So, I have this little Echo 12-inch arborist saw, about 10 years old. Up to this point, it's been an ok little saw, however this year it's giving me grief. It will start, then run for about 30 seconds and then quit, almost like I have a pinched fuel line, and it runs out of gas. It will restart and do the same thing over and over. I'm ok at working on things, however I just don't have the time or patience to dig too deep into this. Is it worth the $100 plus to have this taken care of or toss it and purchase a replacement as silly as it sounds.
Echo chainsaw issues.
- Thread starter taintedtattoo
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I'd fix it. If you do decide to go new, sell/give/barter the old one to keep it out of the dump. Or better yet, this might be an excuse to check out the Echo battery saws and fix the old one at your leisure.
If it is the top-handle Echo arborist saw, a replacement is $500+, so I'd fix it. Based on your description of the problem and saw's age, I would look closely at replacing all the fuel lines which may have a hairline crack and installing a rebuild kit in the original carburetor. I'd also try a small can of Echo Red Armor pre-mix fuel.
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The carburetor diaphragm hardens over time and causes symptoms like this. It's a reasonably simple DIY job to swap in a new one. Rarely will you need to take the carb apart further than replacing the diaphragms.
But yeah, electric is great for small saws.
But yeah, electric is great for small saws.
Carb diaphragm, but I would check for cracked fuel lines that can suck air.
A carb kits and some fuel line is a couple dozen dollars. It sounds like its due. Funny enough I put a carb kit and fuel line on my saw with the gas tank in the handle, and left a bit too much fuel line between the tank and saw and it would pinch if I set the dogs into the log... Ran great until I did that, and great after I pulled it out of the cut. Took me a while to figure out what was going on...
Fuel lines, tank vent, and carb rebuild kit. They go bad like clockwork. Otherwise, send me the saw, I'll take it. 
Everything new is trash.
My 60cc echo saw is from 2017 it's been great. My other echo saw is like 25 years old and it tires to fire on the first pull.
I have a new 2511T it's a great super light saw.
But if a simple carb kit and fuel line fixes the problem, it's worth it. New light arborist saw like mine is $600.
I love my cs590 light its not.. but it works.. every time. starts, runs and idle.
I had a ryobi I picked up new for a good price.. after 15min it wouldnt idle and you spend more effort starting it than cutting.
I'd like a tiny echo for trimming.. but as much as I'd need one (couple times a year)
my battery dewalt fills in fine for trimming.. and trail clearing.
Definitely worth fixing if its one of the pricy models.. if its one of the cheapo models probably still worth a carb kit and fuel lines.
I had a ryobi I picked up new for a good price.. after 15min it wouldnt idle and you spend more effort starting it than cutting.
I'd like a tiny echo for trimming.. but as much as I'd need one (couple times a year)
my battery dewalt fills in fine for trimming.. and trail clearing.
Definitely worth fixing if its one of the pricy models.. if its one of the cheapo models probably still worth a carb kit and fuel lines.
My cs620 was $600 in 2017. Probably a thousand now.
Echo is good stuff. It's worth fixing. Mine gave me trouble for years. A local shop couldn't figure it out. Took it to another shop and they found a loose wire and it's ran great ever since
Elkins45
Site Donor 2026
I have an Exho top handle saw I bought in 2015. I would absolutely spend $100 to fix it if it quit running. That saw uses so little gas that I have only run it with premix gas to reduce the chance of the carb clogging.
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I'll take it and fix it if you want to trash it and start new! It would be a good companion to my other Echo saw.
Another discussion covered members using Mechanic In A Bottle where you follow directions, empty fuel, pour in, let sit 4 hours or more, drain (can be reused) and replace with correct fuel, preferably E0 or stuff like TruFuel/VP racing etc.
Chickanic covered it and how to also get into small 2 cycle things. This is link to video. Chickanic Mechanic In A Bottle.
Chickanic covered it and how to also get into small 2 cycle things. This is link to video. Chickanic Mechanic In A Bottle.
I can attest this works like a charm on stiff diaphragms, float needles, and munged up fuel passages. Used it a half dozen times for that sort of stuff and has always worked. But it doesn't do much for a split fuel line or clogged tank vent. Have to repair/replace those.
You can get a 620PW from Safford for about $740. It's a great saw for the money.
@taintedtattoo You can get a diaphragm kit from Duke's for your saw for around $20. That's the route I would go and as folks mentioned, check the fuel lines first.
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There are a few guys on YouTube that are partnered with Sawsuppliers.com, and you can get 10% off saws using their code. That would take the price of a CS-620 down to $665.99. Oakiewoodsman is one channel that comes to mind.
Oakie and Chris from In The Woodyard. My wife keeps telling me to start a channel. LOL Kind of a semi-retired side hustle.
