Dolmar 5100S blew up.

[rupedoggy]

hi everyone!

First post.

This is not troll or hate time, i need some advice...

I purchased a dolmar 5100s last year and used it a few times to cut firewood. It was fun while it lasted.
I am not a pro mechanic (but a decent one) and i take very good care of my equipment. My last craftsman saw lasted over 20 years so at this point i surely wont knock it.

I was cutting a log friday and the 5100s just quit. Pulled the rope and knew there was no compression.

Took it to my dealer who is very good and probably one of the best in town and they told me the fuel mixture was correct. They removed the exhaust and the piston was scored badly. They are telling me this was due to an excessive amount of ethanol in the gas. They said the ethanol washes the oil off the piston.

I have no way of knowing the amount of ethanol in gasoline. I dont think this will be covered by warranty since its been a year.

Do you guys think this is right? If their explanation is correct i cant see purchasing a "nice" saw again. I cant know if the gasoline is good so it seems like i cant win this one. If this is true then all i can do is buy cheap saws and throw them away.

Personally i would think the engine and oil manufacturers should know what kind of gas is out there and create their products accordingly.

$450.00 down the drain...... :bang:

Are you guys seeing this issue with fuel? Seems like a bunch of 2-cycles would be dead if this is the case. All my other 2 cycle engines are fine using the same gas.

50:1???????

 

[Fastcast]

I was well aware it really liked fresh fuel and it always got it. Whatever we dont use that day goes in the truck. I am fanatic with my small motors, that is the main reason I follow this group. The fuel was just purchased and mixed properly with Echo Synthetic oil.

I know whatever happened was not my fault. I have never had an engine blow on me in almost 40 years. Still waiting to hear from the shop.

.....Let us know when you hear it.

 

[mountainlake]

'round these parts the ethanol is added to the fuel at the terminal as it is loaded on to the individual tanker semi. as related to me by my old boss who hauls from the terminal 1-2 times per week to his station; you see the clear liquid pump on to the truck for a few seconds, then it turns to that familiar gasoline amber.

point being that if the terminals are mixing the fuel that you have a much greater chance for error in the percentage as there simply are ore places doing the blending.

And if ethonal is cheaper than gas they would be tempted to add more. Steve

 

[Nipper]

Promised I would get back....

My saw was way out of the warranty period. Over 8 months.

The shop has determined the damage was caused from the engine running lean. They also know they adjusted it when I purchased it and then again after a few tankfuls of fuel. Seeing that the saw has had very little use (less than 3 cords), they contacted Dolmar and explained everything.

Dolmar agreed to replace the piston and jug if I pay the labor.

Although I'm not happy about the saw blowing up I feel both my Dealer and Dolmar have been more than fair.

Learn something here....
No matter what brand of saw you purchase, IT PAYS TO HAVE A GOOD DEALER.

 

[04ultra]

promised i would get back....

my saw was way out of the warranty period. Over 8 months.

The shop has determined the damage was caused from the engine running lean. They also know they adjusted it when i purchased it and then again after a few tankfuls of fuel. Seeing that the saw has had very little use (less than 3 cords), they contacted dolmar and explained everything.

Dolmar agreed to replace the piston and jug if i pay the labor.

Although i'm not happy about the saw blowing up i feel both my dealer and dolmar have been more than fair.

Learn something here....
no matter what brand of saw you purchase, it pays to have a good dealer.

+1

 

[Brian VT]

Dolmar agreed to replace the piston and jug if I pay the labor.

Still sucks. They're kinda suggesting that you might be partially at fault (bad gas, not being a good carb. tuner, dirty air filter, etc.). I suppose I'd also take what they would give me, after the warranty expired, but think I'd still be upset.
I hope the rebuilt saw gives you many years of good service. Mine has been great so far (20 tanks ?).

 

[blsnelling]

That shouldn't cost you more than 1 hours labor.

 

[Justsaws]

Promised I would get back....

Learn something here....
No matter what brand of saw you purchase, IT PAYS TO HAVE A GOOD DEALER.

A good dealer is more important than the brand. Hope it works out for you.

 

[7sleeper]

Promised I would get back....

