stihl chainsaw smoking

[brickwall]

My father in law recently gave me his Stihl 011 av chainsaw. I have used it many times in the past and most recently about a month ago. I attempted to use it yesterday and could hardly get it to start. When it did start, smoke started to come out near the oil pump line (not the exhaust) which it has never done.

Since then I have:
- mixes fresh gas with stihl oil
- checked fuel filter
- cleaned air filter
- new spark plug
- checked all fuel hoses for leaks (visual not with a pressure test)
- pulled the carburetor, cleaned and checked
- removed the muffler and cleaned (no screen - don't know if there should be one)
- noticed the oil was not not lubricating the bar and replaced the oil pump after checking the worm gear and line for blockage

At this point, I think it will run but the smoke is a concern. I don't want to damage something by ignoring it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Brmorgan]

Sounds like the crankcase gasket has failed. This would let bar oil into the crankcase, making the engine hard to start and once started run like garbage, and could also allow engine gases from the crankcase into the oil reservoir. You'll need to completely tear the saw down and split the two crankcase halves apart, and replace the gasket. I would really not recommend running it very much if this is indeed the case, it isn't going to to the engine any favors and could blow it up.

There are plenty of threads here if you search for "split case" or some such.

 

[brickwall]

thanks for the reply - do you usually order parts online or stop by a dealer to pick up parts? I've done some checking and there is a dealer relatively close by - I'll do some checking and see if their reputable.

 

[Brmorgan]

Dealer prices are usually higher than what you can find online - ebay etc. - but I prefer to buy most small parts locally anyway because I can usually get them faster (patience isn't my strongest virtue). The other benefits are that the parts can be easily returned if they end up not being what I need, and I also have built a relationship with my dealer so they are more inclined to give me a bit of a break on some larger purchases I've made there. Every dealer is different though, and there have been some nightmare cases posted here in the past.

A gasket set shouldn't set you back too far, if you can do the work yourself. If you were to get their tech to do a complete tear-down and replace the case gasket, you'd end up paying probably a couple hundred bucks labor to install a gasket worth under $10.