Damn Echo Chainsaw
victorj19
Member Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭
Had a bad day yesterday. Opened the shed at the cottage for something and got stung by a couple of yellow jackets on the arm. I'm allergic to them and hornets. Last 2 times I was stung it was on a leg and the swelling was bad both times. There wasn't any swelling than normal so the Epi pen wasn't used. The sites just itch a lot.
I was cutting down an ancient apple tree the deer just loved when the apples began dropping in August. Last year we had so much rain and the high water table drowned it. Well almost. There is an old sucker that is still going I'm trying to save.
Well the chainsaw stopped running, so I thought it was out of gas and went to fill it up and add some bar oil. It sure was empty when I peered in so I filled it up. Mistake number one. A 40:1 mix for the trimmer was poured in and it wouldn't restart or even fire. I didn't realize it until today that 50:1 is needed. Still, with 40:1 it should have at least started but run smoky and crappy. The plug was old and oily so off to the store for a new one. So with a new plug , 50:1 mix, removing the air filter (it wasn't too bad), some starting fluid and playing with the choke, it would only fire up for a second or two. What the heck? Then I noticed that I filled the bar oil reservoir with gas and the gas reservoir with oil! This old Echo has the reservoir locations reversed from all of the few other chainsaws I've owned. Okay. Both reservoirs have been emptied and properly refilled. Still only fires up using the starting fluid but seems to be up to 3 seconds now. Then it hits me as to why the primer bulb wasn't popping back up quickly, There's bar oil in the gas lines!
Any advice to easily clear the gas line? Perhaps blow it backwards into the tank with an air hose? Taking the saw apart would be time consuming.
I'll have to be more observant even when all hot and sweaty and swatting the skeeters.
Nuts, the air filter went missing. Well it will turn up and anyway, a new was was ordered on line yesterday.
Ever notice that the upload icon below sort of resembles the chain symbol where the bar oil goes?
Thanks,
Jim
Comments
You might need to remove the carb, and flush the crankcase with saw gas. There might be a lot of bar oil in the crankcase. Might need to flush the carb too, for the same reason.
Clean the screen in the muffler. I never thought it mattered until it did. They do get plugged and yours should be.
Gas filter is probably saturated with bar oil. Might want to flush it with some straight gas.-----------Ray
If it’s up to 3 seconds now then it’s fixing itself. Keep going.
What you think is a primer bulb is really only an air purge. Put fresh fuel in it shake the hell out of it. Dump it out and put another tank of fresh in it. It will be running in no time. Speaking from experience.
Not the first person to put oil in the gas tank and gas in the oil tank. Most of what's already been said is good and should fix the saw's problem unless you have a crack in one of the lines. Since it was running, that probably isn't the cause.
When we were running both 40/1 & 50/1 saws, we sometimes ran 40/1 in the 50/1 saw and as was said, it didn't run great but did run and a little twiddling of the carb screw would usually get through the job.
Oh BTW, we have a whole bunch of ECHO saws from antique to NIB and 25CC to 60CC so have seen our share of ECHO booboo's.
Sorry to kind of highjack the thread but while you guys are talking chainsaws was using a brand new craftsman a few weeks ago pretty consistent for about 2 hours, then the chain came off, got the chain back on but it would only stay on for about 3-5 minutes, after it came off the 3rd or 4th time, I put it back on and decided it just must be too hot and stretched it out. I need to use it again in a couple of days, it seems like it is adjusted tight enough, but is this normal behavior? it is a smaller 14 inch saw and will it be OK if I don't try to go for too long without letting it cool off?
It might be time to contact your optometrist also. 😁
Joe
victorj19 if you pump the bulb long enough it will eventually clean out the gas lines and the carb. yes it is an air purge but it does that by pumping fuel thru the carb and returning it to the tank. 40-1 mixture wont hurt anything, i actually think your equipment will last longer at that ratio. i really believe the 50-1 ratio is an emissions compromise. Ruger4me-- make sure your bar is on the saw correctly. since its a new saw i figure you havent replaced any parts. even a mildly loose chain will usually stay on.
I don't mind that someone disagreed with my post, but explaining would be more help, is the disagree because I asked a different question on a thread about chainsaws? or do you disagree with my assumption in my question? I just figured why start a new thread for a related question, but I can if that was the reason for the disagree... Thank you @varian for suggesting a fix.
