Need to perform leak down test both vacuum and pressure with Mighty Vac tester. Need to pull muffler and check condition of piston, rings, and cylinder. A saw of that age needs these tests performed before going any further.If all the rubber on the 025 is original it really is time to replace them. Fuel, oil and impulse hoses. Fuel and oil filters. The crank seals and intake boot and the clutch drum bearing for good measure. Some stuff is available OEM still or aftermarket from HL Supply. Crank seals are fun to change. I just did an 028 a couple weeks ago.
Since you say it runs on starting fluid it has at least enough primary and secondary compression to run the saw.
Remove the carb and see if you can easily suck fuel out of the fuel line. If you can then install carb and pull the rope a dozen times then remove carb and remove the fuel pump side of the carb ( one screw) and see if there is fuel in that part of the carb. If not your impulse is not working. The small hole in the rubber intake boot the carb bolts up to is the impulse.
Kinda assumes he has the tools and know how to do that.Need to perform leak down test both vacuum and pressure with Mighty Vac tester. Need to pull muffler and check condition of piston, rings, and cylinder. A saw of that age needs these tests performed before going any further.
Merry Christmas!
That's one of the problems here with users. Most don't have the knowledge yet alone the proper tools. Even with all the tools I have I am constantly having to add specialized tools.Kinda assumes he has the tools and know how to do that.
If all the rubber on the 025 is original it really is time to replace them. Fuel, oil and impulse hoses. Fuel and oil filters. The crank seals and intake boot and the clutch drum bearing for good measure. Some stuff is available OEM still or aftermarket from HL Supply. Crank seals are fun to change. I just did an 028 a couple weeks ago.
Since you say it runs on starting fluid it has at least enough primary and secondary compression to run the saw.
Remove the carb and see if you can easily suck fuel out of the fuel line. If you can then install carb and pull the rope a dozen times then remove carb and remove the fuel pump side of the carb ( one screw) and see if there is fuel in that part of the carb. If not your impulse is not working. The small hole in the rubber intake boot the carb bolts up to is the impulse.
You might have straight-gassed that engine. If so take it to an authorized STIHL shop for them to disassemble and repair. Or, Add one ounce of seafoam additive to fuel tank. Avoid using starter fluid on any two-cycle engine. Better to use carb cleaner instead because it has a bit of oil in it.only starts when using starting fluid , Replaced: air filter ,vent filter ,carburetor , spark plug ,fresh gas ,spark arrestor is clean. Any suggestions ?
Most stihl dealers won't work on a saw that old as the cost to fix is probably more than a customer is willing to pay plus lack of parts availability. Easy to check P&C condition by just pulling the muffler and looking. OEM P&C probably around $200 and being a being a clamshell engine another $200 labor plus a dealer will want to change all the rubber lines and intake boot to warranty it. Since he says it runs on starting fluid i doubt it has been straight gassed.You might have straight-gassed that engine. If so take it to an authorized STIHL shop for them to disassemble and repair. Or, Add one ounce of seafoam additive to fuel tank. Avoid using starter fluid on any two-cycle engine. Better to use carb cleaner instead because it has a bit of oil in it.
Yes most Stihl simply think they are better than anyone else. I got news for them I can usually run rings around them. Any good confident small 2 cycle shop can repair these; although, some of the parts will need to from a Stihl dealer. Neither of the two local Stihl dealer are very good on the equipment. Heck one couldn't even find a bad spark plug.Most stihl dealers won't work on a saw that old as the cost to fix is probably more than a customer is willing to pay plus lack of parts availability. Easy to check P&C condition by just pulling the muffler and looking. OEM P&C probably around $200 and being a being a clamshell engine another $200 labor plus a dealer will want to change all the rubber lines and intake boot to warranty it. Since he says it runs on starting fluid i doubt it has been straight gassed.
Knowledge can be gained and tools can be purchased.That's one of the problems here with users. Most don't have the knowledge yet alone the proper tools. Even with all the tools I have I am constantly having to add specialized tools.
Just because you know 4 cycle engines doesn't mean you know 2 cycle engines. They are a completely different beast. It took me nearly two years of constantly working on them to get anywhere good at repairing them. And it is a lot harder learning 2 cycles after you learn 4 cycles. It like flying aircraft. It is harder to learn rotary wing after learning fix wing.
