Stihl 026 runs weird

[toocheaptosmoke]

hello everyone, my 026 has benn havin problems for the last couple years. ive got other saws so i just keep messin with this one when ive got time. the saw used to run alright until it got hot (15 min.) and the die as if it were shut off. my dad took the outside half of the muffler off thinking it was clogged but it didnt help. i know that on most 2 strokes you need an expansion chamber for good performance but would this affect it much? anyways last time i started the saw up it didnt wanna idle off of choke while cold and when it did run it didnt smoke at ALL. this made me uneasy so i figured it was runnin lean and i backed the idle mixture out until it would idle then i turned the idle sppeed down until the chain quit spinnin. it was runnin good so i thought it was fixxed and i cut up a log and then it started doin the same crap again! when you let off the throttle it idles too fast and sometimes just shuts off. it runs like a champ when your on the throttle. i checked the plug and its not melting or burnt(although it is lighter than usual). the filter is good. i taped the plug wire that was shorting on a bolt. has good compression and you can still see some honings on the cylinder wall. i been thinkin that it either got a bad crank seal or somethings jacked in the carb. any help is appreciated

 

[Kenskip1]

Sounds to me like a clogged gas filter. Possibly a kink in the gas line . I would change the gas filter first.

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

i checked the filter and it looks raelly clean. wouldnt it bog down under full throttle if it was clogged? the fuel line isnt kinked anywhere. thanks anyways

 

[Lawn Masters]

Then it sounds to me like an air leak, check the crank seals, and make sure the bolts on the cylinder are tight. it may also be a torn intake boot.

 

[Lewis Brander]

I diitto that:

I ditto what OS said. Lewis.

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

thanks guys, i ripped the saw apart(litterally) and tore the pulse line going to the carb. luckily i think i found the problem(or one of em) the line was cracking and sucking in dust. the stihl saws i have have been good saws but im getting tired of fixxing them. our 029 is only a couple of years old and the fuel lines on it cracked too. i know these arent the top of the line saws but you think they would put some decent fuel lines in. and stihl makes these friggin one peice fuel lines that go into the tank with rubber gromets so you have to buy their fuel lines.

 

[Lawn Masters]

I know its frustrating. Stihl could make these things a little differently, but they wont change for anything short of an order from god.

 

[glens]

How do you know that they don't have a <i>killer</i> 261 ready for release? (just speculation on my part)

 

[sedanman]

Too cheap, Stihl had a material issue with their fuel line that they know about. They MIGHT have replaced the fuel line for free if you asked. My bet, the original hose assy was black and the new one is green. Same problem on many string trimmers and hand-held blowers.

 

[sedanman]

OSA, Do you have any idea what is involved in a running change to an existing part? Not as simple for a company to do a global change on a single part as you might think.

 

[stihltech]

fuel lines

Just in case you think this fuel line is all a Stihl problem, think back on the last couple years. I have replaced fuel lines in every make that has come in the door.
Ask your tech guys how often to check the fuel hose when you service a saw. EVERY TIME!
Any time a saw sits with fuel in it, the possibility of a bad hose arises.Bad material? Could be better stuff out there. How much to make a hose out of it?
How many want to pay 50 bucks for a better fuel hose?
Impulse hose, same applies.
Maybe they could have used a length of hose and a grommet, but I am willing to bet the design has a very good reason, and all position has something to do with it.
Oh, fuel hasn't changed at all. Great quality stuff. Yeah, right.

 

[Fish]

Yes, take a close look at the fuel line, but also remove the muffler and look at the
piston again, I would bet you would see some damage by now.

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

i got the saw back together today and it runs a heck of a lot better than it did. i just gotta readjust the carb. last year i got new lines for the 029 and they were still black so we'll see how long they last. i guess im just used to the lines on our outboards, the one johnson is god knows how old and its still got all the original lines(they're probly gonna blow next time out now). i was surprised but the piston and cylinder wall have very little wear, just a little carbon build up in the exhaust port.

 

[sedanman]

Echo has a massive problem right now with a fuel tank grommet on trimmers and blowers. The grommet has either 2 or 3 holes for tubimg to pass through. There was a huge batch that has a 100% failure rate. Almost all of the Echos that Home Depot has on clearance with the paint on them have had nothing done to them other than the grommet replaced.

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

UPDATE:

I had an 026 come into the shop because no one else could or wanted to fix it, the saw would run for 10 or 15 minutes then just die. Dealer told the guy it wasn't fixable... Anyways, it wasn't the coil, wasn't the carb, no air leaks, clean spark arrestor, it had me a bit stumped. So, google to the rescue, and the first thread that pops up is this one. Read the whole thing, thought damn, this sounds very similar to the saw I'm working on.

Then it hits me, I started the thread over 8 years ago!!! What are the odds? Turns out the pulse line is fine, and it's actually the breather vent that is not working, causing the saw to die after running for a while. I also see that I didn't know how to use the shift button and capitalize letters back then!

And btw, the original saw in this thread is still going strong. :msp_biggrin:

 

[tallfarmboy]

That's an interesting story! Welcome back to the forum!
TFB