Leaving limiter caps intact?

[REJ2]

My saws are under warranty so my caps are unaltered. Anyone else leaving their limiter caps alone? My saws run fine but you always wonder with all the talk about "to lean from the factory" if you should richen just for the sake of richening. Anyone with saws out of warranty with limiter tabs left intact? Is this a death sentence waiting to be carried out? Both of my saws are turned ccw as far as allowed by limiters, set by dealer. Ethanol free gas readily available in my area, so this is what I use. Questions are of curiosity. REJ2.

 

[mountainlake]

Hopefully your dealer got them set rich enough, I know quite a few dealers won't pull the caps and do that. If your saw is boggy at all I'd pull the caps and set richer, these saws have a lot of torque and don't bog easy when set rich enough. With a little care you should be able to get the caps off, set properly, then reinstall in the middle of the adjustment range without grinding the tabs off and still have a warranty. Steve

 

[rmihalek]

I was running a Jonsered 2165 yesterday that had the caps intact. The saw wouldn't rev at all. Everytime I squeezed the throttle, it would bog, then stall. If I opened the throttle REALLY slowly, it would rev up but as soon as the chain hit the wood it would bog then stall.

I made a quick trip to the garage, took the tabs off the H and L screws and backed each one out 1/2 turn. Now, she revs at will and chewed through frozen red oak like a champ.

 

[CGC4200]

Adjust & re-install

I needed to adjust carbs on 2 saws I have; pulled limiter
caps, adjusted saw & reinstalled caps. They hold screwdriver
better on a running saw & stihl look factory. I have a PP260
I use sometimes; the caps keep the rubber grommet
in place that keeps unspun air from getting to the carb
area.

 

[Tzed250]

 

[Brmorgan]

I dunno, the crew I've been working with clearing underbrush for fire risk reduction have two Husky 575s, and they run like absolute garbage with the limiters on. They idle and produce good power, but they bog down under throttle and almost stall if you just pin the trigger. If they let them idle for more than 10-15 seconds they really have to feather the throttle to get them to rev out again. I looked at both of them, and after I opened up the L jet as far as the limiter would allow, they were better, but definitely could be improved a lot more with maybe another 1/8 turn on the L. They're still under warranty though so they didn't want me pulling the caps. I realize these are strato saws, so I don't know if that's a factor or not.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I've bought two new Dolmars in the last year. The 7300 needed the limiters trimmed right out of the box, done by the dealer, with a phone call in to Dolmar to approve it. My 5100 dialed in with the tabs intact, and they're still that way.

I suspect that like all things mechanical, there is no such thing as "identical" saws, carbs, etc. Every part has a tolerance, and two parts coming off the line right next to each other could be at the opposite ends of the tolerance, yet both are usable. (In mfg, this would be a flag to look into the process, but it's just an example)

If you're worried, take your saw back to the dealer for a checkup, a good dealer will likely do this for free (mine does anyhow).

 

[indiansprings]

My Stihl dealer jerked the limiters when he initially set the saw up, I asked him about warranty, he replied no problem, we did it. Personally, if the saw was in warranty I'd let the dealer do any tuning that involved removing the caps. They can remove them if they need to be for proper tuning.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

That's the nice thing about my older saws...no limiter caps! I think the warranty's been up on my Homelite Super 2 for about 20 years.

 

[SAW4FUN]

How do you remove the limiter caps without damage? I am considering a muff mod to my 372xp, so would I likley have to remove them to get proper adjustment after this?

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Yes I think you'd have to richen it up a tad. Most of the limiter caps I've seen just pull off. Yours might be different, though. Then you have to find the proper tool to fit on the screw head. Some don't take a ordinary screwdriver.

 

[subhunter]

Yes the ones on my mccoullch dont take a regular screw driver. it is some weird looking one and I cant find anything to tune it now

 

[a. palmer jr.]

On the McCulloch, if it's a star looking thing with a bunch of corners you can tune it with a piece of automotive brake line, I forget which size fits it but just push it over the screw head and turn. It's a tight fit though. Copper tubing would be an easier fit, I guess.

 

[rmihalek]

tabs

The Walbro jets on the J'red 2165 has a slot for a regular screwdriver, but the screw cap placed on the jets has a tab on it that prevented me from turning the jet out any farther. All I needed to do was trim this tab off with some wire snips (and then cleaned it up a bit with a small wood carving chisel). With the tabs gone, I was able to back the screws out a bit more.

The saw was useless with the tabs in place, so I really had no choice. Walbro's only concern is emission compliance, not functionality.

From the Walbro website:
A Walbro tamper proof adjustment system features integrated components that collectively provide tamper resistance according to regulatory requirements. A Walbro tamper proof adjustment system requires special “Tools” intended for trained and facilitated service technicians to make adjustments for service purposes. A Walbro tamper proof adjustment system also prevents end users from adjusting the low speed and /or high speed needles in such a way that exhaust emission compliance is not attained. In order to adjust a carburetor using a Walbro tamper proof adjustment system, engine manufacturers are offered special Tools for sale by Wablro. Maintaining control of the distribution of these tools or similar tools is critical to assure the continued certification by CARB and/or EPA (or other regulatory agencies) of a Walbro tamper proof adjustment system.

 

[Lignum]

I dunno, the crew I've been working with clearing underbrush for fire risk reduction have two Husky 575s, and they run like absolute garbage with the limiters on. They idle and produce good power, but they bog down under throttle and almost stall if you just pin the trigger. If they let them idle for more than 10-15 seconds they really have to feather the throttle to get them to rev out again. I looked at both of them, and after I opened up the L jet as far as the limiter would allow, they were better, but definitely could be improved a lot more with maybe another 1/8 turn on the L. They're still under warranty though so they didn't want me pulling the caps. I realize these are strato saws, so I don't know if that's a factor or not.

You can 'gently' pull the plastic tabs out...just a little...to pull the limiting tabs off the needle valve spline. Rotate the limiter clockwise about a half turn without moving the needle valve, and gently push the limiter tab back on the spline. Rotate the limiter counter clockwise the 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and everything still looks factory, no harm, no foul.

 

[Brmorgan]

You can 'gently' pull the plastic tabs out...just a little...to pull the limiting tabs off the needle valve spline. Rotate the limiter clockwise about a half turn without moving the needle valve, and gently push the limiter tab back on the spline. Rotate the limiter counter clockwise the 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and everything still looks factory, no harm, no foul.

Yeah, you and I know that, but the guys that own the saws don't want me modifying anything, no matter how mundane. And I can't blame them; they don't really know me all that well, and I wouldn't let someone whose knowledge/ability I wasn't absolutely confident with start messing around with my saws either.