New here, need help with Stihl MS361 carb

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TimberTramp420

TimberTramp420

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Mar 10, 2014
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Heys guys a little new here and just wanted to say hello and see if anyone could help me with my stihl, So I recently purchased a Stihl MS361 for 450 dollars with brand new 24inch bar and chain in box, I have to admit its a beautiful saw and runs great..well did. Im 19 and on a budget especially after rent,utilities & groceries are paid haha so any help at all would be appreciated. Now onto the problem the exhaust was modified with 3 3/16 holes not a major modification, well long story short the previous owner half assed some fixes which I fixed all properly with oem parts unlike he did with chinese parts so i assumed the carb was off as well as read exhaust mod takes some adjustment and went to reset it to standard setting, did that and the saw wont start, did what people told other people on here turned both screws cw to stop and then ccw to 1 turn and she wont start or she'll start and runaway 2 of which times kill switch wouldn't work, I don't even know if its a 361 carb everybody else has limiter caps mine don't any input would be great, we had it running decently right but it keeps adjusting i don't know if that's because were tuning it in small logs then moving to bucking trees and it dies again any help would be appreciated the husqvarana guys are bragging haha
 

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TimberTramp420

TimberTramp420

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Mar 10, 2014
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it ran great and we think the killswitch metal spring was just covered in saw dust, but i think it might just be the carb is broke if it cant be reset to standard factory settings and then keeps adjusting itself. but yeah any ideas anyone?
 
Subieman406

Subieman406

Saw ID10T site lurker
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wow would have thought a stihl guy would have chimmed in by now some one will be along to give you some help
husky guy here and what do you mean by it keeps readjusting itself and if it idles fast and the idle screw or T screw wont bring it down to normal idle. than i would start to look for a hole in fuel line and also intake boot on the back of carb closest to the cylinder also check all your ignition wires for damage or grounding out
 
mopar3

mopar3

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The 1 turn open is just a starting point to get the saw to run. It needs to be adjusted from there. The saw should have a clean air filter and be warmed up some then tuned in the cut. Do a search there's some good step by step instructions.
 
pioneerguy600

pioneerguy600

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linkage is all working properly could it be the carb is just to gummed up?

A gummed up carb would not cause runaway throttle, the engine needs lots of air and fuel to runaway. Therefore the butterfly plate needs to be open for this to happen. Did you verify that that plate is nearly closed at idle?
 
Knobby57

Knobby57

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The 361s are pretty finicky on carb adjustment. They flood pretty easy . Check your fuel line and filter . Check the impulse line they are known to crack. Make sure the carb boot is properly installed , I have not seen many boots crack. Don't forget to make sure you have a good sparky plug. You may also want to pull your carb apart and clean. And maybe throw on a 8$ carb kit . Make sure the screen in the carb is clear of crap and pull the adjustment needs and clean them and there ports. A little piece of crap will give you a huge headache when adjusting a dirty carb ,
How high did it rev when it ran away on you ?


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shawn022

shawn022

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A gummed up carb would not cause runaway throttle, the engine needs lots of air and fuel to runaway. Therefore the butterfly plate needs to be open for this to happen. Did you verify that that plate is nearly closed at idle?
I had a fun carb problem a couple weeks ago. Saw would start and run great but would hang up coming back to idle and then race away. Eventually it would right itself. Turned out the butterfly screw was loose and the plate would get cocked open and the saw would race. Eventually it would center itself and idle right. I'm just glad I caught it before the saw ate the screw.
 
cgraham1

cgraham1

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Now onto the problem the exhaust was modified with 3 3/16 holes not a major modification, well long story short the previous owner half assed some fixes which I fixed all properly with oem parts unlike he did with chinese parts so i assumed the carb was off as well as read exhaust mod takes some adjustment and went to reset it to standard setting, did that and the saw wont start, did what people told other people on here turned both screws cw to stop and then ccw to 1 turn and she wont start or she'll start and runaway 2 of which times kill switch wouldn't work, I don't even know if its a 361 carb everybody else has limiter caps mine don't any input would be great, we had it running decently right but it keeps adjusting i don't know if that's because were tuning it in small logs then moving to bucking trees and it dies again any help would be appreciated the husqvarana guys are bragging haha
Wow! That is one sentence! It seems like you would be better off just taking it to the dealer and having the carb adjusted. Why screw around and blow up your saw? It ran great, and you screwed with the carb settings? Why?
My dealer would adjust the carb for probably $20. It's your saw, I guess you need to decide if it's worth $20 not to blow it up.
 
bubbagump_12

bubbagump_12

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Aug 31, 2013
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Dude just get on youtube and look up videos on how to tune a stihl chainsaw. It helps if you have a digital tachometer to set your idle RPM's and wide open throttle RPM's
 
TimberTramp420

TimberTramp420

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Mar 10, 2014
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anybody else mind telling me what their stihls are tuned at or other saws i dont thinks its the walbro but just trying to get a general idea
 
TimberTramp420

TimberTramp420

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Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
50
Gave up, warmed her up, ran fine, put her into sticks and limbs went to buck a log and she died and was really hot like side casings didnt melt but it was hotter than it should of been, so jut going to take her to a shop for $45
 

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