lovemysan
ArboristSite Lurker
I bought a 550xp in november. It has 15-20 tanks through it, stihl ultra oil and never any ethanol. Not my first saw but I've used a 51, 55, 345, and 455 before. I followed the owners manual to the letter. It takes too long to warm up. On a 25f day I purge then pull it on choke till it pops, switch to fast idle pull it then it dies, back to choke and pull till it pops, switch to fast idle generally it will start and idle. Slowly it will clear and the revs will build. I set it down and put on my gear while it warms. 2 minutes later I can pick it up and begin to work it will still stumble on throttle tip in. It takes 1-2 more minutes of working for it to clear up. Its never been nice to start when its hot it will restart 1 pull. When I stop for anything more than 5 minutes it requires choke. My 345 is a 2 pull machine. I love the power and balance of the 550xp but this hard starting nonsense is getting old. I guess I'm jealous of the youtube videos where a guy can pick of a cold saw and go to work 15 seconds later.