That chainsaw again... yes, I got around to some yard work today. Pulled a bunch of weeds during the earlier part of the morning, then, when it was getting to be past customary quiet time, it was time for some chainsawin'.
Now, my chainsaw is a McCulloch 3216. About... 28 years old? Something like that. Old enough not to have the CARB-mandated emissions controls that apparently make modern small engines in this state finicky.
I've been firing it up every 2 or 3 years, when something needs cutting up. It's always started right up. This year, though, it was different.
It started up, yes... but it ran rough and smoky, and when I went to open the throttle and do some actual cutting, it coughed and died. Running too rich? Carburetor messed up?
I took a few covers off and inspected the carb; looked good. But it was acting like it was on half choke, when it clearly wasn't (I also checked operation of the choke). Maybe the air filter had gotten too restrictive?
I looked for a replacement air filter; they're hard to come by for this particular sub-model (though abundant for a different model bearing the same number). Then things got busy, I did the particular bit of cutting with an electric reciprocating saw, and the chainsaw sat on the shelf unregarded.
Dusting it back off, I found that the spark plug was badly fouled, and that the engine would barely even start. I replaced the spark plug, and it would start again, but it still had the problem with running smoggy and not going to operating speed.
Trying it without the air filter gave the same results - ergo, the air filter wasn't the problem.
That left fuel. The dribble in the tank, supplemented by the dribble from the bottom of the gas can, was from... 15 years ago, maybe? Almost certainly more'n 10. It had stabilizer in it, but it was also exposed to a lot of air. And I had the vague notion that I might have added a double dose of oil.
So, off to the hardware store for a quart of expensive shelf-stable pre-mixed 2-stroke fuel. Drain the tank back into the old gas can, noting that the color of the gas is that of rather weak coffee. Refill the tank from the new can, whereof the contents are more water-colored. Have a go....
It starts, runs smoggy while the old fuel makes its way through the system, then runs more like its old self. Shut it off, carry it to where the work is, start it back up (one pull, just like in the old days), and get the job done in nothing flat.
Looks like, if I mind what I'm feeding it, I may get another couple of decades' use out of the old saw.
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