So I got a hand-me-down Homelite 16" Bar chainsaw that doesn't run. My brother-in-law says that it has compression and spark and he thinks its a fuel problem. I"m thinking of cleaning the carb, making sure the Hi and Lo screws are adjusted correctly, the air filtere is clean and the choke works as it should. Other then that any recommendations on what I should do to get this thing running? Can I use starter fluid to help get it started?

1/5/2011 12:50:48 PM

If it's just not running because of how long it sat you should be able to clean the jet and fire it up. I wouldn't mess with the screws unless someone else has already been monkeying with them. You can start it on starter fluid, but keep in mind that it's probably a 2-stroke, so unless you use 2-stroke starter fluid you're running it without oil to the top end whenever you run it off the starter fluid. If it doesn't pull gas on it's own you should shut it down pretty quick.

[Edited on January 5, 2011 at 1:00 PM. Reason : s]

1/5/2011 1:00:19 PM

yeah my bro-in-law said it sat for a while with old gas. he emptied the old gas, put new gas in and it wouldn't start. he didn't do anything after that. i'll try cleaning out the jet, put new fuel and give it a shot. thanks!

1/5/2011 1:15:15 PM

Probably got a Walbro carb on it, just maybe a Zama. Both are internal pump metering type carbs, and they really don't tolerate dirt and goop very well. I'd take the carb apart and clean everything really well with a decent spray carb cleaner. Make sure your needle and seat at the fuel inlet are clean and unobstructed, and all orifices going to and coming from the pump diaphragm and one-way valve wafer are clean too. Don't stick anything in them; just spray well to clean.

1/5/2011 1:26:19 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtoN3f_pFjE&feature=related

1/5/2011 1:32:36 PM

dude. check the recon section at the home depot in garner. they had 10-12 saws there last time I was out that way from $85-$110

1/5/2011 2:31:53 PM

I've never taken a small 2-cycle engine carb apart but i'm willing to give it a shot. i plan on taking it apart saturday, cleaning it really well and seeing if i can get it running. i'll document everything just in case i need some help.

^ thanks for the heads up. if i can't get this one running i may go that route. do you remember what brands they had. i would really like to get a Stihl or Husqvarna.

1/5/2011 4:21:05 PM

Probably the carb, gas sitting over a long time tends to clog up the small passageways in there and I've seen a few small engines end up this way after a winter. Anything you don't plan on running for over a few weeks to months (lawnmowers, chainsaws, weedeaters, etc) you need to drain the gas and run it till it conks out.

1/5/2011 11:55:21 PM

that reminds me i need to do this to my string trimmer

1/6/2011 9:52:28 AM

Quote :

"i would really like to get a Stihl or Husqvarna."

no you dont, unless you want to pay $400 for a saw. the cheaper ones in those brands dont have enough balls- and if you are gonna be stuck with a gutless saw might as well pay $85 for one that you can use for a few years then replace.

1/6/2011 1:22:10 PM

Quote :

"I've never taken a small 2-cycle engine carb apart but i'm willing to give it a shot. i plan on taking it apart saturday, cleaning it really well and seeing if i can get it running. i'll document everything just in case i need some help."

There really is nothing to it. You'll be fine. Just have a scrap piece of speaker wire that you can take the sheathing off. The single strand of the wire makes easy work for jet cleaning.

Quote :

"no you dont, unless you want to pay $400 for a saw. the cheaper ones in those brands dont have enough balls- and if you are gonna be stuck with a gutless saw might as well pay $85 for one that you can use for a few years then replace."

wtf are you talking about? my ms210 has performed flawlessly at every job i've used it on. i would have bought a larger one if i use it everyday but for me just using it once a month it's more than enough saw. if people would keep the chain out of the dirt and actually sharpen the blades they'd be a lot happier with the performance of the saw.

[Edited on January 7, 2011 at 8:21 PM. Reason : -]

1/7/2011 7:21:56 PM

Quote :

"wtf are you talking about? my ms210 has performed flawlessly at every job i've used it on. i would have bought a larger one if i use it everyday but for me just using it once a month it's more than enough saw. if people would keep the chain out of the dirt and actually sharpen the blades they'd be a lot happier with the performance of the saw."

Sorry, I made the assumption sparky actually wanted a chainsaw to use for cutting down mature trees, probably since that is what I needed. Brian I am sure your MS210 is a great saw, as is the MS250 you recommended to me. I really wanted a MS250, and I am sure it is a better saw than the Homelite Pro I ended up with, but I got a 46cc saw with a 20" bar for $100. The Stihl was going to cost me three times as much, had the same displacement, and a shorter bar. If I used it every day, or even once a month, I would have bought the Stihl. But the fact is I needed one to cut down some trees out back, and come next summer I am gonna go to town on a monster root that is blocking up the creek. Didn't want my first saw to be a nice one anyhow since I figure it will be destroyed when I am done with it. I prefer the recon units as opposed to a new in the box one because I know the thing has been checked out and the carb tuned already. When it falls apart in two years, I will go buy another one- maybe a good name brand, maybe not. All depends on what I see that needs cutting I suppose.

1/8/2011 8:52:32 PM

so I got the saw running. its was pretty easy. just emptied old gas, took it apart, sprayed it with carb cleaner, cleaned it up real good, put it back together, put new gas in and it started on the 5th pull. been running strong since. not bad for a saw i got for free. one thing that is annoying though. i can't get it to cut straight. it keeps veering to the right as i cut larger diameter pieces. i would sharpen the right side saw teeth and this would help but after say 10 or 15 long cuts it would start veering hard, getting worse with each cut. WTF is going on?

1/10/2011 11:03:57 AM

My guess is that your bar isn't true. Fairly common on the cheaper laminated bars, especially after they heat up. Here's a quick test...flip the bar over and run it, see what happens.

You might want to see how the chain tracks in the bar, and if any lateral pressure causes the teeth to cock to one side any. The actual edge of the bar will sometimes channel a bit from chain wear, and the edges are beveled inward. They should be flat.

1/10/2011 11:20:21 AM