stihl 2 stroke products in favor of my Ego battery tools, chainsaw, blower, string trimmer, pole saw.

There's nothing that EGO can't do.

haha. i want to see you come cut 24 to 36 dia. elm logs efficiently with your ego.

anyhow. when my saw is not running i seem to have to throw a plug, air filter, fuel filter in it and clean the spark arrestor. only a few min. job and not that much money.

[Randall J Cox]

I had to replace a magneto on my old Craftsman. Got on utube and started trouble shooting. Works. Randy PS I now have an electric chainsaw.

[Bryan Hall]

I picked up my new stihl battery saw a few months ago. Had a lovely day with it a few weeks ago where the neighbor couldn’t get his gas saw to start. I drained the battery all the way, charged it, drained it again. Still no start from the gas. Had to be humiliating for the gas stihl getting walloped like that!

[Jack Frederick]

I use canned gas on my chain saw, leaf blower and other two stroke units. Pricey, but it has eliminated the starting hassles as long as I do keep the things clean. My small Stihl got to be such a pain that I ditched it and bought an Echo 310 a few years ago. it has been reliable usually starting on the first five pulls. Also relatively inexpensive.

[Ronald Blue]

+3 on battery powered chain saws. Unless you spend a lot of time cutting wood then one will serve most of us well. No hearing protection needed. They are ready at the pull of the trigger. A 14" bar handles most everything I need it to. I have no desire to have a gas powered unit again of any make.

[Andrew Hughes]

Martha Stewart like battery powered garden tools too.
Not me I’ll take a loud ripping roaring 2 cycle engine every time. I’ve had my two for over 20 years

[Stan Calow]

Fresh gas, starter fluid spray if necessary.

[Don Stephan]

Lawn mower (and chain saw, leaf blower, . . .) repair business says running engine until tankl empty does NOT empty the carburator (sp?). His advice, start every gas powered tool once a month.

[Richard Coers]

Cracked or broken fuel line inside the tank. The carb wants to suck air if the crack is above the fuel level.

[Earl McLain]

I gave up on my Stihl chainsaw and will be selling it. Pulling on the starter too hard on me and frustrating. I drain it every year and do all maintenance.

Now the reason my new chainsaw will not start is the battery is down. I LOVE my new EGO chainsaw as it starts so easy.

Hate to hijack, but when you decide to sell—let me know which model and bar. I might be interested. Your old miter box is still a champ in my book!!
Earl

[Scott Clausen]

I ditched the gas saw and bought a Ryobi battery version and am happy with it. I have lost the ability to keep pulling a starter cord. When I thought about it, I have no business climbing up into a tree or felling anything large anyway.

[Scott T Smith]

Ditto, I've pretty much retired all my Stihl 2 stroke products in favor of my Ego battery tools, chainsaw, blower, string trimmer, pole saw.

There's nothing that EGO can't do.

Really??? Does EGO have a model that will replace this saw?

489167

for a log like this one?

489171

(grin)

Now that I've jerked your chain a bit, I concur with your advice about the OP transitioning to a battery powered saw for most woodworking needs. I think that we're still a few years away from having large capacity cordless saws though.

[Jim Becker]

I largely transitioned to a 20v, 10" chainsaw when we moved here to this smaller property. It, and its pole saw cousin, do a remarkably good job with the smaller jobs ai need to handle. I've had a plug in electric 18" saw for a couple of decades that also performs surprisingly well, but I doubt I'll need to use it here. I still have my Stihl MS290 Farm Boss...it's never had any kind of starting issue outside of a few extra pulls if it hasn't been used in a very long time, but I doubt I'll be using it here and will likely sell it if that holds true by next summer. We do not have a wood burning anything so my needs are just cutting a few wayward branches into pieces I can stuff in the trash can. The battery electrics handle that just fine.

To Scott's point, it will likely be a long time before there is a viable battery operated alternative for the "big saws" that are necessary when harvesting trees and I don't even mean saws as large as in his photo. But a lot of the other portable stuff is certainly transitioning.

[Justin Rapp]

I store all of my outdoor power tools using synthetic fuel available at the big box stores or outdoor power tool dealers. Last 2 years, no more starting issues. Pull and go.

[Alex Zeller]

I've found each saw I own has it's own unique way of being started. My large Dolmar likes full choke for 3 pulls when it has been sitting for months, then go to have choke and it'll fire right up. My Husky is full choke until it pops and then go to half choke. Very similar but the slight difference can mean a lot of extra pulls on the cord. If your saw is hard starting I would bring it to a shop and have them replace the carb (unless it's close to new). Be weary about buying a carb on the web. Since chainsaw companies don't make the carbs it's made it easy for cheap Chinese clones to flood the market. Places like ebay are full of them. Any good shop should be selling genuine parts. Also the shop should be able to offer advice on the best way to start the saw.

Battery saws are nice for the occasional user. Sooner or later I'll add a Milwaukie (since I have their batteries) saw for small stuff and limbing but it just can't replace a gas saw for my use. I cut far too many 24" red maples for firewood. I just can't see trying to do that with battery power.

[Hipa Store]

Lawn mower (and chain saw, leaf blower, . . .) repair business says running engine until tankl empty does NOT empty the carburator (sp?). His advice, start every gas powered tool once a month.
That is a good advice. Monthly exercise is also crucial to maintain your outdoor power equipment

[Eugene Dixon]

Check out Chickanic on Youtube.

[David Buchhauser]

Defective spark plug? Restricted carburetor? Clogged fuel filter? Broken recoil spring? Malfunction recoil starter? What other reasons?


Empty gas tank or water in fuel.

[Steve Demuth]

I like my electric chainsaw - for cutting down small trees, for limbing big ones, for one-off rough cuts of most any kind of lumber, and for general cleanup of wood around the yard and farm. But I wouldn't saw down or try to buck a tree bigger than maybe 8" in the trunk with it. Impressive though it is for a battery powered tool, it has no guts compared to even a mid-sized, say 45-50 cc saw, and it can't even being to do what I do with my bigger 70+cc machine.

[Bob McBreen]

A few years ago I started buying all gas for small engines at an airport. No ethanol. All of my fuel related issues went away.

[Stan Calow]

Every gas station around here has a "no-ethanol" option, usually Premium. I use that for all small engine stuff, and mix with the oil for my own 2-cycle supply.

[Jim Becker]

Every gas station around here has a "no-ethanol" option, usually Premium. I use that for all small engine stuff, and mix with the oil for my own 2-cycle supply.
Not a thing around here for sure...it takes hard work and some travel to find a station that has no-ethanol gasoline available in this geography.