Stihl 031av Help!

I have a stihl 031av its not starting its getting fuel, air filter is clean but the spark seems weak .I thinking that the coil is starting to go but im not sure can the on & off switch cause this problem? AND would syntenic two stroke oil mix cause it not to start?IM also looking for the repair manual where can i find it?

Doe's your 031 have the points type ignition
system.
I had 2 Stihl 032's that had good spark but
would not start. They would fire every now
and then. They had the points ignition and i
converted both to electronic using the Mega Fire
ignition module.
They then ran perfect.
I believe my problem was in the condenser.


Lee

Well.....that is my favorite saw.

Set the plug to 0.020", the points to about 0.016". If the condenser has failed you can replace it with a 0.2uF poly propylene capacitor (with a 400V or higher rating, I use a Wima brand cap....i think an MPS4). If the coil died...i think you can get one from cheapstihlparts on ebay. The primary is 0.8 to 1.1 ohms. The secondary is 6500 to 8000 ohms. The plug is a Bosch WKA 175 T 6. The gap between the flywheel and coil is 0.007" to 0.011"

Take the carb off and rebuild it (especially if it has seen any of that crappy ethanol). When I rebuild them I buy a bottle of gumout and pour half the bottle in my car. I then cut the top off the bottle, dissassemble the carb, and soak it for a few days in the bottle. I use airplane fuel (100 octane low lead) and stihl oil in my saws to keep the carb seal from being eaten.

If it is a Walbro you most likely need a K10WAT kit (not the k20wat kit). About $7 to $10. Set the low screw to 1 1/4 turns out and the high to 1 1/8 turns out to start. The other carb that I know of for that saw is a Tillotson HU. The screw turns are the same for that one. The long srew (unthreaded portion) is the H and the short is the L.

The inlet needle lever should be tweaked so it is level with the inside of the carb. A common problem with this saw is the metering diaphram atmosheric vent. Small bits of saw dust go through the little hole in the carb and jam up the metering diaphram. To prevent this keep your chains sharp (bigger chips).

Check the impulse tube for leaks. Check the fuel line for leaks or better yet just replace it. It will cost you $1 for a new one.

Check to make sure all of your engine block screws are tight....under the bar/clutch cover....

Hope this helps....keep that old girl running. It puts brand new Husky 455 ranchers to shame!

Stihl 031av

HI THERE i was wondering if you could tell me whats in involved in taking it apart the stihl 031av to replace the coil or points & condenser and what are the steps
and what chemical should i use to clean internally the carb when i soak it. I was wondering if syntenic two stroke oil mix would have any effect for not starting?because thats what i was using .

To take apart the 031AV....Takes me about 10 minutes now....

and this is from memory....

When you are looking directly at the pull starter from the side...

there is 1 crew at the top left, 1 screw at bottom left, and 1 screw at the 6 o'clock position. Do not take off the pull starter.


Take off the carb cover and and air filter. There are 3 screws under the cover, remove them. Remove the 2 nuts holding the carb. Remove the "E" clip holding the linkage. Push on the impulse tube line under the carb with a screwdriver while pulling straight back on the carb. Remove the fuel line from the left side of the carb.

Remove the front-most screw on the top cover just above the clutch cover and just in front of the handle. Remove the 2 allen screws in the handle above the clutch cover. It is not required to totally remove the handle (do not remove the screws near the oil filler).

Remove the clutch cover. There is an allen screw at the rearmost part of the saw that is still under the clutch cover. Remove that. That is the ONLY screw that you remove under the clutch cover. Do not remove any screws from the bottom of the saw.

At this point grab the front/top handle and pull it back towards the back of the saw. Pull back the hand guard so that it lies flat on the top, then push the top handle foward and over the hand guard to get it out of the way.

Pull on the pull starter side of the saw to remove. Slide it straight back slowly. Use needle nose plyers to pull the wire out of the stop switch. The tank, pull starter/flywheel cover, and top cover now come off as one unit.

The coil and flywhell will now be exposed. Use the stihl flywheel puller ONLY to remove the flywheel ($20 on ebay and worth every penny). Attempting to pull the flywheel in any other manner will leave you with a multi-piece flywheel. The points and condenser(if you have a flywheel with sights) will be under the flywheel. If the flywheel doesn't have plastic sight windows, you have an electronic ignition which is also under the flywheel. You do not have to pull the flywheel to adjust the points.

If you are only adjusting the points, just take off the pull starter and sight windows. DO NOT remove anything else as outlined above.

To remove the plastic sight windows....loosen the screws 2 turns only. Pry them out with a small screwdriver.



If you removed everything as outlined...

you will have 6 equally sized straight screws, 3 allen screws (one with a washer), 1 "E" clip, 1 funny looking straight screw that goes in the front anti-vibe mount in front of the top handle, and 2 nuts.

maxalfa said:

HI THERE i was wondering if you could tell me whats in involved in taking it apart the stihl 031av to replace the coil or points & condenser and what are the steps
and what chemical should i use to clean internally the carb when i soak it. I was wondering if syntenic two stroke oil mix would have any effect for not starting?because thats what i was using .

