chainsaw servicing DIY

[matt 440]

hi all.. maybe a stupid question but what do you guys and girls do for your own servicing on your saws? I used to get the stihl shop to do mine but at $90.00 to $140.00+ if needing parts id rather not spend that amount of money anymore.

I was looking at the usual changing spark plug, fuel filter, dressing the bar, air filter and general clean. my chains are sharp and get sharpened every tank of fuel. what do you do for your own servicing? and does anyone have a parts break down or manual for a ms440 that may help?

cheers for your help

 

[gunnusmc03]

I learned to completely build a saw/ tear them all way down and rebuild from all the great posts on this site. Working on saws is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

 

[Beer Gut]

Yuppers. Buy parts from dealer or online ebay, no online dealers. Fix/maintain them yourself. Ask around someone can get you a parts list and shop manual.

If you get stuck post issue here.

 

[BWS-LLC]

$90-140 for a dealer to change a plug, filter, fuel lines. .

I'd start looking for a new dealer first

 

[Guido Salvage]

$90-140 for a dealer to change a plug, filter, fuel lines. .

I'd start looking for a new dealer first

Or become a dealer, looks like cash in the bank.

 

[angelo c]

Plug $10
Fuel line $18
Filter $20
1 hour labor $47
Obamacare tax $50

Sounds about right to me....

 

[Greny]

And don't change plug , ppl change that way to fast imho , they really last long

 

[imagineero]

Filters and fuel lines don't need regular changing, I'd do a fuel line on an old/long used saw, filter if it looks dirty. Do the plug once a year. Basic 'servicing' on a saw is pretty much mostly cleaning.

Remove side cover, bar and chain
Remove sprocket, scrape the gunk out of it.
remove bearing, take the clutch off.
Take off all the little plastics surrounding clutch
Remove brake band and scrape the gunk off it
Blow out that whole area behind clutch with compressed air
Remove top plastics and flywheel cover, blow out area with compressed air
Remove filter cover and filter, clean the filter (depends on filter style)
refit filter and filter cover
I tend to spray the whole saw and all the bits with simple green at this point and g over it with a soft brush
hose it all down and blow it off.
re-assemble
square up the bar rails
check condition of sprocket and replace if needed
new plug
Done. Takes about a half hour.

If its been used heavily for some time I'll also clean out the oil tank and fuel tank and replace the fuel filter. I don't often replace air filters, even on very old saws. I won't generally replace the impulse line, fuel line or breather unless there's good reason to do so. I'll sometimes check the coil gap if it is a hard starter. Check condition of starter pawls and pull cord too, maybe save yourself a punch in the face if you're a drop starter.

Shaun

 

[matt 440]

cheers for all the great info guys helped heaps, certainly never getting that dealer to do my saw anymore. sounds easy enough to do it myself

 

[matt 440]

$90-140 for a dealer to change a plug, filter, fuel lines. .

I'd start looking for a new dealer first

or maybe I could go the husky side :0 lol there's not that many repair shops were we are so they usually just charge what they like the way it sounds but im going be saving money and learning when I do it myself so its a win win situation

 

[Wood Doctor]

Forget the "husky side". Reputable small engine dealers charge as much for servicing any saw, regardless of brand. In fact, if parts are scarce, they charge more for them and pass the cost along to you. Scarcity usually governs cost. Older saws generally cost more to fix and service than newer saws because the parts are harder to find and cost more to buy. As expected, the older the saw is, the harder it is to find both a service manual and the required parts.

Best bet is to inspect and clean your saw as you use it and replace any missing or malfunctioning parts immediately. Most of the time, that does not require an engineering degree from MIT, Cal Tech, Purdue, or the University of Illinois (my alma mater).

 

[Grey]

Plug $10
Fuel line $18
Filter $20
1 hour labor $47
Obamacare tax $50

Sounds about right to me....

Um, sales tax is state and/or local, not national. Nothing to do with Obama. If you don't like it get involved with LOCAL politics

 

[angelo c]

Um, sales tax is state and/or local, not national. Nothing to do with Obama. If you don't like it get involved with LOCAL politics

Thanks for the tax advice but who said anything about sales tax ?

PS for further clarification obamacare (AKA the patient protection and affordable care act ) IS a national TAX as decided by the SCOTUS.