stihl ms 180 beach and moan

[sbhooper]

I will never buy another saw with the air filter in the front. I had a small Echo that my son was using and did not notice that the filter had come loose and fell off. The saw injested some wood or something and it was trashed. A front air filter is a poor design.

 

[t613]

Love mine!

Wow, I've had my 180 for 5-6 years now and use it quite often. I love the reliability of it, never had a problem, always starts right up. Lightweight and quick-cutting. I use it on all of my logs from 10" dia. on down, bigger saw for the bigger stuff.

Sorry to hear there are so many bad stories out there about them. When it dies, I'll definitely go out and buy another (or it's successor).

Tim

 

[RED-85-Z51]

I will never buy another saw with the air filter in the front. I had a small Echo that my son was using and did not notice that the filter had come loose and fell off. The saw injested some wood or something and it was trashed. A front air filter is a poor design.

I gotta cal BS on this one. We've had CS-305's and 346's come in with the filter element MISSING, the whole carb and carb housing was completely full of dirt and wood to the point the only visable metal was the air horn on the carb...and the saws always have good compression and run fine. We've had em so bad that we documented the findings with pictures showing the absense of a filter, the dirt presense ON the carb, etc...but they always run.

How do you not notice the filter had come off? The cover is 3"X3" give or take, and the filter is the same size, and WHITE..

Even run for multiple tanks of gas with no filter at all, it isnt enough to even begin to hurt this saw.

I cant stress it enough, the filter is on the front of the saw, YES.

The ducting that it pulls air from runs from inside the saw case, and air is forced over the filter from the flywheel fan. It's a smart design for a horizontal cylinder saw running a reed induction style. The air filter has to be somewhere...

 

[2000ssm6]

How do you not notice the filter had come off? The cover is 3"X3" give or take, and the filter is the same size, and WHITE.....

One tank and it's brown......

The ducting that it pulls air from runs from inside the saw case, and air is forced over the filter from the flywheel fan. It's a smart design for a horizontal cylinder saw running a reed induction style. The air filter has to be somewhere

Not a smart design at all, who ever "designed" it must have been drunk. All the dust, dirt and chips go right for the filter.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

One tank and it's brown......



Not a smart design at all, who ever "designed" it must have been drunk. All the dust, dirt and chips go right for the filter.

Then I can only point to user error...

How can we use it for a whole year doing pallets of all things, lots of pine, plywood crap, nails, the bar is in the dirt half the time too...and not have a dirty gilter after probably 30 tankfulls a year. We go through, Id say...80 pallets a year, with 25 of those being crates with ply sides, that we cut upo all parts to fit inside a little old Ashley woodburning heater, nothing bigger than 10" across and 20" deep...

Once a year I pull that saw down, put on a new bar, clean the filter, tune the carb, powerwash the complete saw, etc...it doesnt get touched otherwise all year except fluids and sharpen chain.

To make matters worse, it's a saw that was used for probably 8 years by a commercial tree surgeon that they ran over with a truck and crushed the saw, my boss put the powerhead in another case, and has been using it ever since. it's been years and years.

 

[teacherman]

brad i know it may seem impossible but when ya piss off pnw faller anything can happen. me am going to take a hole saw to the top cover and from there who the hack knows what may happen, i plan my destruction moment to moment. me i am so pizzed off at this saw i am going to Fosterize the :censored::censored: out of a poorly engineered design to relive my anger. i need a six pack of cold ones and 30 minutes to Fosterize it. i am sorry i ever thought a 200 saw with a well know brand was worth buying. i wanted a small light weight saw and all end up with is a nightmare. my 30 year old mini mac 35 has a wore out air filter and it runs no matter what i try to do to it . and why is a saw sucking in fine dust in moist spring time air causing the sawz carburetor to have to be clean and re adjusted sorry to sound angry just hate when good money buys a name branded tool and they can not design it right from the factory and then make the customer pay for their error

You have a lemon. Dealer should make it right by crediting your purchase price toward a different saw. He would have a lifetime customer, I imagine, and your problem would be solved. Anything less is a lame excuse for the Stihl servicing dealer network, and the assurance it offers the saw user. IMO

Most Stihls can suck a buncha dust and run just fine.

