Here are some pics from this morning. Didn't have time to start it before work. You can see on the third photo the protective liner on the 026 label.
FL. I am jealous. I had to work hard for my 2
026's.
Actually, I bought my 1st one new way back in 1994. 23 years later it still wears it's "protective liner" on the 026 label. My 2nd one I got off ebay but drove from Md to PA to meet the guy in person to inspect the saw and talked him down due to my needing to rebuild a scored top end.
The hard work part on my original saw came when I hadn't used it much and in order to get it running well again, I had to right the wrongs crappy ethanol did to the saw.
Good news is the piston and cylinder are smooth and free of score marks that occur from lean running, straight gas use
whether intentional or accidental, and good compression. To see the condition of the piston and cylinder, I removed the muffler to look inside jug( good tip passed on from the forum when buying used saws)
I see your question about mixed fuel thru spark plug hole and other suggestions of WD40 etc. My opinion is it can't hurt to have some good oiling inside a saw combustion chamber prior to starting one that has sat awhile. I see you said you fired it up already so this is just FYI if other people see this while seeking advice . I think the suggestion to replace the fuel line and impulse line is a good one if the saw lived any time with the use of fuel with ethanol in it. I believe this is all that was wrong with my saw that made it fail to run properly. The lines get gooey, or brittle or constricted or cracked etc thus making a fuel delivery problem and thus a poor running if running at all saw. A saw won't run if there are air leaks in the system like can occur with cracked fuel lines or even ones where the ends don't fit tightly around the nipples on the carb or nipple to the crankcase. Also, research the forum and find mention of a secondary source of leaks. This being at the crank seals.
(A number of good posts have been made that explain how these leak due to drying out or wearing out over time) There are many videos on you tube for how to test saws for pressure and vac test for leaks.
Without getting too involved since you say the saw has limited use, I'd do as others said. Empty any fuel left in it, then for safety sake of not "ingesting" any detrimental aged rubber or other contaminants I'd go ahead and replace fuel and impulse lines then refuel and conservatively pull starter a number of times to lube cylinder walls and then see if she'll fire up.
All the above is cheap insurance. Also make sure the air filter is clean before starting. If it doesn't start easily after replacing the lines, I'd either put a new carb or carb rebuild kit in if you are skilled enough to do that. In my opinion it is not entirely necessary to rebuild carb if it fires up.
I put new "canned" non ethanol mixed gas in my old saw, and it runs great. I now vow never to use anything but NON ethanol fuel/oil mix in
All my equipment!!!!!!.
It may be more expensive, but it is cheap insurance to ensure a long lasting Saw.
