ms361 L screw all the way in?

[volks-man]

my 361 has been acting up. a while back it would idle a little high after a cut, just enough to start spinning the chain. i turned the LA screw out and dropped the idle a bit. all was well.

next time out if i idled too long between cuts the saw would stall and require squeezing the throttle while pulling to start again. so i turned L screw in a bit. it seemed fine.

next use it it still wasn't right so i started with the screw turns specified on the saw. i adjusted and tached idle and wot and all seemed fine.

next time i used it it would idle but if i picked it up quick or moved too fast the saw would stall. i was advised to turn the L screw in a bit and readjust LA to maintain idle. all was fine.

today the saw started ideling up after the cut so i turned the LA screw out a bit. then it stumbles when picking it up and it will stall again, so i turn the L screw in a bit and it is maxed out.

i have not cut much with it since all this started. but when i did it cut great. the air filter is clean and this is the 3rd batch of super/hp-ultra mix i have used.
is there something wrong here other than the adjustments?

 

[madrone]

pressure/vac test?

 

[volks-man]

pressure/vac test?

i have not pressure/vac tested.
the saw only has a few hours on it after a thall piston/cyl replacement, and only had a dozen or so tanks before that.

 

[CentaurG2]

Seems to be a lot of this going around. I figure it must be near spring time and things are getting a little “restless”. Either that or it could be a sign of some other impending cosmic event. When was that Mayan calendar supposed to run out??

 

[madrone]

Make sure the cylinder bolts are tight. Erratic idle could be caused by some type of air leak among other things.

 

[madrone]

Seems to be a lot of this going around. I figure it must be near spring time and things are getting a little “restless”. Either that or it could be a sign of some other impending cosmic event. When was that Mayan calendar supposed to run out??

Ha!,,,, when I said "other things" I didn't consider the end of the long count.

 

[willsaw4beer]

Seems to be a lot of this going around. I figure it must be near spring time and things are getting a little “restless”. Either that or it could be a sign of some other impending cosmic event. When was that Mayan calendar supposed to run out??

We've got till 2012 so I've heard.

 

[Bowtie]

My 361 carb idle circuit is all screwed up as well. Tried everything, including press/vac test. Im getting a different carb. Been reading about quite a few 361 carb problems lately.

 

[CentaurG2]

We've got till 2012 so I've heard.

Perhaps the MS 361 is just a little ahead of its time!!

 

[willsaw4beer]

My saws always need fine tuned it seems, every day they get run I end up tinkering a bit with the carb.

 

[litefoot]

If the p & c were recently replaced by Tommy, I'd assume it was done right. But it may be that the seal between the carb and intake boot or the boot-to-cylinder isn't good. Maybe try tightening the carb mounting screws/nuts?

 

[jeeptj19992001]

i thought the ms361 was the most advanced saw ever made by stihl.it would cure cancer and make you the greatest of all time ....guess it is just another saw........just another overpriced stihl

 

[ShoerFast]

Before I would do anything else, just my $0.02 cents worth, but for a couple cents it is easy to check for the best idle by presetting the 'L' screw out about a turn, and start the saw.

If the chain is moving, back out the speed screw till it no longer creeps forward. If the chain is not moving turn the speed screw in tell it is just about spining the chain, ther reset for the fastest 'L' setting.

Set the 'L' screw, engine running for the fastest engine speed, reset the speed screw again.

Repeat the process till you have the speed screw out till the chain just creeps, and no longer get an engine speed increase with an 'L' screw adjustment. From there try a slightly slower speed screw setting, and fatter 'L' screw.

The final setting is all personal preference to where you want to go with that final tweak, from that setting ( fastest engine speed with the 'L' screw, and no chain moment with the speed screw) I like about a 1/16 - 1/8 fatter on the 'L' from there, that gives me a good fast throttle response and the engine comes back down fast enough. And I use the saw a little to set the speed screw.

For my saws, if it dose not come down fast enough, or the chain creeps, out with the speed screw (slower) .....

If the saw dose not rev fast enough, or falls flat with a quick blip of the throttle, a little fatter with the 'L' screw (out).

If the saw loads up sitting there, leaner with the 'L' screw(in).

If the saw dies coming out of a cut or sudden slow down, a little in with the speed screw(faster).

If nothing works like mentioned above, thee is something else wrong.

 

[volks-man]

shoer,

thanks! barring any other revelations tonight on AS i will give your idle routine a try.

though, i feel something may be amiss. it never occurred to me that with the L all the way in i should have poor acceleration... i do not, it accelerates just fine. hhmmmm.....

 

[volks-man]

i thought the ms361 was the most advanced saw ever made by stihl.it would cure cancer and make you the greatest of all time ....guess it is just another saw........just another overpriced stihl

thanks for the help.
:monkey:

 

[fourfivefour]

Closing the mixture screw would indicate an extreme rich condition.
The carb is dumping gas, not an air leak.
The metering lever could be out of adjustment, needle not seating, or a welch plug leaking.
Have you installed a kit in the carb yet?...........454

 

[blsnelling]

I understand one of other sponsors here on the forum has experienced enough of this that he won't even sell the 361 to his crews. I've not had the problem, but your obviously not the first to experience it.

 

[Bowtie]

I understand one of other sponsors here on the forum has experienced enough of this that he won't even sell the 361 to his crews. I've not had the problem, but your obviously not the first to experience it.

If this carb I have coming ever screws up, we shall see some radical carb mods for a 361 here. I will find a way to graft an 044 or similar carb to it.

 

[epicklein22]

I am working on a 361 as we speak. Overall, the design is nice, but a few things just don't bode well for heavy use. I don't know who was using this particular 361 before I started fixing it, but the clutch spider is broken, flywheel key sheared (which is molded into the flywheel, now it is junk unless I don't use a key :censored, muffler covers fused on (ended up bending them all up getting them out), tank vent is located on clutch side and out in the open, causing it to clog, top cover has tangs that go into rubber gromets, all broken off. Again, it is a nice saw, but not perfect like everyone thinks they are. I would rather have the extra vibs from an 036/ms360 anyday, just a better design for heavy use.

Hope your carb gets settled. I would be cautious and get it pressure/vac tested. Hope you didn't get your saw fixed by THALL on a friday afternoon. :biggrinbounce2:hahaha Just kidding. I hate having something new that doesn't work as it should.

 

[volks-man]

I am working on a 361 as we speak. Overall, the design is nice, but a few things just don't bode well for heavy use. I don't know who was using this particular 361 before I started fixing it, but the clutch spider is broken, flywheel key sheared (which is molded into the flywheel, now it is junk unless I don't use a key :censored, muffler covers fused on (ended up bending them all up getting them out), tank vent is located on clutch side and out in the open, causing it to clog, top cover has tangs that go into rubber gromets, all broken off. Again, it is a nice saw, but not perfect like everyone thinks they are. I would rather have the extra vibs from an 036/ms360 anyday, just a better design for heavy use.

Hope your carb gets settled. I would be cautious and get it pressure/vac tested. Hope you didn't get your saw fixed by THALL on a friday afternoon. :biggrinbounce2:hahaha Just kidding. I hate having something new that doesn't work as it should.

sounds like your saw had a hard life before you got it.

i think the muffler cover on the 361 is welded to the rear half... to keep us from monkeying with it.

to be fair, though it has low hours, the saw isn't new.

the pressure/vac test is on my mind.

i think mr. hall did a fine job. when i got it back it ran fine. i'm sure this problem is unrelated to what he did.