 

[superfire]

problem solved

well i just said skrew it with the ms 180. talked to dealer about replacement options. since my dealer is also a rental yard they do have a few rental sawz they rent and then sell so i look at the MS 210 that had less then 2 hours total run time. grab it an check it out. well i told the owner who is a great guy to work me a good deal on it well since the MS 210 are no longer available he said since it was a rental/demo saw for 215 saw chips it is yours well i brought home and switched the censored: safety chain with a non safety chain. aint much of a fan of these 16" bar 30 to 40 cc sawz welllllll :jawdrop: this thing screams through the wood
thanks for the advise gents

 

[2000ssm6]

Then I can only point to user error...

How can we use it for a whole year doing pallets of all things, lots of pine, plywood crap, nails, the bar is in the dirt half the time too...and not have a dirty gilter after probably 30 tankfulls a year. We go through, Id say...80 pallets a year, with 25 of those being crates with ply sides, that we cut upo all parts to fit inside a little old Ashley woodburning heater, nothing bigger than 10" across and 20" deep...

Once a year I pull that saw down, put on a new bar, clean the filter, tune the carb, powerwash the complete saw, etc...it doesnt get touched otherwise all year except fluids and sharpen chain.

To make matters worse, it's a saw that was used for probably 8 years by a commercial tree surgeon that they ran over with a truck and crushed the saw, my boss put the powerhead in another case, and has been using it ever since. it's been years and years.

Maybe mine has a flaw then, cause it is no where near what you describe. I can say it has taken a beating but no more echos for me.

 

[HuskyMike]

too bad about your saw, glad you got fixed up.
Hopefully yours was a weird one and they all are not like that!
I just picked up the MS180 today and used it a lil out back when the kids were napping. For a little saw it really rips. I have to clean up alot of downed limbs and vines around the yard. That is one reason I bought the saw. Another is I needed a reason to own and try a Stihl. My Poulan blowed up and I told my G/F that the MS180 was the cutest lil saw ever. I thought for sure she would give me the ####ens but her reply was "Keep it nice for Nicky to use when he can"
(Nicky is our 1 year old)

 

[Fish]

This whole thread is "hinky" and full of b.s.

Many good questions have gone by ignored, and the whole premise makes no sense.

What exactly was the problem with this saw?
What was the "warrantable" failure?
The air filters on these saws are OK, and in any case would not cause a
clogged up carb. Is it just me? My B.S. meter is going off.......

 

[superfire]

it aint hinky

i just figured out the problem. it boils down to air filter gets dirty throw away and buy new. i just said skrew it. i want a saw that the filter does not need a new filter every time it gets even slightly dirty. i learned after seeing several post mentioning this on similar sawz. i end up better off by buying a MS 210 i get the better flipy caps and the ability to run a rebuidlable saw. i like the power off the MS 180 but i hated the air filter system. so now i have the saw that will last.

 

[Fish]

Hinky B.S.

 

[Fish]

OK, I am sure this was/is an early April Fools gag.

You got me.....

 

[occ3377]

i just figured out the problem. it boils down to air filter gets dirty throw away and buy new. i just said skrew it. i want a saw that the filter does not need a new filter every time it gets even slightly dirty. i learned after seeing several post mentioning this on similar sawz. i end up better off by buying a MS 210 i get the better flipy caps and the ability to run a rebuidlable saw. i like the power off the MS 180 but i hated the air filter system. so now i have the saw that will last.

you say its not hinky yet you still havent answered any of the questions that people think make it hinky.

 

[superfire]

what ????

the problem aint with the saw it was me being a stupid owner. i talked to the shop mechanic and he told me that the saw needs a new air filter every time it gets dirty. the filters are non cleanable type of air filters. i tried to clean them and that is what cause the saw to need the carb cleaned. these saw are just not the same as a pro saw. i think the rest of the design is fine . if Stihl made a ridged flocked flat plastic air filter similar to a MS 210 then it would be great saw. i just tried to be a cheap skate and reuse a disposable saw air filter and that is why i had problems. i learned that you get what you buy. if you buy a saw read the damned owners manual. me i am much better informed now that i went throu this learning curve. in the end i am glad i decide to spend good hard earned money on a better saw.

 

[tbuggle]

throw away filter? like a coffee maker?

 

[Fish]

If this is a serious thread, then you need to find a new tech/dealer.....

So I will bite.....


When this "air" filter gets clogged, how does the saw run????

I realize I am wasting my time....

 

[Fish]

OK rereading this thread, I am done.....

bogus......

 

[HuskyMike]

Ya'll scared me, I just bought the 180 today!

 

[Fish]

Ya'll scared me, I just bought the 180 today!

not me, this is a bogus thread....