my chain saw and me :: On troubleshooting a chain saw that won’t start

. . . These things I thought

• Bad Gasoline/Oil Mix? Clean fuel tank — Monthly.
• Dirty or Stale Gasoline? (I didn’t winterize!) Replace — As required.
• Dirty Fuel Filter? Replace — Yearly.
• New Spark Plug? Replace — Only if problem.
• Dirty Air Filter? Clean — Only if problem.
• Carburetor? Readjust idle — As required.

. . . And these things too I thought

• Chain Lubricant. (Hmmmm, when was last time I added bar oil? Ahhhhh – never.) Check — Before every use. Clean — Monthly.
• Chain Tension. (Wow . . . the chain looks a little loose; I have never tightened this chain.) Check — Before and after every use. Adjust — As required.
• Chain Brake. Inspect — Before and after every use. Check — As required, by a qualified professional. This is recommended Yearly for occasional users.
• Sharpen Chain. Inspect — Before and after every use. Sharpen — As required.
• And. . . . A few other things I am not going to take the time to write here.

. . . Nevermind that any product in orange and black works for me

I have a Stihl Model Number MS210EZ. The heading Warning” appears exactly 71 times on the way to the Maintenance Chart found on page 59 of the owner’s manual, English-edition. I used this manual to fill out the bullet list above.

Quite an impressive volume of work for sure, this thing is nearly as thick as the manual that came with my wife’s car. Most warnings of course are provided for safety reasons and are meant to protect us users from bodily harm.

. . . Why didn’t my chainsaw want to start?

She wouldn’t start, I mean — I tried and I tried, then I sat her down and I went about tending to other things. OK, I do not use my chain saw enough to think that I have actually earned the right to name it.

. . . But . . . I tried again.

Still, it wouldn’t start. I mean — The storm, after all, had been a big one — probably the most snow I have seen in one place for quite some time. It buried us here in Baltimore, weighing down and breaking some things — least of all about eight limbs in my back yard.

. . . And . . . I guess that’s about the time that I set about getting back to work on my blog redesign.

. . . Winter Operation Instructions!

There is a section in my manual called Winter Operation. Apparently, and I did not know until just now, special steps must be taken when attempting to start the engine in temperatures below 50 degrees F.

This procedure includes removing the carburetor cover and turning a shutter. What this shutter is, I don’t know. But these steps help draw warm air into the cylinder, in turn preventing the carburetor from icing.

(Unrelated to my inability to start my chain saw that Saturday in early March, 2010.)

. . . The Receipt from Superior Sharpening, 7716 Harford Rd. Parkville, MD 21234 (Closed on Wednesdays) said . . .

Problem: Won’t Start.

Diagnosis: Flooded and Stale Fuel.

Work Performed: Tuned up, flushed tank + filled with fresh fuel, replaced spark plug, replaced fuel filter, blew out air filter, sharpened chain, dressed bar, tested unit.

Total: $52.89

Money well spent, I think, but three weeks later, and with the snow now gone – I still have a handful of limbs unnaturally reaching down to touch the ground. And my favorite, a magnolia (I think) still split in half.