....
No matter what brand of saw you purchase, IT PAYS TO HAVE A GOOD DEALER.

+1

I hope you have some fun with that one! I have 10+ fillings on my saw but I never let it run dry. I usually refill far sooner like a third still in the tank. Jus my practice.

7

 

[Termite]

A little off topic! I hope chainsaw fuel injection is cheaper than the new high pressure common rail fuel injection on diesel trucks.
03 Dodge Cummins injector $350.00 recon. and there are six of them and they go bad after 100k miles.

 

[SawTroll]

Still sucks. They're kinda suggesting that you might be partially at fault .....

Not at all, considering it was out of warranty!

 

[mountainlake]

A little off topic! I hope chainsaw fuel injection is cheaper than the new high pressure common rail fuel injection on diesel trucks.
03 Dodge Cummins injector $350.00 recon. and there are six of them and they go bad after 100k miles.

I ran a International Dt466 for years, rebuilt injectors were $29 each and lasted 200000 miles. Cummins must be related to Stihl. Steve

 

[mountainlake]

It could have been caused by a few things.
Dealer tuned with good gas that got switched to ethonal, not the dealers or Dolmars fault
Dealer set the RPM's at the factory EPA specs which are too lean, kind of the dealers fault, should know these saws are on the edge of burning down and set a little richer
Customer let the gas get old and partially clogged the carb and didn't reconize that it was running lean, his fault.
Air leak , nobodys found one yet but that would be Dolmars fualt. Steve

 

[Marvinlee]

Looks like they have improved the cooling of the entire engine,

Does anyone have an idea what "Reduced scavenging losses - RedPower" refers to in the Dolmar site?

 

[mountainlake]

Does anyone have an idea what "Reduced scavenging losses - RedPower" refers to in the Dolmar site?

I think that means less unburnt fuel goes out the exhaust. Steve

 

[flashpuppy]

A little off topic! I hope chainsaw fuel injection is cheaper than the new high pressure common rail fuel injection on diesel trucks.
03 Dodge Cummins injector $350.00 recon. and there are six of them and they go bad after 100k miles.

Way off topic.

Those 5.9 Common Rails are interesting. Yes those injectors are way more expensive than a standard automotive one would be. Diesel engines require much more PSI than standard gas engines do.

 

[stckciv]

OK, I know I'm on a soap box ranting. this just hit a nerve and ticked me off. Not that the OP posted it, but that the saw gets an undeserved bad rap. Now...before you all think me just a Dolmar fanboy, that is not the case. I'm not particularly fond of the 5100 and much prefer a 346. But that has nothing to do with this situation. This man chose to buy a 5100S and got a great saw when he did so. Unfortunately, dealer support is VERY lacking. How many 5100s have we heard of being burnt up because they were set too lean? Lots more than it's competitors! But again, that's not the saws fault. If you like a 5100, BUY IT! Just make sure you have the carb properly tuned and it should last you a long time. Rant off



I seriously doubt it. Probably more like 10%, but I'm not sure. Again though, that's not a problem if the saw is tuned for it. It's only a concern for long term storage.

Why is this now the Dealers fault? The dealer could tune it just fine when new but after a few tank fulls have gone through this machine it will need to be adjusted again, not to mention elevation change would need adjustment.

If he had never learned to adjust this saw or never took it back in to be adjusted after breakin then it is NOT the dealers fault for this problem!

If you are using a saw and do not know how to adjust it then you better learn!!!!

 

[mountainlake]

Why is this now the Dealers fault? The dealer could tune it just fine when new but after a few tank fulls have gone through this machine it will need to be adjusted again, not to mention elevation change would need adjustment.

If he had never learned to adjust this saw or never took it back in to be adjusted after breakin then it is NOT the dealers fault for this problem!

If you are using a saw and do not know how to adjust it then you better learn!!!!

That's right if you run chainsaws nowdays you better learn how to adjust them and learn how to tell when they're lean. And if after storing it, it sounds differen't don't run it, clean the carb. There is no way I'd trust a dealer to set up a saw right nowdays. Steve

 

[SawTroll]

Why is this now the Dealers fault? ....

He didn't say that it was in this case, it was a comment on the general situation.....