Stihl 26 not starting

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keithh255

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Hi all; Been awhile since Ive been on. Thanks to all who helped with my 38.
I recently picked up a 026 and it will not start. After some work I managed to get the carb out of the body.
Question is, should I go for a rebuild kit or should I try a cleaner of some sort. My 38 had a dried out diaghram according to the repair depot. I used a spray Honda carb cleaner on it. Maybe this fluid was the wrong way to go.
Anyways, if anyone has a good idea or 2 please let me know.
Thanks Keith
 
When its really time, there is no substiture for the carb kit. For the ten bones they cost and the 15 minutes they take to install, its not a step you should skip. Since the saw is new to you, you really need to give it a good inspection. An assessment of spark, compression, fuel line and filter, and impulse line are in order. You should also pop the muffler off and take a look at the piston for scoring. The other things that can bite you are harder to fix, such as bad bearings and seals. I would leave these things for last, mostly because when I do them, I generally have to fabricate a tool or two.

I always put a little raw mix directly into the cylinder and see if I can get the saw to pop a bit... it gives me a good indication that I've got the basic ingredients for the saw to run.

Let us know how it goes!
 
Re Reply Stihl 26

Thanks Andre. Great tips. My brother inlaw was previous owner.
I will look up a kit tommorrow and update everyone how it turned out.

Thanks Keith
 
On a saw that will crank; but, not start, I do a couple of quick things. First hold the saw up by the starter rope and see if it stays in place; if so, the compression is probably OK. Then, I spray a little 'starter fluid' on the air filter. It will usually then start briefly, even with a bad fuel hose. And, if it does, start briefly, you've eliminated the ignition, spark plug, and a few other things. Now you can concentrate on the fuel line for cracks, etc. If the fuel line is OK, then you can pull the carb and take a look at it. Strange as it may seem, several times, I've had a saw start and run pretty darn good after letting it fire briefly with starter fluid; seems to clear out things in the carb, etc. But this will not be true if the fuel hose is bad and/or you got a dirty carb with an old diaphram, etc. A carb rebuild kit is easy to install and well worth the money on a saw that's not been used in a while, like setting in a barn for a year or so, etc. Good luck. Fixing a saw that won't start is a great learning experience.:)
 
West Texas, Thanks

West Texas, Thanks for your reply. When I first received the saw I tried new gas and pulling till my arm near fell off. LOL
Anyways, not as good a starter fluid but I did get fresh gas into the carb but not go. Wish I had said starter fluid handy though.
There is lots of compression too.
I will have a look at the fuel line as it does look frail.
I will also call today for a cost on a carb kit and see about that too.
Many thanks again Keith
 
Actually fresh mix is a lot better option to use than starting fluid imo. There is no reason to try starting fluid if you didn't get any results by pouring a small amount of mix down the carb throat or the plug hole.

One of the first things I check when I'm evaluating a saw is check the piston and cylinder. You can do this by removing two T27 torx located at the bottom of the muffler cover.
 
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Actually fresh mix is a lot better option to use than starting fluid imo. There is no reason to try starting fluid if you didn't get any results by pouring a small amount of mix down the carb throat or the plug hole.

.

You know me well enough by now; think about it; at my age a 'squirt' of starter fluid is quicker than taking out the plug or taking off the air filter. I'm not claiming to be efficient; maybe just lazy. :givebeer:
 
I understand...I'm just not a big proponent of starting fluid in 2 cycle engines or most any engine for that matter. I have a spray bottle of premix I use at home for the same purpose.

Heck I heard at your age its a challenge to conjure up a "squirt" so by all means create one any way you can ;). j/k
 
I understand...I'm just not a big proponent of starting fluid in 2 cycle engines or most any engine for that matter. I have a spray bottle of premix I use at home for the same purpose.

Heck I heard at your age its a challenge to conjure up a "squirt" so by all means create one any way you can ;). j/k

Is it just a regular spray bottle, or is it made of special material? I recently tried using a science lab wash bottle, and though it only had a couple of inches in the bottle, it expanded and squirted mx all over my work bench. Since it's in my basement, it was a rather odoriferous event. Thankfully I installed an old furnace fan in the window right there. Even so, it took a couple of days for the smell to go away. I won't be doing that again:dizzy:

Be careful about old guy jokes-- mature egos can stihl be mighty fragile har har
 
Hi

Well; I have the carb off but I did not check to see if any oil got into the magneto setup..I will pull the housing off and have a look, see about the spark. I also found my spark tester and will put it to use.
A squirt bottle sounds good. Im up north so things go slowly in the cold. I have a snow-less place to work, a shed, but no heat..so not much being done at the moment but later this week.
Thanks for the replies..Keith
 
starting fluid

Bad move!! Dilutes any lube in the jug to metal to metal. It does not take long to score a p/c with no lube. If it does not fire with shot of gas/lube mix you have other places to visit first. Bcorradi is dead on this one IMO.
 
I always check for spark first.I then look at fuel delivery.Theres no need to mess with a carb if your not getting spark:dizzy:
 
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