Too too Tall
New Member
Hello, I have a Stihl 031 that I purchased in 1981. It is a great saw and up until recently the only problem I have had is it keeps filling my boots with saw dust. But now, it will not start when cold unless I "thumb choke" it (I take off the air cleaner, cover the air intake with my thumb and pull the starter cord). The first time I pull the starter cord and take my thumb away from the carb it is dry, the second time I pull the cord and look at my thumb, it is wet with gas. Then, when I pull the starter cord a third time, without thumb choking, the saw starts right up. From then on, if the saw is hot, it starts right up with no choking, just like when it was new. But, if you let the saw cool off even a little, like if you stop to eat a sandwich, it will not start unless you thumb choke it again. The manual choke operates OK, it just just does not close off the air intake enough to suck enough gas to start the saw. This is a genuine pain. Any ideas what I can do to fix this problem? Any ideas where to get parts for a 40 yo saw?