Like I said my $65/ hr is a heck a lot better but of course I am a stupid independent shop owner. The local JD was at $100 the last time I checked and I saw a customer walking out because of the price so I handled him one my cards.I do believe ours is $135/hr
That why I work for myself now. After 16yrs I got laid-off due corporate downsizing. No one would hire me due the amount of experience I had. Otherwords they were afraid I would take their job away, Instead I gave up after 5 yrs of hunting and started taking away their business instead.Yup I used to work out of my garage but neighbors and all, so our local JD was hiring so I thought what the heck no overhead, and lifts. So best move I've made great people at our local JD so far it is really good, when I graduated years ago from tech course through a college nobody wanted to hire. Now I can do my passion without the bs
Amen, did mine out of my garage also.That why I work for myself now. After 16yrs I got laid-off due corporate downsizing. No one would hire me due the amount of experience I had. Otherwords they were afraid I would take their job away, Instead I gave up after 5 yrs of hunting and started taking away their business instead.
Yes there are a lot of headaches that goes with running your own business but no boss to please other than myself. Right now I doing the end of the year inventory making sure things are where they are suppose to be. So far I have found several items that got NLA so I got to add them back as NOS parts. Retail value has gone from 79K+ to 81K+
Oh I get get you're too expensive on labor but when offer to let them do the work themselves they quickly give in most times. Most customers think they only paying you to turn a wrench and not the knowledge of where to use that wrench.
Does it have a primmer bulb, if so check for cracks in it. Does it have a choke, make sure it is operating.only starts when using starting fluid , Replaced: air filter ,vent filter ,carburetor , spark plug ,fresh gas ,spark arrestor is clean. Any suggestions ?
Either that he been busy with life otherwise; unless, he got his tongue stuck on the flagpole.It has been 4 pages of replies and the OP hasn't posted since the first post asking for help. I guess he fixed it
It is a funny thing finding what works best for youI do believe ours is $135/hr
It is a funny thing finding what works best for you
At $ 135/hr (US) I am amazed you have any work to do
Down here the Stihl shop is $ 130/hr ( Aus) . The bottom end saw is $ 199 ( AUS) & they pay $ 35/hr for STIHL certified techs
There is a massive shortage of mower techs right now and mower shops have finally started to pay more per hr than McDonalds do for burger flippers .
I have had a couple of offers but walked away very quickly.
Nice clean workshops requiring me to wear fresh clean overalls every day and their obsession was to have every repair leave polished shinny .
All required a minimum number of repairs to be done every day , about 10 times your hourly rate + all of the pre-delivery & quotes.
No direct contact between the customer & the tech so you are working with 2nd ( if not 3rd ) hand details and of course every thing to be accounted for on the horrid computer systems they use right down to the number of grease gun strokes & the weight of shop rag .
Funny enough I walked away.
I manage to do 1 job a day on average doing 10 a day minimum is not my idea of fun or even a fair work load.
Totally understand my shop is not setup with ungodly quotas, sure the time it says to do most is not an accurate time, but the manager adjusts so customer is getting ripped off and I get paid my time. I was really surprised I have worked in a shop like you described I did 3 months and left. Yes sometimes I do not talk to customer but if I have questions I can call and talk with them so I can get to real problem not just what someone thought
One of the JD/Stihl dealers near me is family owned and all the folks there are great people. I am on a first name basis with the parts folks. Owner offered me a job a few years ago but we couldn't come to terms. Worked out better running my own shop. Even at $100/hr the dealer is always backed up a few weeks and in the spring they are backed up 6 to 8 weeks.Also as Techs we need to explain proper use, such Utv park brakes now the handle pull to apply and push button to release isn't so bad, but the push pedal and just pull a handle and brake pedal snaps back to release I tell customer to keep their foot on pedal and not allow the snap back this will cause premature wear or breakage and alot of customers are amazed to hear this. I have been thanked for the info. Now whether they really use the info or not is up to them.
people like to deal with peopleOne of the JD/Stihl dealers near me is family owned and all the folks there are great people. I am on a first name basis with the parts folks. Owner offered me a job a few years ago but we couldn't come to terms. Worked out better running my own shop. Even at $100/hr the dealer is always backed up a few weeks and in the spring they are backed up 6 to 8 weeks.
First of all..NEVER use starting fluid on a 2 stroke engine,actually on any gas small engine, positively not on a 2 stroke.It washes the oil off of the insides of the motor and raises the compression to scary levels.use mixed fuel.only starts when using starting fluid , Replaced: air filter ,vent filter ,carburetor , spark plug ,fresh gas ,spark arrestor is clean. Any suggestions ?
