Stihl 08 no start

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powerking

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..SO i picked up this 08 for $40...It looks to be in good shape.....It has spark and great compresion (155psi)....problem is, its not getting fuel. I rebuilt the carb (Tilly HL), still no start. It will fire on a prime though. My question is....if the crank seals were soooooo bad, wouldn't I still get a pop from it?
 
Bad crank seals let in air and lean out the mixture so that usually the saw will start and run at WOT but not slow down to an idle and die below 4,000 RPM or so. Low compression can cause the same thing, and you do not have that situation. Jggrmson has pointed you the right direction. From their, the carb's pump diaphragm might be stiff as a board, and considering how old the saw is, the carb's strainer might be clogged as well.
 
- Tank vent is a short length of fuel line with a set screw pushed, not screwed into it. If the set screw is screwed in, it will cut into the fuel line causing a seal instead of allowing it to vent.

- Take off the air cleaner & dribble a little mixed gas into the carb then try starting it by: Locking the trigger half open. (Pull the trigger, while holding the trigger, push in & hold the trigger lock on the left side of the trigger then release the trigger). Next slide the choke lever to the "I" / rear position. You should be able to look into the carb & see the closed butterfly. Once the engine coughs/fires, slide the choke lever to the "O" / forward position & pull it again. Should run.
 
Did you replace/apply oil to the cork gasket (under the round plastic cover held by 1 screw in the center)? This gasket develops cracks when getting too dry during longer periods of non-use. Also, the fuel port/channel below the bottom of the metering chamber can clog up from oil residue...
 
..Thanks for the info guys.....I did check all these things already...The tank vent hose was replaced with just a short piece of hose..nothing inside of it!!!(going to have to fix that!) I did rebuild the carb with a new kit I had. I took it apart again and made sure there was no blockage on the impulse hole in the carb insulator. Like I said, It will fire off of a prime, but will just die out once the prime burns off. I do however, have another 08, so I think I may swap the carb and see what I get
 
It`s failing to pick fuel up from the tank so check all things pertaining to that. Fuel filter, fuel line, connections at carb and filter, make sure the line does not have cracks in it and that the carb is clean. The HL`s are about as basic as carbs get, usually easy to figure out but I have had them sent to me from Europe and Hawaii due to missing parts. Even had saws come in full of fuel but no pickup line in the tank.
 
...Well i popped the old fuel line out of the tank and ran a new piece of tygon right into the tank from the bottom of the carb.....still nothing!!!...I used the tygon to see the fuel...and nothing gets drawn up to the carb.......scratching head now....my guess would be that somehow I'm not getting the pulses to draw the fuel up into the carb......Like I said...when I first got the saw, tank was dry...added mix to the tank...no start....so I rebuilt the carb with a new kit...nothing out of the ordinary in the old carb...just stiff diaphrgam!......throw what ya got at me
 
......SO i had a chance to swap the carb over to another 08 that I have and would you believe it ran!, So something is wrong in the carb somewhere...Funny thing is, I took that carb apart 3 times already to make sure it was put back together correctly!
 
I've had the same problem. Use a new carb and the saw runs. Use a rebuilt old carb and the saw won't start.

You might want to try one last trick. Remove the old carb and submerge it in a jar with mixed fuel for two days. Then install it again. If that fails, it's trash.
 
......SO i had a chance to swap the carb over to another 08 that I have and would you believe it ran!, So something is wrong in the carb somewhere...Funny thing is, I took that carb apart 3 times already to make sure it was put back together correctly!

Send it up to me, I will fix it and not charge you a thing. I am sure I repaired several hundred Tilly HL`s by now and never seen one I can`t fix.
 
....So I know this is an old post, but I ended up finding the issue with this saw! It was a screw missing out of the side of the carb! I ended up matching a screw and put some sealant on it, and it runs terrific! Ive used it quite a few times!!
 
....So I know this is an old post, but I ended up finding the issue with this saw! It was a screw missing out of the side of the carb! I ended up matching a screw and put some sealant on it, and it runs terrific! Ive used it quite a few times!!
Terrific! You have to wonder how this screw was removed entirely. That's my first reaction. Missing screws on carbs is something I have never seen before.
 

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