Help w/ 088 jerking starter rope, like last 084 post

[kelvin]

Howdy all, I've been having problems with my just about new 088 from ebay. Seems a lot like the problems that were writen about here with the older 084 thread. that person directed me here. Here is my original post from another website. Do you think the 088 has the same crazy set up as the 084? Nothing can make this thing turn over the first time, and my hand has had it! Origianl post....

hey was wondering if anyone out there had an idea about this problem i'm having with a stihl 088 i can't start without tearing my fingers off. Seems when its cold, but who knows about that, that when you try start it, it tears the cord out of your hand repeatedly. Now i bought this thing off ebay "like new" and it did it to me right when i got it, even broke the cover when it ripped the cord out of my hand. Took it in, and it simply still had gas in it and filled the cylinder, locking it, so liquid locked? (as apposed to vapor?) Well, i got it home and the thing still behaves the same way quite frequently. It actually sounds like i'm hitting something metalic when it jerks out of your hand. I've pulled the plug many times and don't find fluid this time. The guy at the Stihl dealership looked at it, and said it was fine, that i was just being gun-shy and not pulling it good. Well, you can't hold onto it. I can start my 066 without depressing the relief button, i have 6 chainsaws, had two husky 395's, and never have i had this type of problem. I hold onto it with two hands, depress the relief valve, stand on the handle, and jerk, bonk! Right out of the hand (with my skin too!)

This is getting to be real anoying as i need to rip a log and had to give up. I pulled the starter pawl cover off to see if the pawls were funny, nothing there. Now i wonder if this is why the "Like new" saw was on ebay? Maybe this was their problem too? The saw didn't have a scratch on it and was supposidly to much saw for an old guy (yeah right) but anyhow, even if they got rid of it for this reason, what do you guess to be happening? I think the reason it behaves better at the Stihl dealership is that they let it get warm before they tried it. Its about 20 degrees out, but i've had it do this in the dead of summer too. Hmmmm...
It actually all of a sudden will become possible to pull start after awhile. Especially after its been started once, the subsequent times are no problem. What can be interfering? Too much pressure? I've got the relief off. Maybe its not working? Sounds like it is. It sounds like its grabbing the pull cord mechansim, like its hit liquid inside, but sounds metalic. Anything interfacing with the cylinder? It runs fine otherwise, never sounds like it has a problem. I just don't use it much to have monkeyed with it. I just usually get it to go after ripping my hands off 10x's and then its not a problem. Do rings stick? Gas in cylinder, not enough to dump out, but enough to create too much pressure? Why the metalic feel? I would say it was a slipped flywheel if it was a regular lawn mower engine, like when the key shears.
Help! I gotta get this log outta the drive!

Any help would be appreciated! Sounds just like the 2 key ways mentioned in the other post, but would it run so well after started? Would they keep making saws like this?
Thanks
kelvin

 

[2000ssm6]

What is your compression? I'm not a saw tech but sounds like timing is off. I don't see how it will run good if the timing was off that bad though...May want to try another dealer with a known good tech.

 

[CaseyForrest]

May want to get one of those rescue starter handles so you can get you entire hand on it rather than a few fingers.

 

[Four Paws]

May want to get one of those rescue starter handles so you can get you entire hand on it rather than a few fingers.

+1

They are nice handles - comfortable and affordable. Search this forum for the part number, they are in an old thread I posted in...Cut4Fun might have started it.

 

[Cut4fun]

stihl 460 rescue grip handle. On my 084 and 066 and many more going on other saws. They beat the crap out of the ElastoStart handles IMO.

 

[Lakeside53]

I'd guess your 088 has a leaking needle valve in the carb... replacing the handle with other than the elastotart it came with is just masking the issue. I've started many 084/088 and they don't have skin-ripping issues if they are working correctly.

The 088 does not have a two keyway flywheel as you've read about with the 084.

Be sure that EVERY time you pull the 088 over (that means EVERY PULL) you check the decomp valve is depressed. Mine only bites if I forget to do that... The 088 is a whole lot bigger than the 066..

 

[kelvin]

Howdy,
So leaky needle valve in carb? Is it putting out too much gas and locking it up? I did 3 things at once and got it running, though i'm not sure if i've got the problem licked. First, and probably most important i heated it up in my shop as i worked on 2: swapping the pressure relief valve off my 066, and 3: switched to a drop type starting procedure instead of standing on handle as stihl states to do. It turns over fine, but it does do that once its warmed and been started once already. I guess i can always take it in the house before we use it. Hmmmm..... i'll have to check it cold tomorrow. The stihl guy always cranks it over when i take it in to have him look at it, and i think he uses the drop type start method, instead of "stand on handle" method. Maybe this gets it before it gets me?
Thanks for the replies, i appreciate the help. I'll look into the carb needles, are they visiable to a mechanic if i asked them to check them? Just a carb rebuild? I'm low on dough, so anything i can do myself i try first, as just bringing it into those guys costs a lot of $$$, but if they can get it to work its worth it!
Thanks
kelvin

 

[Lakeside53]

Bascially, it's just a carb rebuild... The needle is inside the carb though - not visible, but you can test it by hooking the fuel filter out of the tank and plugging a pressure tester right onto the hose. The tech could test that in 30 seconds.

Drop starting with a decomp is pretty much a waste of time, and a way to get bit.

 

[lawson's tree s]

i got a 084 av it isn't to bad to start sometimes it will snatch the handle out of my hand if i forget to decompress it. id take it back to the dealer and make them start it in front of me.