@The artist formerly known as Dano Thank you for your suggestions, I think @varian nailed it I just took it apart and it appeared the bar may have been a little out of whack, so I guess the first time the chain came off I may not of put back on correctly and loosened the bar too much to do that and it was out of alignment, I will find out Saturday morning when I attempt to use it again. Also I just saw printed on the bar the message "to adjust after first 15 minutes of use" which I never saw the first time it was used... oops!
It sure is aggravating when we do something like this. A bunch of hassle and we know it's a simple, preventable mishap on our own part,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and we knew better.
Believe me, you are not alone.
I've never mixed up the gas with the bar oil ports but one time I did a fine job of sharpening my chain. Then put the chain on backwards!! 😮 😁
It was like trying to cut a tree down with a butter knife and it took me quite a while to figure out my dilemma. I surely had one of those overheated brain farts which happens more often to me these days working in Summer heat.
I pulled a good one a couple of weeks ago. 2 of my trees blew down into my neighbors bean field. So I go out, fill up the gas, then fill up the chain oil, then set the saw on the ground so I can move a limb out of my way. Then I went back to the saw and saw it setting in a pool of chain oil. Apparently I didn't get the cap on tight and about 80% of the chain oil leaked out on the ground. Then I had to clean that up before I could cut up the trees.
For years I put up with my 1st Stihl chainsaw being hard to start. I finnally got tired of the constant yanking on the pull rope. So I went to Ace Hardware and bought a Stihl spring loaded model that made the starting procedure much easier.😊
Joe
@Ruger4me make sure your bar oiler is working right. If the chain is getting that hot you might be running too dry. Is your bar reversible? Try turning it over every other sharpening, as long as the oil holes line up. I also bring 4 or 5 extra chains when I'm out cutting so I can put on a cool one if I touch a rock or need to hurry up and get done.
@victorj19 I used to mix my gas/oil like horseshoes... "close enough". Over the years I got to where I automatically went to a 32:1 mix and it seemed to run fine, plenty of power. I was at the Stihl shop and the guy said it won't hurt it to do that but it will be less greasy everywhere and a little less gunked up inside if I tried for a 40:1 mix. He sold me a can of the 50:1 premix and I hated to use that, but it worked fine. Now I'm back to 40:1 and it runs like a scalded cat on carpet.
+100
Point your bar tip at a log and give it a rev. You should see oil mist on the wood.
One of my uncles did that once, then another uncle used the saw and it wouldn't cut. I stopped by and both of them asked me what I thought. I asked if the saw was running backwards. They said no "why". Me: "I thought maybe that was why you put the chain on backwards." I left so they could discuss it without me.
Good luck................and.............DANG.
Did you try turning it off and then back on again?
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
hey Dano wait till you break one of those "flippy" caps, best stop by the bank on the way to the dealer. i borrowed a pole saw from a close friend once, got it home and started to fill it with fuel. i just touched that cap and it broke into about four pieces. bought him a new one even though i knew i had not broken it. found out later his son had previously borrowed it. oh well.
Love me some echo chain saws .My main heavy saw is a very large John Deere branded echo . It is a beast and over 40 years old . Other than a carb rebuild and a few pull rope relacementd nothing else has needed to be done . Cranks and runs well
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My newer (5 yrs old) Echo is doing great. Started it a couple weeks ago for the first time this year with only 3 pulls. Used it again today and it is back to its normal 2 pull start. Lighter weight than my older saws and super easy to get to everything for maintenance. My only gripe is the oil and gas caps usually need the help of a screwdriver to remove, but I could probably drive over them and they would still work. Bob
Cutting with the 'back'(top) of the bar will slack the chain and throw it off. Son has a bad habit of this and even though I keep reminding him, it doesn't stop him. He threw a perfectly good & properly adjusted chain last Saturday cutting with the back of the bar. Gouged up the exterior of the saw and bent the snot out of the chain catcher. Didn't slow him a bit. He picked up another saw and went right back to cutting with the WRONG side of the bar.
You just need to get that boy a LEFT handed chainsaw! 😁
Better yet give him a saw where he can't use the back side of the bar.