In southwest Missouri, the average small engine shop rate labor is around $100/hour. I am a one person shop and will be at $65/hour in 2023. The high labor rates make many repairs cost prohibitive.Regarding Original Poster ~ who knows. . like somebody said, probably busy with life stuff and will check back when he gets a chance or when he needs the saw to start properly . .don't know BUT I know that I read every single post and found it all quite enlightening so don't feel like your responses were for nothing and thanks for the input!
I can see your point on the easy start!! The MS 250 that was given to me the easy start doesn't really turn the motor over. It is probably broken I have never dealt or used one before. So I should keep my uneducated onion to myself. Thanks for the ego check I need that every now and then!!!Nothing wrong with easy start .
Lots of older people and women with shorter arms who can not start a strait pull saw .
The problem is sales agents not showing people how to use them.
Same as the inertia starts on push mowers
MY better half is 5' tall and can not pull start a mower so after even the Honda became too much I fitted a wind up starter to an old Victa & she is over the moon.
And it is the small saws that give the most problems so the customer buys a 12" or 14" bar to get a convienant weight then finds they can not start the saw without putting one foot through the handle loop & the other on top of the saw to overcome the very high compression .
Tiger .
With an attitude like that, go to the top of the class.
The big problem is managers see the techs time as 100% billable so resent any time spent with customers unless some one is paying for it .
The fact that 10 minutes with the shop tech can make an angry customer a happy repeat customer an that repeat customer is highly likely to buy more from the shop seems to have alluded them totally.
Like you, I tell my customers the truth and aplaud you for doing the same .
My customers appreciate being treated like an intelligent human being and being given true facts to base decisions on .
More & more they go with the repairs because they trust me to do the right thing by them , which I always do .
Sadly, an older gentleman at church is at that point. He says the push mower is hard to start and he just can't pull it over fast enough. It is tough on an ex marine and farmer to realize you can't do things.So you have never been in the situation where an elderly person brought in a saw the "Will Not Start ".
So you crank it and it fires right up, so you give it a clean & send it back
Then next week he brings it back because it still won't start
so this repeats a few times then you ask them to show you what they are doing when you realize that they can not pull the starter fast enough to get it to start .
I too don't like the sponginess of the ready start. But what you are not aware of is the reason for the easy start in some cases. One is makes it easier to start if you know how to make it work. But the hidden effect is when the easy start became a thing is about the time the EPA regulations starting taking effect. And one thing that happened is they had to change the timing on the modules to a more advanced timing to meet the EPA standards. That timing change created a very high probability that the customer was going to get the starter rope ripped out of their hand when starting the saw. Since then they have moved into variable timing ignition but the first time I came across a Stihl that would rip the rope from your hand one of three times was the 025. And with talking to the local Stihl dealer about it was informed that wasn't the only saw effected.I started doing two stroke and 4 stroke small engines out of nessity seeing shop rate's so high. My neighbor gave me an MS 250 and that was my first experience with that easy start. I personally think that it is stupid. If you can't start a saw just pulling a recoil then you are not strong enough to handle any type of kick back. Not that you would get allot out of a 025 or MS 250 especially with an anti kick back chain. I don't like those chain either but I can see where someone that cuts once a year might. I haven't posted anything here in along time. By the time I get to the question most of the answers are posted.
I have been thinking of started a couple of small buisness's one small engine the other appliance work. I have been doing some appliance ork since I fixed the refigorator at church. I haven't charged anyone yet. And the appliance world has changed with everthing being solid state and poorly made. I told one guy to throw his dryer in the trash the conrtols were mounted to a plastic cover an you have to lift a tab a twist the plastic was old and brittle. It didn't even have a model number on it. So I couldn't get parts any way!! I have some old Stihls and allot of project saws but they are going to get tossed or sent to someone that has time for them. I jsut gave a friend a Jonsred 70e to a friend I was a good running saw. but just to heavy for my back. He is 25 and can handle the weight. It has a 9 tooth OEM sproket on it and a 20 in bar. She cuts fast!!! But getting any parts for it was just about impossible!
Have a good holiday season!!
And that is one of the reasons why Briggs changed from the old induction 600 rpm to spark modules to the newer CDI 300 rpm to spark modules.Sadly, an older gentleman at church is at that point. He says the push mower is hard to start and he just can't pull it over fast enough. It is tough on an ex marine and farmer to realize you can't do things.
Get him to try a thinner base oil multigrade oil , makes a big differenceSadly, an older gentleman at church is at that point. He says the push mower is hard to start and he just can't pull it over fast enough. It is tough on an ex marine and farmer to realize you can't do things.