MS460 clone - no spark

[Powertrip]

I have a MS460 clone that I bought of Facebook. The seller sent me a video of it running before he sent it to me, so as long as the vid he sent was of my saw then I know it ran. But when it got here it wouldn’t start.

It had no spark, the local Stihl dealer swapped in an OEM coil and same thing. That’s the extent they were willing to work on it. I called a small mom n pop shop who says they can’t get to it till end of June but that it might be the kill switch that’s causing my non starting.

I’ve never worked on saws, is this something that’s easy to get to to see if there’s a short somewhere? Or a part I can just replace and hope that’s it? I checked YouTube but didn’t really see anything for this.

 

[grizz55chev]

I have a MS460 clone that I bought of Facebook. The seller sent me a video of it running before he sent it to me, so as long as the vid he sent was of my saw then I know it ran. But when it got here it wouldn’t start.

It had no spark, the local Stihl dealer swapped in an OEM coil and same thing. That’s the extent they were willing to work on it. I called a small mom n pop shop who says they can’t get to it till end of June but that it might be the kill switch that’s causing my non starting.

I’ve never worked on saws, is this something that’s easy to get to to see if there’s a short somewhere? Or a part I can just replace and hope that’s it? I checked YouTube but didn’t really see anything for this.

Take the kill wire lose from the switch and check for spark again. Doesn't sound like the coil, so start there.xalso check that the flywheel still has magnetism and hasn't sheared the key! Good luck

 

[NSEric]

No disrespect but if you cant work on a saw at least a little bit dont buy a clone.
I have nothing but clone saws but am basically a mechanic.

 

[stihltech]

This will depend on your ability to do things on a saw. If you can't, get your money back. This is no place for a used saw, especially a clone.
Check magnetism on the flywheel as stated. I would disconnect the switch wire at the coil and try it. Not sure if the dealer did this. If still no spark, you definitely have one that will take some skill to repair.
Truthfully, you were lucky to find a Stihl dealer that would go that far. Nothing I want my name or guarantee on.

 

[Powertrip]

No disrespect but if you cant work on a saw at least a little bit dont buy a clone.
I have nothing but clone saws but am basically a mechanic.

It was advertised as Stihl ms460 rebuilt with aftermarket parts. I didn’t understand I was getting a complete Chinese saw

 

[NSEric]

It was advertised as Stihl ms460 rebuilt with aftermarket parts. I didn’t understand I was getting a complete Chinese saw

That sucks while I like clones saws in general, as it's a cheap way to get a big saw and big saws arent common in my area so used ones cost a fortune. I dont like guys who pass them off as OEM, that's just wrong.
Try to get your money back or leave so much negative feed back on that guys marketplace he cant rip more people off.

 

[HansFranz]

Sounds to me like the seller misrepresented the saw.
He claimed it runs, and it doesn't; he claimed it was a rebuilt Stihl, and it isn't.
Where I come from, that's called "fraud." You are due a full refund.

As soon as I realized it wouldn't run, I would have demanded a refund.
That's the seller's problem, not yours.
There's no reason you should have to take it to a dealer to fix.

 

[JoshNY]

Did you try a new sparkplug?
The made in China off brand plugs that come with the clone saws are notorious for causing problems.
Try a new NGK plug in it and see if you have spark.

 

[Powertrip]

New ngk plug, pulled the black wire’s spade connector from the coil. Gave it about ten pulls and still won’t start. I’m having a real hard time trying to check spark by holding plug to the cylinder, holding it down, and pulling the cord. I need a third hand

Negative feedback will be left, hadn’t thought of that. He’s one state over and shipped it to me and not responding to my messages but will see what fb says

 

[epo]

New ngk plug, pulled the black wire’s spade connector from the coil. Gave it about ten pulls and still won’t start.

Was the spark plug electrode wet after these startup attempts?

I’m having a real hard time trying to check spark by holding plug to the cylinder, holding it down, and pulling the cord. I need a third hand

If you want to make it easier to check for spark, you can buy or make a similar device yourself. In addition, it improves the accuracy of the diagnosis, because you can set on it the distance that the spark must jump at atmospheric pressure to talk about a working ignition. For hand cranking, a good value is about 4 mm. This small device also has corresponding distances for different values of the recommended spark plug gap, including the marking SE - small engine(s).

