For all the talk around here about bad fuel, I'd never experienced it.....until tonight. I'm in Findlay for the weekend, and my BIL brought over the 046 I gave him last year, so that we could put a roller chain catcher on it. I thought I'd tune it while we were at it. The saw started fine. I warmed it up and went to tune it. It revved up fine, but the RPMs wouldn't settle down. It started out way too rich, then went lean, then rich, and just back and forth. He hasn't hardly used the saw at all since I gave it too him, so I immediately suspected the fuel. He hadn't used the saw since January, so the fuel was about 4-5 months old, bought at a Marathon here in Findlay. So we dumped out the fuel, and dumped in new fuel. Viola. The lean surges where totally gone. It was now way rich but held it's RPM nice and steady. I leaned it out to where it needed be and it stayed there like it should.
My explanation is that the fuel had picked up moisture. When that moisture hit the carb, it replaced fuel, causing the saw to go lean.
I personally put my lawn OPE up in the fall, get it out in the Spring, and put it right to use. I've never had a fuel related problem. So this was a learning experience to me. It was kind of cool to see what bad fuel can do, and then replace it and see the saw go back to running perfectly.
So, was there potential for this fuel to have caused damage to the saw had it been used? Had I not tuned the saw, I'm not sure my BIL would have caught it, and I'm just curious if something like this has the potential to burn up a saw.
My explanation is that the fuel had picked up moisture. When that moisture hit the carb, it replaced fuel, causing the saw to go lean.
I personally put my lawn OPE up in the fall, get it out in the Spring, and put it right to use. I've never had a fuel related problem. So this was a learning experience to me. It was kind of cool to see what bad fuel can do, and then replace it and see the saw go back to running perfectly.
So, was there potential for this fuel to have caused damage to the saw had it been used? Had I not tuned the saw, I'm not sure my BIL would have caught it, and I'm just curious if something like this has the potential to burn up a saw.