Stihl 028 problem

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
I'm working on a Stihl 028 and not having much luck with it. It starts up and runs but within a few seconds it starts running heavy and then it dies. I've cleaned the carb twice and it has a new kit in it. I set everything by the book when I put it back together and still it does the same thing. I can't get it to idle down without it dying, tried adjusting the carb to where it runs the best but it still runs too rich. I took the muffler off and checked it and the piston and both looked good, no large amounts of carbon or blockage. The saw doesn't have much power when you give it the gas, takes awhile for it to get up to speed and it's a slower speed at that. It doesn't seem like an air leak, just the opposite. Gas tank vent is good. Any ideas?
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
I plan to do a few things to it tomorrow including checking the compression. The air filter is clean but I might try to warm it up and take the filter off. (The choke is built into the air filter). I'd thought about trying to find another carburetor and trying it. The needles looked good but I don't know if they're the correct ones or not. That's the bad thing about buying a saw and not knowing the history of it or who owned it before.
 
pioneerguy600

pioneerguy600

Lost in Space
Staff member
Moderator
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
43,869
Location
N.S. Canada
I plan to do a few things to it tomorrow including checking the compression. The air filter is clean but I might try to warm it up and take the filter off. (The choke is built into the air filter). I'd thought about trying to find another carburetor and trying it. The needles looked good but I don't know if they're the correct ones or not. That's the bad thing about buying a saw and not knowing the history of it or who owned it before.

Due to the choke being in the airfilter is why I asked about running the saw with it off. The choke return spring goes bad on them and the flap can get sucked closed when trying to spool the saw up causing it to flood or at least run real rich.
 
ELECT6845

ELECT6845

Addicted to ArboristSite
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
1,741
Location
INDIANA
Due to the choke being in the airfilter is why I asked about running the saw with it off. The choke return spring goes bad on them and the flap can get sucked closed when trying to spool the saw up causing it to flood or at least run real rich.

I have had 2 of these saws that had this problem. New filter fixed them both.
 
wisecobandit

wisecobandit

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
44
Location
Devon. UK
Check the breather on your fuel tank works, or run the saw on its side with the fuel cap not fully screwed shut and see if its cures it to eliminate it whilst your at it.
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
Due to the choke being in the airfilter is why I asked about running the saw with it off. The choke return spring goes bad on them and the flap can get sucked closed when trying to spool the saw up causing it to flood or at least run real rich.

I never made the connection with that. Yes, I'll try to check it because that's what it sounds like it's doing. I may even have a spare filter if I didn't throw it away. It's worn out but may have a good spring.
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
Check the breather on your fuel tank works, or run the saw on its side with the fuel cap not fully screwed shut and see if its cures it to eliminate it whilst your at it.

I forgot to mention that I checked the vent. I always do that routinely on Stihl saws because some of them use the screw in the line for a vent and they get too tight sometimes.
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
I ran this without the filter today with little change. It ran sluggish and wouldn't rev up much and it also sounded funny to me like the engine was in a bind or something. I got it to idle a very fast idle but not enough to make the chain stop. As soon as I almost got the idle speed right it would die. It seemed to me like the timing may be off because as I was adjusting the H screw the thing wouldn't speed up any and just died suddenly. I was able to start it again but it ran the same. By now I'm having difficulty with the starter also, took it apart and it looked like former owner mutilated it pretty bad so I'm off to do something else for awhile...
Next time I work on it I'll probably check the key on the flywheel and see if the flywheel has slipped a bit.
 
Mastermind

Mastermind

Work Saw Specialist
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
36,449
Location
Tennessee
Fish sent me an email and told me to have you put a 1300 coil on the saw. He says that is the problem.

I agree that the swap to electronic is so simple on that saw that it is the thing to do......

Fish also said that he was unable to post......in a chainsaw purgatory of sorts. Not banned but also not able to post. Could one of the mods please look into this? I miss Fish.
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
Fish sent me an email and told me to have you put a 1300 coil on the saw. He says that is the problem.

I agree that the swap to electronic is so simple on that saw that it is the thing to do......

Fish also said that he was unable to post......in a chainsaw purgatory of sorts. Not banned but also not able to post. Could one of the mods please look into this? I miss Fish.

I'm a little dumb on this, what do you mean by a 1300 coil?
 
a. palmer jr.
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
15,251
Location
Southern Indiana
As it turns out I guess I'm not gonna need the coil for awhile. I looked and mine already has an electronic ignition but that may not be the problem..I took the starter off to check the flywheel and what I saw was real bad, I could shake the flywheel a lot, both ways. I guess the bearings are out on this one. I'm not sure yet whether to go further with this saw or just use the parts for other saws, I already have about what the saw's worth in it.

I believe this is a case where I would rather have the clamshell type of saw...
 
Last edited:
Top