Just ran two more loaners from work, and guess what? They ALL had problems, all different! Two had Hi adjust needles, the third was the one I mentioned earlier. The first of the two new (to me) ones started alright, but quickly bogged. I re-zeroed the carb and it was off and running, more or less.
The second was a bit more tricky. It wouldn't idle no matter WHAT I tried. I had two guys up the hill releasing seedlings from Scots broom with the running trimmers while I fiddled with the broken one, so I was in a hurry to make it work. Several observations led to a surprisingly simple fix.
First, I noted that the throttle cable cam was misadjusted such that the LA needle never contacted the lever. As it turns out, this was a non-issue. The exhaust was clean enough that I wasn't concerned. The plug was both sooty and wet. I did the Rain Dance necessary to get the top cover off of the thing in order to have a good look at the linkages... nothing.
It was while I was putting it back together that I had my brainstorm. I ended up pushing and pulling wires and hoses all over the place, and as I was re-aligning the fuel pick-up line, I happened to look into the fuel tank. The filter was on the return line!
I slapped a new filter on the pick-up line and ditched the old one. It popped on the first pull. My theory is this: no return meant no flow, which meant inevitable flooding. I saw a similar problem in an old Saab 99 with Bosch fuel injection once. A new filter in the right place restored both return path and flow, and the thing ran.
I gotta say, though -- the design on these things is kinda janky. I wish Stihl cared as much about all of their small engines as they do about their chainsaws.
The second was a bit more tricky. It wouldn't idle no matter WHAT I tried. I had two guys up the hill releasing seedlings from Scots broom with the running trimmers while I fiddled with the broken one, so I was in a hurry to make it work. Several observations led to a surprisingly simple fix.
First, I noted that the throttle cable cam was misadjusted such that the LA needle never contacted the lever. As it turns out, this was a non-issue. The exhaust was clean enough that I wasn't concerned. The plug was both sooty and wet. I did the Rain Dance necessary to get the top cover off of the thing in order to have a good look at the linkages... nothing.
It was while I was putting it back together that I had my brainstorm. I ended up pushing and pulling wires and hoses all over the place, and as I was re-aligning the fuel pick-up line, I happened to look into the fuel tank. The filter was on the return line!
I slapped a new filter on the pick-up line and ditched the old one. It popped on the first pull. My theory is this: no return meant no flow, which meant inevitable flooding. I saw a similar problem in an old Saab 99 with Bosch fuel injection once. A new filter in the right place restored both return path and flow, and the thing ran.
I gotta say, though -- the design on these things is kinda janky. I wish Stihl cared as much about all of their small engines as they do about their chainsaws.
My experience is that the Stihl hedge trimmers are rock solid compared to the competition, but a bit heavy. If you have worked on a husqvarna trimmer, you'll notice quickly that there's no comparison with Stihl. The HS75 I had worked flawlessy for several years and sold it for good money because its handle was not revolving. I've got both the HS81R and HS81T now and they are hard to beat.