 

[thompsoncustom]

New ngk plug, pulled the black wire’s spade connector from the coil. Gave it about ten pulls and still won’t start. I’m having a real hard time trying to check spark by holding plug to the cylinder, holding it down, and pulling the cord. I need a third hand

Negative feedback will be left, hadn’t thought of that. He’s one state over and shipped it to me and not responding to my messages but will see what fb says

You can stick your finger in the spark plug wire not the best method but you'll know for sure if it's sparking or not I've done it before in a pinch.

Chainsaw ignition systems are as simple as they come and at this point you've already replaced half of it with OEM parts. But you do need to know for sure if your getting spark or not because if your getting spark and it's not trying to start there's a good possibility the ignition timing is just off because the keyway is sheered or was never there to start with.

 

[epo]

Chainsaw ignition systems are as simple as they come and at this point you've already replaced half of it with OEM parts.

I would not describe as simple such as this modern ignition module used in even the cheapest chainsaws from reputable manufacturers.

 

[stihltech]

You are looking at parts we are not concerned with. We need to know if spark is present and the quality of the spark. The rest of it is non adjustable. While you hear of the occasional timing issue here, it is not common in a shop.
KEEP IT SIMPLE!

 

[epo]

You are looking at parts we are not concerned with. We need to know if spark is present and the quality of the spark. The rest of it is non adjustable. While you hear of the occasional timing issue here, it is not common in a shop.
KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Besides, if he checks for spark by using the spark plug removed from the cylinder, the timing doesn't matter.

 

[thompsoncustom]

I would not describe as simple such as this modern ignition module used in even the cheapest chainsaws from reputable manufacturers.

sure it is since no one waste their time to rebuilds chainsaw coils you just replace them which he already did.

 

[epo]

sure it is since no one waste their time to rebuilds chainsaw coils you just replace them which he already did.

That's right. It was just a side note.
To me, if the description of the symptoms by the OP is correct, then the only logical explanation for the lack of spark is the loss of magnetism on the flywheel. Which in turn seems unlikely to me, although of course possible.

 

[bwalker]

That's right. It was just a side note.
To me, if the description of the symptoms by the OP is correct, then the only logical explanation for the lack of spark is the loss of magnetism on the flywheel. Which in turn seems unlikely to me, although of course possible.

It has to be rare, but last winter my snowblower wouldn't start due to no spark. I first bypassed the ignition switch and replaced the plug with no good result. I then pulled the existing coil, which have a high failure rate and replaced it with a known good one. Still nothing. Baffled I decided to swap flywheel. Bingo, great spark.
I have zero idea how the flywheel went bad.

 

[grizz55chev]

It has to be rare, but last winter my snowblower wouldn't start due to no spark. I first bypassed the ignition switch and replaced the plug with no good result. I then pulled the existing coil, which have a high failure rate and replaced it with a known good one. Still nothing. Baffled I decided to swap flywheel. Bingo, great spark.
I have zero idea how the flywheel went bad.

Lost magnetism, maybe shock as in dropped? Not sure either, but dead simple to rectify.

 

[bwalker]

Lost magnetism, maybe shock as in dropped? Not sure either, but dead simple to rectify.

It wasn't dropped. It's mounted inside a fan shroud and has a cover over top of the entire engine.
Would a battery tender on a deep cycle battery next to it cause the flywheel to loose magnetism?
I should add that I never tested the "bad" flywheel. I assume that was it because after it was changed out I used the machine all winter.

 

[SteveSr]

It wasn't dropped. It's mounted inside a fan shroud and has a cover over top of the entire engine.
Would a battery tender on a deep cycle battery next to it cause the flywheel to loose magnetism?

No. A drop on the concrete or a very close lightning strike maybe. However , the lightning strike would likely kill the coil and any nearby electronics that wasn't shielded.

I should add that I never tested the "bad" flywheel. I assume that was it because after it was changed out I used the machine all winter.

Reverse substitution is the only way to confirm the FW fix hypothesis. Do you still have the original?