Four stroke chainsaw at Lowes

[haakon]

Dragged my old first edition model out the other day - I'd naughtily put it away about 8 months ago with fuel in it...

Started straight up on the second pull. Was a bit hesitant due to stale fuel in it, but it soldiered on quite nicely.

 

[MacAttack]

After using a little Mantis tiller that I was given with a little Honda 4-stroke engine, I'm convinced that if a company like Honda went all-in on a torquey, high-revving 4 stroke chainsaw engine that could operate at any angle, it would be a world-beater. But, they would of course be more expensive and heavier.

 

[J_Ashley]

So my Stihl BR800x backpack blower uses a 4-mix engine. Uses mixed 2-cycle fuel, (good for any angle.) It's 80cc, and outputs 4.4hp. The whole thing weighs 23 lbs. My guess is that the engine weighs very little by comparison.

Starts incredibly easy, and has been one of my favorite power-tool purchases ever. It's an awesome machine. $600 before tax at dealers, as of Fall 2021...

I'm surprised that Stihl hasn't already put that engine, or one of the smaller 4-mix blowers (BR600 for exmple) on a chainsaw chassis.



https://www.stihlusa.com/products/blowers-and-shredder-vacs/professional-blowers/br800x/

 

[Burning man]

Absolutely I will follow. Chinesium aside, the introduction of 4-cycle in string trimmers came and went like a prom date. The oil was specific. The level was crucial. Tip the power head up to use a pole saw attach't, the engine would starve, chug, and seize. READ the manual. I'll bet it states unit MUST be level at all times. Hang it up on a hook, and the crankcase, drains into the carb/cylinder? Good Luck...I've SEN ix movie before...

4 stroke string trimmers are sold everywhere so they haven't gone away and are fairly popular. They solved the oiling issues about 25 years ago. My 4 stroke saw runs fine upside down. You wouldn't run a saw without bar oil so why would it be so difficult to open one extra cap and make sure it's got oil for the engine.

 

[OM617YOTA]

TL;DR: Saw still running, but not for long. Senix is sending me another one.

Got some issues with the saw, some of you might have seen me mention them in another thread. Less than two tanks of fuel through the saw and the oil is turning into sparkly paste - far, far worse than a couple sparkles on a normal break-in. Only time I've seen this before was in an engine which had spun a bearing.

Went to change the oil, and a metal cap came out of the crankcase. Looks like it was the inside of a mounting boss for something that was on the outside of the crank case. Hydraulic pressure from thread locker or something similar built up and busted the back of the boss off, into the crank case.

Lowes side of warranty support was convoluted, but not difficult. Website said for mfg warranty work, call xyz phone number. Call xyz phone number, get a pre-recorded message saying for returns under a certain value, contact your local store. Odd, as the saw was bought online. Contact the local store, they gave me a Senix rep's phone number.

The Senix side of the warranty support has thus-far been awesome. I called the rep and left a message. At this point, I'm not expecting any kind of a response at all, both because I expect terrible customer service, I don't expect anyone in customer service to call me back ever, my cynicism is seldom disappointed, and it's only a day or two before Christmas. I make a mental note to call back after the first of the year, and get on with the holiday fun. Completely blew me away when I got a call today, the first business day after Christmas, from a backup Senix rep. The guy I'd left a message with was on vacation, so they had another guy call me.

I explained the issue, and Senix is going to send me a replacement saw, and told me to keep the old one for parts - bar and chain and such. Teardown and autopsy of the engine may follow.

Serious high-five to Bob and Matt with Senix, solid communication and responsiveness. Replacement saw hasn't arrived yet of course, but assuming that happens, this was fixed perfectly.

Bob says Senix has 40k of these saws in circulation.

 

[Huskybill]

Factory support proves they want our business. Great story, post this on yt. Blows the videos knocking this saw away.

 

[Joseph W Santora]

What does "quantitative one-way lubrication" mean? ...It from the description on the Lowe's page.

 

[Huskybill]

If we turn the senix four stroke saw upside down when it’s not running the crankcase oil should lube the rockers/ valves?

I would design this saw in a flathead design. No extra weight in the head. Use a decomp valve.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Valve in block is less efficient, which means a bigger/heavier engine would be needed for the same power output. A four stroke engine is already at a disadvantage in that regard, compared to a two stroke. Not convinced valve lube is a concern, and I'd rather have the lighter weight.

 

[haakon]

What does "quantitative one-way lubrication" mean? ...It from the description on the Lowe's page.

Its an oil mist system, honda developed it. There is a paddle on the bottom of the connecting rod that mists up the oil - this then is drawn up past the cam, up past the pushrods into the rocker cover. Then its drawn back down into the crankcase via another tube.

So yes, it works upside down.

 

[Joseph W Santora]

Thanks a bunch for that.

 

[Burning man]

If we turn the senix four stroke saw upside down when it’s not running the crankcase oil should lube the rockers/ valves?

I would design this saw in a flathead design. No extra weight in the head. Use a decomp valve.

I did that and not a drop of oil came out because it has a valve in the sump that opens and closes as the piston moves up and down.

 

[OM617YOTA]

This just arrived.

 

[Huskybill]

Update soon? I didn’t unbox mine yet.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Update for sure, but unlikely soon. My turn for the Kung Flu. Once I'm back up and running, I'll get after it. Hoping to tear down the failed saw, since they let me keep that one.

 

[Joseph W Santora]

Is there much difference between the 46 and 49cc saws?

 

[Huskybill]

Is there much difference between the 46 and 49cc saws?

It’s said they made a bigger cc four stroke saw?

 

[OM617YOTA]

Alrighty, putting the last nail in the coffin on this one, done with this flaming pile of poo. I've wasted more time working on these four stroke abortions than working with them.

Think the timing on this one slipped, it's coughing back through the carburetor and won't run now. It kicked back so hard it ripped the pull cord out of my hands and broke the handle(albeit cheap plastic) when it hit the starter cover. It's kicked back so many times and made me punch the saw so many times that my arm aches all the way up to my elbow, and I had blood dripping off my fingers at one point.

My 034 is going to take a turn as my truck saw, unless Echo goes on sale for Black Friday.

This thing is going in the garbage, maybe after a trip to the shooting range for use as a target.

 

[haakon]

Alrighty, putting a nail in this one, done with this flaming pile of poo. I've wasted more time working on these four stroke abortions than working with them.

Think the timing on this one slipped, it's coughing back through the carburetor and won't run now. It kicked back so hard it ripped the pull cord out of my hands and broke the handle(albeit cheap plastic) when it hit the starter cover. It's kicked back so many times and made me punch the saw so many times that my arm aches all the way up to my elbow, and I had blood dripping off my fingers at one point.

My 034 is going to take a turn as my truck saw, unless Echo goes on sale for Black Friday.

This thing is going in the garbage, maybe after a trip to the shooting range for use as a target.

View attachment 1128998

Ummm…. You “punched” an inanimate object to the point to where you injured yourself, and now you’re going to shoot it with a gun? Umm. I feel like that perhaps someone with your lack of impulse control perhaps shouldn’t own firearms… ?

 

[Goinwheelin]

Ummm…. You “punched” an inanimate object to the point to where you injured yourself, and now you’re going to shoot it with a gun? Umm. I feel like that perhaps someone with your lack of impulse control perhaps shouldn’t own firearms… ?

You obviously aren’t from around here because that’s pretty mild. Usually we strap explosives to it and see if we can send it to the moon.