Is the shop lying to me and next steps?

[Ted Jenkins]

Wood luv I am sorry about the fact that you do not have a saw that you were once happy using. Myself I never ask or try to get any shop to do anything because they often make their living ripping people off. There seems to be some folks here that have a great reputation rely on them regardless of the cost or shipping charges. Reputation is more than priceless. The fact that you did not work on your own saw says that you are uncomfortable in such endeavors. Sorry that makes you an easy target. Get a Huztl saw and ask some one here to make necessary repairs. I use any old oil that I come across with out problems including outboard motor oil. I think the key is I adjust and tune my engines precisely when ever there is any changes. That includes weather, mixes, oils, fuel. and altitude then double check the plug just to make sure I have not lost my mind. BTW I really do not trust any oil at 50:1 and I never listen to any tech that is going to ask me to pay for something. The folks here are as good as you are going to get they do not have their hands in your wallet. IF you made any changes with the fuel and oil with out tuning and checking your plug there is your problem. Thanks

 

[Mauser]

You have been robbed and raped by that shyster shop, but not yet left for dead - they are still hoping you are stupid enough to throw more money at them.

In my opinion, the oil was ABSOLUTELY NOT THE PROBLEM. I cannot say what it was from here, based only on these posts, but I suspect you were sold a garbage saw at an unbelievable outlandish price, and once you bought it that way, you were marked as a sucker with them forever. Not much you can do about it now, except take back whatever is left of your saw and run as far away from those crooks as you can.

Even if you DID make a mistake on the mix ratio, or even fueled it with straight gas, what they have said and done to you is totally inexcusable. I hope you can find some honest people to help you.

 

[WoodLuvr]

How often do you use the saw? A meteor kit on ebay is only $140...... just sayen.

I only used it about three times prior and definitely no more than an hours worth of run time combined.

 

[stubnail67]

in for the pics...

 

[Mauser]

Some folks have made an issue about your choice to use marine oil in that saw - I think that is just garbage, especially for the limited amount of time you used it in moderate weather.

Yes, I do agree that marine oil is not the correct choice for an air-cooled engine, but under most of the situations the average user might find, it will do just dandy. I had a boat stolen in the 80s, and I was left with a lot of OMC 50:1 oil in pint cans. Over the next 30 years I burned all that oil in a 2-stroke lawn mower, trimmers, and chain saws CONSTANTLY in the summer Texas heat, and I never had even a single engine problem in ANY tool. I am not recommending that, just telling you my personal experience.

I do not choose to buy marine oil for my saws now, even tho it is considerably cheaper than other options, but in a pinch I would not hesitate even 10 seconds to use it again if that is all I had.

And I also do not choose to ever run any saw at 50:1, even with the best oils. I currently use nothing but JASO-FD certified oil, and I run 40:1 in newer machines, and 20:1 is some old stuff.

 

[Little Al]

Sounds like they are making good money off of you. You do not have to use Stihl brand oil. Take some pictures of the piston and cylinder walls pulled apart. This forum is full of folks that like to do there own work. I've been running Havoline two stroke without any problems and put my 025 and 028 super through a good workout after the remnants of the last hurricane came through.
View attachment 686631

That is Water cooled motor mix oil the best is FC FD Jaso rated oil for air cooled motors you can use brands other than the saws own name product in a lot of cases the oil company's product is as good if not better& cheaper than saw brands labeled product

 

[Marshy]

... Is it only okay to run Stihl oil or not? Was the tech right?

Thank you again to all the people who didn't jump to conclusions.

The tech is flat wrong. You absolutely can use non stihl oil in your saw without any negative consequences. Hell, you can run your stihl with husqvarna oil and vice versa. I actually use Yamaha dirtbike oil for my saws. You will be served best if you stick with a chainsaw oil and mix the same ratio every time. I personally like 42:1 because it's an easy pour at 3oz oil to 1 gal of gas and I feel it provides a little better protection than 50:1.

What I would suggest is that you go back to the shop and ask to see how the tech determined you need a new top end. Maybe he did a compression check and its low? Maybe he pulled the muffler and can see the piston it toast... maybe he already took the cylinder off? Either way, $700 is too much for the repair and shouldnt be taken lightly. I'd be in the shop wondering why they came to that conclusion. Take pics while your there and let us know.

 

[fulladirt]

I never worked on chainsaws before but replaced a top end last year on my 660. Still running good now so guess I did ok. It's not very hard to do if take your time plus there's TONS of information available on that saw and videos on youtube.

Just get these guys some good quality pics with the muffler off and they'll steer ya in the right direction.

 

[Mauser]

JASO-FD is the current best certification for air cooled 2T oil, and using such a certified oil is the only way to be SURE that your saw has the best possible protection at any mix ratio. New JASO certification list posted 1 November, 2018.

By the Way, although I expect ALL saw-branded oils to be good quality, many of them, such as Stihl oil, are NOT JASO certified; this does not mean that it is bad oil, just that the company has never submitted it to JASO for testing and certification so you have to assume that they are not selling you garbage at a premium price.

