Question for the Stihl Techs that have been to Va. Beach

[Fish]

I had a concerned customer ask me about the ms290 engine I just delivered
to them. I left the plug in the block, and they assumed the saw was used
before disassembly. I said no, all of the plugs are discolored and oily, and the
engine was indeed off of a brand new ms290. I told the customer that the
color was from their testing procedure.

What exactly do they do in this test? Fire it on propane?

I invited the customer to log on and view the responses.

I have never been to the school in Va. Beach, and likely never will.

They might shoot me....

But seriously, I pose the question.

 

[THALL10326]

I had a concerned customer ask me about the ms290 engine I just delivered
to them. I left the plug in the block, and they assumed the saw was used
before disassembly. I said no, all of the plugs are discolored and oily, and the
engine was indeed off of a brand new ms290. I told the customer that the
color was from their testing procedure.

What exactly do they do in this test? Fire it on propane?

I invited the customer to log on and view the responses.

I have never been to the school in Va. Beach, and likely never will.

They might shoot me....

But seriously, I pose the question.

They run the powerhead in a test cell on E10 fuel mix. Kinda neat to watch how they do it.

 

[Jacob J.]

Do they mix it there or buy that already made stuff? I know they used to put castor oil in the cylinder before shipping, you could smell it when you fired a new unit up.

 

[Fish]

how is it injected?

E10? Explain that too, I am ignorant of these modern gizmos...

I just discovered MGPs last night, and I am getting tired........




No seriously, elaborate a tad, the saw is ran, pressure tested? Why do
they do what they do? I am curious, and so is a lot of folks, I am sure.

Thanks.

 

[THALL10326]

Do they mix it there or buy that already made stuff? I know they used to put castor oil in the cylinder before shipping, you could smell it when you fired a new unit up.

Neat how it works. The fuel filter is left off. A hose with a connector is fed automaticly into the fuel tank and hooks into the fuel hose. I never seen the fuel container, only the feed hose. The saw is cranked by the machine, started, carb adjusted, a bunch of gauges are read. If the saw passes it comes out and proceeds on down the line. The whole process doesn't take a minute.

 

[Jacob J.]

Now that's pretty cool...

 

[Fish]

Neat how it works. The fuel filter is left off. A hose with a connector is fed automaticly into the fuel tank and hooks into the fuel hose. I never seen the fuel container, only the feed hose. The saw is cranked by the machine, started, carb adjusted, a bunch of gauges are read. If the saw passes it comes out and proceeds on down the line. The whole process doesn't take a minute.

Do they have a little foriegn guy at the end of the line that gets in there and installs the fuel filter before it goes in the box?

Or do they have an old hippy with hemostats?

So they have a tach, heat sensor on the muffler, etc?

 

[THALL10326]

how is it injected?

E10? Explain that too, I am ignorant of these modern gizmos...

I just discovered MGPs last night, and I am getting tired........




No seriously, elaborate a tad, the saw is ran, pressure tested? Why do
they do what they do? I am curious, and so is a lot of folks, I am sure.

Thanks.

On the 290 family the engine housing itself is pressure tested without the engine in it. That case is melted together by a shaker or vibrating process. The two halves met, the shaking/vibration melts it together. To insure the fuel tank and oil tank is completely one after the process its pressure tested.

The engine is tested at another stage for air leaks. The run in the test cell is to make sure everything during assembly has been done correctly. If that powerhead will not come up to full power after carb adjustments in the test cell that powerhead is sent over to another area to find out why, it does not proceed down the line..

 

[blackoak]

I have seen old hippies with hemo's do some pretty amazing things, but hooking up a fuel filter was not one of them..

 

[THALL10326]

Hey Fish one of the most amazing things I seen down there was the tools they use. To install the stater cover on a 290, the torx driver they use cost $6000.00 each. They look like 3/8dr air ratchets with a torx bit at the end of them.

The orange handle housing on the 290, the block of steel its pressed in are over 100 grand apiece. Heres the funny part, they wear out. They have to be repolished all the time so we get that nice shiny finnish. If you notice only one side of the plastic is glossy, the underside is always dull. Thats becasue they don't polish the press blocks that press the underside of the plastic. No need to, no one is going to see it cept the guy that tears the saw apart....

 

[blackoak]

Hey Fish one of the most amazing things I seen down there was the tools they use. To install the stater cover on a 290, the torx driver they use cost $6000.00 each. They look like 3/8dr air ratchets with a torx bit at the end of them.

The orange handle housing on the 290, the block of steel its pressed in are over 100 grand apiece. Heres the funny part, they wear out. They have to be repolished all the time so we get that nice shiny finnish. If you notice only one side of the plastic is glossy, the underside is always dull. Thats becasue they don't polish the press blocks that press the underside of the plastic. No need to, no one is going to see it cept the guy that tears the saw apart....

6000.00$ torx wrench, no wonder Stihl's cost so much. An old hippy would be much cheaper. LOL

 

[Fish]

I just want to know where the dumpster is that they throw all of the rejects in.....

We could make a deal.....

 

[Philbert]

I would LOVE to take that tour. Somebody hire me as a tech so I can go!

Philbert

 

[THALL10326]

Do they have a little foriegn guy at the end of the line that gets in there and installs the fuel filter before it goes in the box?

Or do they have an old hippy with hemostats?

So they have a tach, heat sensor on the muffler, etc?

LOL, there are no hippies in that place Fish.

When that saw comes out the test cell, if it passed, it goes on down the line. Someone installs the fuel filter, probably all they do all day. I did notice one guy that stood there and did nothing but put carb covers on. Thats all he does. Seems everyone on the line has one certain job as that powerhead moves down the line. There's alot of people on the line along with robots.

How long does it take. When the assembly line is completely full all the way around a powerhead goes in the box every 20 seconds...

One thing they do is pull a powerhead out of every so many units in process. It goes to the EPA lab and it has to pass. If it doesn't all the others in the batch are rechecked and then another is pulled. If it passed the rest can move on, if not that batch goes nowhere until that one tester unit passes the EPA lab...

 

[THALL10326]

I just want to know where the dumpster is that they throw all of the rejects in.....

We could make a deal.....

They are way ahead of you Fish. All that plastic left over from the molding process is trimmed off and goes over to where they make trimmer line. Nothing goes to waste. You won't find a spare screw or bar nut laying around anywhere...

 

[THALL10326]

6000.00$ torx wrench, no wonder Stihl's cost so much. An old hippy would be much cheaper. LOL

Thats not all of it concerning those torx drivers. They got an inspector that checks every single one of those tools with some sort of guage he carries. That tool has to be on the money, if not the inspector recalibrates it on the spot. If it won't calibrate that tool gets pulled and replaced. Thats all that guy does but he has one helluva lot of tools to check. Gotta remember we're talking about a factory that covers almost a 100 acres, lotta stuff in that place...

 

[Fish]

They are way ahead of you Fish. All that plastic left over from the molding process is trimmed off and goes over to where they make trimmer line. Nothing goes to waste. You won't find a spare screw or bar nut laying around anywhere...

They have obviously not read my notes on their work, I could fill them in on their shortcomings....

 

[fourfivefour]

My dealer said when he was down there they and would NOT show anyone the bar manufacturing area. Supposed to be top secret..............454

 

[Fish]

My dealer said when he was down there they and would NOT show anyone the bar manufacturing area. Supposed to be top secret..............454

Yes, they stole my "Maglev Technology".. bastards!!!

 

[stihl only]

My dealer said when he was down there they and would NOT show anyone the bar manufacturing area. Supposed to be top secret..............454

That's because they employ Umpa Lompas there that sing and dance while they build the bars. German ones.