Weird piston action in a blown Stihl 500i

[chipper1]

Ummm... Is this a joke? 20 sold? Google says this conversion is just a sprocket kit basically. Scammer who sets listing to "Last one" to try and find a sucker with FOMO, I guess?

Its real, but we've certainly joked about it a lot here, there are threads devoted to it.
That being said, he has some fair deals on stihl chains.

200+ 45cc saws sold with a 32 inch bar... guess there were no returns on those ones.

I think once people realize how stupid they are/were, they are to embarrassed to say anything, happens with lots of crime.

 

[Captain Bruce]

Well everything is costing more, inflation is bad. I don't regret buying one.

Everything coasts more because we have it.
Thats the top of the food chain latest and greatest STIHL, resetting the bar for other mfgers.

 

[StihlPotlicker]

They run it fine in hardwood. I know guys that run them in the PNW cutting softwood with a 42”

ported no doubt

 

[Lightning Performance]

ported no doubt

It wouldn't have to be to maintain enough engine speed to cool the piston.

 

[huskihl]

ported no doubt

Stock in soft fir, pine, spruce….

 

[Sidecarflip]

If you manage to get it warranted, I'd switch to canned gas as you don't use it that much and canned gas (I prefer Echo-red Armor) 50-1) would be the go to instead of rec gas or weasel pee pump gas. Nice thing about canned gas is, you can leave it in the fuel tank (full, not partially empty for a prolonged amount of time without it going bad so no draining during idle periods. And... Red Armor canned gas leaves little to no carbon deposits on the exhaust port and won't clog the EPA spark arrestor screen either. All I use now in all my saws, no matter who made them. JMO.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Follow up…
I called the dealer a few weeks back wondering what was going on with the 500. Their regular gal had left the company so…
Was told to contact Stihl directly. Did that. Boy, was that a wasted effort, what a ****.
Picked up the saw and was told not to come back. Uh, ok…other dealers in the area…so, fine, took my business elsewhere.
Ordered parts. Replaced piston and gasket.
Took my time as this was my first 500i.

Saw is back in action, no thanks to Stihl or my former dealer.
New place is closer anyway

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Follow up…
I called the dealer a few weeks back wondering what was going on with the 500. Their regular gal had left the company so…
Was told to contact Stihl directly. Did that. Boy, was that a wasted effort, what a ****.
Picked up the saw and was told not to come back. Uh, ok…other dealers in the area…so, fine, took my business elsewhere.
Ordered parts. Replaced piston and gasket.
Took my time as this was my first 500i.

Saw is back in action, no thanks to Stihl or my former dealer.
New place is closer anyway

I’d be interested to known what exactly were his words about not to come back and also what the name / location of the dealer is

 

[sean donato]

Follow up…
I called the dealer a few weeks back wondering what was going on with the 500. Their regular gal had left the company so…
Was told to contact Stihl directly. Did that. Boy, was that a wasted effort, what a ****.
Picked up the saw and was told not to come back. Uh, ok…other dealers in the area…so, fine, took my business elsewhere.
Ordered parts. Replaced piston and gasket.
Took my time as this was my first 500i.

Saw is back in action, no thanks to Stihl or my former dealer.
New place is closer anyway

So what was their diagnosis amd reson for denying warranty?

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I called the dealer a few weeks back wondering what was going on with the 500. Their regular gal had left the company so…
Was told to contact Stihl directly. Did that. Boy, was that a wasted effort, what a ****.
Picked up the saw and was told not to come back. Uh, ok…other dealers in the area…so, fine, took my business elsewhere.

Owing STIHL saws that's my fear, eventually losing dealer support. Fortunately I have great support 20 minutes from my house, bypassing six other dealers to get that service.

 

[stihltech]

Man, I am too helpful. Those dealers just give us a bad name.
Did you buy it there?
Regardless, I still call my distributor. They have always been helpful.

 

[Pjohnson]

You state the saw has been used commercially for a year, Stihl says 3 month warranty for commercial use why would you expect them to warranty it. If they refused to fix it under warranty it would be one thing but it's 9 months beyond the commercial warranty.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

So what was their diagnosis amd reson for denying warranty?

That’s just it, there was no real explanation, and they drug it out for months and months with no contact. Stihl said the saw showed no code problems, at least that’s what he was told by the dealer. Who knows what actually happened between them. I was out of the loop, obviously. “Dealers” here aren’t the norm…no actual saw shops. There are a few farm supply places that have Stihl/Husky “dealers” but not all stores in their chain. It is nothing like what I was used to in Cali. The fact that no one there had ever seen the odd piston action in the vid posted should have been a good clue that they aren’t trained. That action is normal for the 500 due to the special flywheel. Had anyone there been trained correctly they would have pointed that out way back when. Lesson learned…

I do have a theory, at least in part, for the failure. When cleaning and reassembling I noticed quite a bit of dust inside the air box and the filter itself (OE). Could explain the slight scoring on the intake side.
I replaced the filter and added a thin washer which seems to be the mod of choice on the 500’s air system. I have a Maxflo on mine but had done the mod before that. Past that, overheating? Sabotage?
No clue.
O well, fixed now

 

[bigbadbob]

Follow up…
I called the dealer a few weeks back wondering what was going on with the 500. Their regular gal had left the company so…
Was told to contact Stihl directly. Did that. Boy, was that a wasted effort, what a ****.
Picked up the saw and was told not to come back. Uh, ok…other dealers in the area…so, fine, took my business elsewhere.
Ordered parts. Replaced piston and gasket.
Took my time as this was my first 500i.

Saw is back in action, no thanks to Stihl or my former dealer.
New place is closer anyway

Did you have the saw reset via MDG??
Or just let it be,,,??

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Did you have the saw reset via MDG??
Or just let it be,,,??

Not reset, should I have them do that? I think they charge $35 to hook up a saw which isn't bad.

 

[bigbadbob]

Not reset, should I have them do that? I think they charge $35 to hook up a saw which isn't bad.

IDK
Was just wondering,,
I find it odd you cant do a field reset.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

IDK
Was just wondering,,
I find it odd you cant do a field reset.

Did that, have had mtronic saws for decades. I just wondered if this new fangled fuel injected thing needed to be flashed at a dealer, ie, something other than a standard reset.
The only part changed was the piston so it shouldn’t need anything but I have no idea what the hell they did with the saw for 6 mos

 

[huskihl]

Did that, have had mtronic saws for decades. I just wondered if this new fangled fuel injected thing needed to be flashed at a dealer, ie, something other than a standard reset.
The only part changed was the piston so it shouldn’t need anything but I have no idea what the hell they did with the saw for 6 mos

The only way to reset the 500 is to hook it up to the MDG But if you take it out and cut with it and it acts right, it’s likely fine. It should rev up consistently to 14 K, if you let off the throttle it should come down to an idle and not lope, and when you press the trigger again it should instantly rev back up with no bogs. And if you release cutting pressure in the wood it should instantly four stroke

 

[singinwoodwackr]

You state the saw has been used commercially for a year, Stihl says 3 month warranty for commercial use why would you expect them to warranty it. If they refused to fix it under warranty it would be one thing but it's 9 months beyond the commercial warranty.

There was a possibility of a software glitch as the cause of the leaning out. We were hoping for some sort of compromise, not a full warranty. Some here, early on, had mentioned the glitch.

 

[Pjohnson]

There was a possibility of a software glitch as the cause of the leaning out. We were hoping for some sort of compromise, not a full warranty. Some here, early on, had mentioned the glitch.

Hopefully you got it fixed and it runs for a long time. I know I'd probably cry if my pretty new 1600 dollar saw blows up.