UPDATE: A careful review of the new 11/1/18 JASO list DID find Stihl HP Super is now on the list as FD certified. (unfortunately, that 19 page list is neither sorted nor searchable, so hard to find stuff)

Other name oils, such as Echo and Husky oils ARE JASO-FD certified. Husky sells the same oil under multiple brand names, including Husky, PoulanPro, and Jonsered, and EACH of those oil brands has been submitted separately for JASO testing and certification. Just for contrast, most Japanese motorcycle branded oils, including Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, are all just FC certified (the same performance requirements, but fewer detergents). There are also some brand oils that CLAIM to meat JASO standards, but do not appear on the list, such as Lucas semi-synthetic and Quicksilver PWC synthetic.

I buy the PoulanPro oil because it is both JASO-FD certified and dirt cheap at Walmart (and I do not have to buy a gallon at a time to get the best price!).

 

[Little Al]

JASO-FD is the current best certification for air cooled 2T oil, and using such a certified oil is the only way to be SURE that your saw has the best possible protection at any mix ratio.

By the Way, although I expect ALL saw-branded oils to be good quality, many of them, such as Stihl oil, are NOT JASO certified; this does not mean that it is bad oil, just that the company has never submitted it to JASO for testing and certification so you have to assume that they are not selling you garbage at a premium price
.
Stihl was, maybe still is Blended by Castrol they don't rate it but then say it has ingredients only found in Stihl oil Our Blenders reckon its about mid league in the best oil table capable of doing the job though Most 2Smoke oil of reasonable quality it"s QUANTITY rather than QUALITY

Other name oils, such as Echo and Husky oils ARE JASO-FD certified. Husky sells the same oil under multiple brand names, including Husky, Poulan, and Jonsered.

I buy the Poulan oil because it is both JASO-FD certified and dirt cheap at Walmart (and I do not have to buy a gallon at a time to get the best price!).

I understood one of Stihl's oil offerings was Jaso FB as said there are some top quality oil with no rating the reason the blending company may be small & can't afford the north of $75,000 for the rating certification the oil we use has no "official "rating but is blended by a couple of ex "ELF "guru's now working for themselves I'm not sure but think they've analyzed all the popular brands their recommendation for off the shelf best quality oil is IPONE SAMURIA or ELF HTX975 but a FC/Fd rated oil is fine most company's the difference is FD contains a larger % of detergent Motul 710/800 is the same oil other than 800 has an additive for the power valve on bikes not needed for saws

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

I've been using HP Super off and on for several years now, but very few stihl shops stock it. I like it because it can be mixed at 32:1 without a problem, unlike Stihls FB rated oils that are engineered to be mixed at 50:1 and will build excessive carbon quickly if mixed any richer. Their FB is actually pretty good stuff, it just gets a bad rap because many refuse to run 50:1.

 

[HarleyT]

So every thread turns into an oil thread!!!

 

[1Alpha1]

So every thread turns into an oil thread!!!

Pretty much.

 

[Dph1256]

But, this brings up another question. You say it may be possible I was running the oil too rich while others are recommending to go richer with a 40:1 ratio instead of the specified 50:1.[/QUOTE]

40:1 is richer in oil but leaner in gas then 50:1. This makes the saw run leaner overall changing how the saw runs. This is why you need to retune the carb.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Some folks have made an issue about your choice to use marine oil in that saw - I think that is just garbage, especially for the limited amount of time you used it in moderate weather.

Yes, I do agree that marine oil is not the correct choice for an air-cooled engine, but under most of the situations the average user might find, it will do just dandy. I had a boat stolen in the 80s, and I was left with a lot of OMC 50:1 oil in pint cans. Over the next 30 years I burned all that oil in a 2-stroke lawn mower, trimmers, and chain saws CONSTANTLY in the summer Texas heat, and I never had even a single engine problem in ANY tool. I am not recommending that, just telling you my personal experience.

I do not choose to buy marine oil for my saws now, even tho it is considerably cheaper than other options, but in a pinch I would not hesitate even 10 seconds to use it again if that is all I had.

And I also do not choose to ever run any saw at 50:1, even with the best oils. I currently use nothing but JASO-FD certified oil, and I run 40:1 in newer machines, and 20:1 is some old stuff.

I hate it when people try to act reasonable. The big problem with my experience is I can not disagree. Thanks

 

[Jeff Lary]

Just my .02 worth but here goes.
Go to the shop thank them for their time and advice, then take your saw back from them and go home. Then log in here and tell the guys here that you have the saw back at your place. They will tell you to do specific things such as remove the muffler and take some pictures of the inside of the cylinder. Do what they ask you to do, there are many here that will be able to tell you what condition the cylinder is in and what should be done next. Outboard oil , Saw oil,... none of this matters until you know from the members here what is really wrong with your saw. Maybe someone will even offer to do the necessary repairs for you, for a price I am sure. If you are going to own a saw this site can help you learn how to maintain it and maybe even work on it some. Good Luck

 

[WoodLuvr]

To update: My work schedule doesn't allow me much personal time so I won't be able to pick up the saw until Thursday. When I do you all can be certain I am going to post some HQ shots of everything. Again, I can't thank everyone enough and I'm looking forward to getting this all behind me and learning all I can so I can be independent of the repair shop.

 

[ray benson]

So I need a second opinion. What is the truth? Also, I have decided I am going to make the repairs myself. What do I need to know in order to get this fixed? Where is the cheapest source of OE Stihl parts and how do I get the service manual?

Thank You All!

Check your inbox for an ipl and service manual.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

So every thread turns into an oil thread!!!

It isn't a thread about oil? Lol

 

[HarleyT]

No, it started out as a Dealer bashing thread!!
The saw has nothing to do with it!!