DECJ
ArboristSite Lurker
New member here.
Here's the deal. Firewood cord costs have gone up so much over the last 12 years in my rural area that my wife and I decided to get a larger chain saw and go get our own firewood. We had hoped to do this last fall, so I bought a new Stihl MS 311 saw with an 18" bar in September 2010 from a dealer in Grand Junction, Colorado. The guy put new gas in our saw, started it up, and thoroughly demonstrated it for us. Unfortunately, a string of other commitments cropped up and we lost our window of opportunity for getting our firewood before winter set in. So, in December, I emptied most of the gas that was in it from September, ran it until it quit and put it away for the winter. Then in early June, I put new 50:1 gas in (with Stabil) and the saw started right up and ran fine.
We planned to head out today to finally get our firewood for this winter, so in preparation yesterday, I went to fire-up the 311 and got nothing. It just acted dead with no life in it and no indication that it was even trying to catch and run. I tried starting it with full-choke, half-choke, and just in "I". Nothing. I removed the spark plug twice and while there was a fuel smell associated with the open cylinder head, the plug was not fouled or overly wet with fuel. Nevertheless, I blew off the spark plug electrode area and the open cylinder head with compressed air. I then went back to trying to start the saw on all "Master Control" lever positions and there still was no indication that the saw was going to start.
I decided to take the saw in to our more local Stihl dealer in Moab, Utah this morning. However, before doing so, I decided to check for a spark. After removing the plug and securing the spark plug boot, I turned over the engine, but I saw no spark with the original spark plug (with grounding-out the threaded portion against the outside of the cylinder head). I then used a new spark plug and still didn't see any spark. So, I thought this must be the problem.
I then dropped off my saw at the local Stihl dealer and found out that their mechanic was on vacation and wouldn't be back until Monday. However, after we got back home, the young guy we left our saw with called and said he got the saw started and that it was running fine. He said that on general principle, he changed out the gas, and while doing so, he also found that the fuel pickup body had shifted upwards in the tank. So after straightening that out and putting the new gas in, he said it started right up. Go figure.
Anyway, we picked it up this afternoon (no charge), took it home, and continued to get ready to head out tomorrow for our firewood. I then decided to start up the saw, and guess what? Nothing. Same exact stuff I encountered yesterday. I went through the same drill and I must have pulled that starter rope at least 100 times and still nothing. I again checked for a spark and still saw nothing there.
Obviously, I am going to return my saw to our local Stihl dealer tomorrow or Friday for their mechanic to trouble-shoot, but in the meantime, does anyone have any words of wisdom as to what likely may be wrong, or if there is anything else I should be trying to do from my end? While I acknowledge that the saw is a year old (2 weeks beyond the warranty period), I am understandably pretty disappointed that a fairly expensive Stihl chain saw that has only been started half a dozen times and never used to cut any wood is currently in this condition.
Thanks in advance,
Don
Here's the deal. Firewood cord costs have gone up so much over the last 12 years in my rural area that my wife and I decided to get a larger chain saw and go get our own firewood. We had hoped to do this last fall, so I bought a new Stihl MS 311 saw with an 18" bar in September 2010 from a dealer in Grand Junction, Colorado. The guy put new gas in our saw, started it up, and thoroughly demonstrated it for us. Unfortunately, a string of other commitments cropped up and we lost our window of opportunity for getting our firewood before winter set in. So, in December, I emptied most of the gas that was in it from September, ran it until it quit and put it away for the winter. Then in early June, I put new 50:1 gas in (with Stabil) and the saw started right up and ran fine.
We planned to head out today to finally get our firewood for this winter, so in preparation yesterday, I went to fire-up the 311 and got nothing. It just acted dead with no life in it and no indication that it was even trying to catch and run. I tried starting it with full-choke, half-choke, and just in "I". Nothing. I removed the spark plug twice and while there was a fuel smell associated with the open cylinder head, the plug was not fouled or overly wet with fuel. Nevertheless, I blew off the spark plug electrode area and the open cylinder head with compressed air. I then went back to trying to start the saw on all "Master Control" lever positions and there still was no indication that the saw was going to start.
I decided to take the saw in to our more local Stihl dealer in Moab, Utah this morning. However, before doing so, I decided to check for a spark. After removing the plug and securing the spark plug boot, I turned over the engine, but I saw no spark with the original spark plug (with grounding-out the threaded portion against the outside of the cylinder head). I then used a new spark plug and still didn't see any spark. So, I thought this must be the problem.
I then dropped off my saw at the local Stihl dealer and found out that their mechanic was on vacation and wouldn't be back until Monday. However, after we got back home, the young guy we left our saw with called and said he got the saw started and that it was running fine. He said that on general principle, he changed out the gas, and while doing so, he also found that the fuel pickup body had shifted upwards in the tank. So after straightening that out and putting the new gas in, he said it started right up. Go figure.
Anyway, we picked it up this afternoon (no charge), took it home, and continued to get ready to head out tomorrow for our firewood. I then decided to start up the saw, and guess what? Nothing. Same exact stuff I encountered yesterday. I went through the same drill and I must have pulled that starter rope at least 100 times and still nothing. I again checked for a spark and still saw nothing there.
Obviously, I am going to return my saw to our local Stihl dealer tomorrow or Friday for their mechanic to trouble-shoot, but in the meantime, does anyone have any words of wisdom as to what likely may be wrong, or if there is anything else I should be trying to do from my end? While I acknowledge that the saw is a year old (2 weeks beyond the warranty period), I am understandably pretty disappointed that a fairly expensive Stihl chain saw that has only been started half a dozen times and never used to cut any wood is currently in this condition.
Thanks in advance,
Don