Click to expand...

I soak the carb in gumout carb cleaner for a couple days. As long as the oil is from Stihl or Husqvarna, I would not worry about it. Anything else is suspect. Gas with ethanol is suspect. 87 octane is suspect.

The gas tank fuel filter comes out of the tank still attached to the hose. Take it apart and make sure the foam in the middle is not broken down. The orange Stihl generic filters from mfgsupply.com or baileys.com fit no problem.

stihl 031av issue

Thanks for all information I going to start with the ignition first would like to know how do i test a condenser and does this model have points or electronic ign.ON the top of the chain saw on the tag it reads stihl 031AV electronic . thanks

There are no points or condensor in the electronic version.

Just take the plug out and gap it to 0.020, and/or replace it. Then put the wire back on and rest it on the top cover so the threads touch the top of the cover.

Pull the cord and see if it sparks. If not it is 1 of 5 things. The stop switch wire is grounded, the coil is bad, the flywheel gap is not correct, the plug wire is bad (rare I think), or the ignition module under the flywheel is bad.

Did the saw die last time you ran it, or was it running good until you stored it?

Stihl 031 Issue

Well I Checked It For Spark And It Has Spark Gas Filter Is Ok And Its Getting Fuel .this was w/o the air filter would like to know if the air filter be cleaned?Can A Fouled Spark Plug Cause It Not Start?LAST SEASON I REMEMBER THAT WHEN I USED IT FOR CUTTING WOOD STARTED RIGHT UP RAN FINE THEN IF I SHUT IT OFF and try starting again it get flooded and would be HARD TO START let sit for 5 -8 minutes then it will start.

maxalfa said:

Well I Checked It For Spark And It Has Spark Gas Filter Is Ok And Its Getting Fuel .this was w/o the air filter would like to know if the air filter be cleaned?Can A Fouled Spark Plug Cause It Not Start?LAST SEASON I REMEMBER THAT WHEN I USED IT FOR CUTTING WOOD STARTED RIGHT UP RAN FINE THEN IF I SHUT IT OFF and try starting again it get flooded and would be HARD TO START let sit for 5 -8 minutes then it will start.

Click to expand...

yes a fouled plug can cause it not to run

Both of mine are hard to start if they get saw dust next to the metering gasket. One of the removable plates on the side of the carb has about a 1/16" hole in it. Take that plate off and clean out any dust.

This saw loves fresh carbs. A rebuild kit is $10 away. Put a new plug in it too.

I actually had a freakishly wierd thing happen with one of the 031s tonight. I rebuilt a Walbro WA for it. All new seals, screen, etc. Set the screws, put it back in the saw, and installed the air filter.

Next I started pulling the saw over very slowly just to feel the compression. After the piston compressed fully for the second time....the saw fired.

I have never had a saw fire after pulling it so dead slowly. It scared me a bit.

Stihl 031av

FLYBOY thats really weird i never thought something like that could happen.WELL i replaced the spark plug that wasnt the problem so i checked it for spark and noticed that the spark is intermiate.I removed the cover to exposethe fly wheel removed the small see plastic covers to see if it has points but it doesnt.I saw a module underneath the fly wheel . Would like to know how do i test the module and the ignition coil to determine which one is bad.Theres two wires coming out from underneath the flywheel the green one goes to the coil the other goes to kill switch also where can i find one?thanks

Check my posts above. You can check the coil with an ohm meter. I think the primary is around 1 ohm and the secondary is around 8000 ohms.

I think you can get a replacement module on ebay....if you have a flywheel without sights. If you have sights....some people have used the megafire module of nova module. Just remember that the electronics are inverted in the 031AV.

You have to connect the + terminal (on the module) to ground (the engine block) and the - terminal to the coil.

I have spun the engine with a drill with the plug out to really check the spark.

Stihl 031av Issue

HI THIS is THE FIRST TIME IM DOING THIS AND I DONT KNOW WHICH ONE IS THE PRIMARY AND IS SECONDARY.ALSO would like to know where do i connect my ohms meter to check the ign coil & module?thanks

One wire is connected to the laminated steel core of the coil, that is always one of your leads. For the primary, the other lead gets connected to the wire that is connected to the module under the flywheel. Unscrew it from the module first. That should be 0.2 to 2 ohms (added slop for meter accuracy).

After that leave the one lead connected to the laminated steel core and connect the other lead to your spark plug wire (this is the secondary). The meter should read 6500 to 8500 ohms.

I would be willing to bet your coil is fine.....but check it out anyways.

I just checked my spare coil and got 0.8 ohms for the primary and 7110 ohms for the secondary......for reference.

Stihl 031av Issue

Well I Tested The Module And Got 0.01 Ohms And The Ignition Coil Got A Reading Of 0.02 Ohms? What Do You Suggest.

Was the coil disconnected from the module? It should be to get a good reading.

Stihl 031av

HI THERE YES I REMOVED THE TWO SCREWS THAT HOLD DOWN THE MODULE AND THE SCREW THAT HOLDS DOWN THE TWO WIRES.I TOOK THE MODULE OUT AND TESTED IT.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators.