Stihl ?

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Cmarti

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Hate2Work, or other of you Stihl fans, I hope to pick your brains.
I have an FS55 trimmer that I made the mistake of loaning out to a guy at work. It came back with the primer bulb stuck in and he said it ran out of gas and quit working. I gave him the gas, so I hope he used it. He says all he did was spray carb cleaner in the carb to try and get it started

*Compression test = 120+ PSI
*has spark
*little or no gas
*cleaned the pickup screen in carb
*sprayed carb cleaner through all carb openings
*Metering level works, but do not have gauge to adjust
*If I rotate the diaphram below the primer 180%, the primer will expand and pump gas.

It is a Chinese Zama carb. Bad check valve? Is that compression too low? Should I just put a new carb on?
Take it to the dealer before I screw it up any worse
33.gif


I just put a motor in my truck and was so proud of myself, now I can't get my trimmer running. These little carbs need micro surgeons!
 
I have several chainsaws and string trimmers (including the same model you mentioned)that utilize the Zama carburetor. I don't know why, but for some reason I have to install carb rebuild kits every 4 to 6 years in these carburetors. I have used a variety of aftermarket and dealer kits, but none seems to last any longer than the others. My buddy thinks its due to ethanol in the fuel(he blames everything on ethanol), but they just seem to dry out and nothing short of installing a kit helps.

I have tried fuel storage treatments,running them out of fuel, leaving them full of fuel. everything. They just seem to need a kit every couple years. I dunno.

And, yeah you need to get out the glasses to work on one of those tiny critters.

Anyone else care to chime in ??
 
I worked on a Stihl Weed Whacker today. On the side of the carburetor it said....wait for it...Made in China.

I had to look twice. What a world...what a world!
 
Compression is good.

Is the primer bulb still pulled in? Was it pushed in by hand or sucked in by vacuum? If it's pulled down from vacuum, that would lead one to believe that the carburetor's diaphragm is trying to pull fuel in but there may be blockage on the supply side of the diaphragm. Have you checked the filter inside the fuel tank?

Not too familiar with Zama carbs but anything with diaphragms are very tedious to inspect and repair.
 
My stihl dealer quoted $28.00 for zama carb. for BG55 blower. Said that stihl did not recomend rebuilding them. suggested an overnight soak in seafoam and a new diaphram. I dismantled, sprayed out with carb. cleaner, replaced diaphram, and runs great.
 
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Thanks guys.

No sediment, the primer is drawing fuel from tank.
I cleaned carb again and blew out with low air pressure
Still no gas to plug.

I will rebuild and then buy a new carb if needed and if they are that cheap. Hard to believe the diaphragm is shot at 4-5 years, when my ancient back up Stihl FS 48 fired up on the second pull out of storage.
21.gif
Us old men can say "they don't make em like they used to"

Used my new Lawnboy today for the first time.....I hope it lasts like the old ones!
 
Originally Posted By: dalton
My stihl dealer quoted $28.00 for zama carb. for BG55 blower. Said that stihl did not recomend rebuilding them. suggested an overnight soak in seafoam and a new diaphram. I dismantled, sprayed out with carb. cleaner, replaced diaphram, and runs great.


This is what I did for my FS80. The carb rebuild kits are only 5$ less. Just buy a new carb.
 
I'm thinking the diaphragm has finally given up the ghost in the Tillotson carb on my Jonsereds 630 saw. I stopped off at a country chain saw dealership on the way home and picked up a Stens carb kit. I paid....wait for it...... $19.95!!! That's freaking outrageous! The very same kit can be bought in the U.S.A. for $4.19. Fortunately, the saw has been stone axe reliable for 26 years. Can't complain too much for spending $30.00 for a carb kit and a spark plug.

It's the principle of the "super gouge" that annoys me.
 
I just finished fixing the Jonsereds. It was the spark plug. Only the second time this has ever happened to me over the years. The plug sparked fine out of the cylinder but obviously failed when subjected to compression within the cylinder. Just goes to show, do the easy stuff first. Now I have a spare carb kit. I gave the saw a thorough cleaning while I had it opened up. Lots of sawdust mixed with bar oil packed in everywhere. She's good to go now.
 
Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I worked on a Stihl Weed Whacker today. On the side of the carburetor it said....wait for it...Made in China.

I had to look twice. What a world...what a world!


Zama was a family owned Japanese company in competition to Walbro, who moved their production to Hong Kong a decade or so back, then just over the border to the mainland.

Zama was sold around two years ago and is 100% owned by Stihl now.
wink.gif

They still supply carburettors to other manufacturers too.
 
Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
So Stihl has their carbs manufactured by their own factory in China. What a world...


Stihl has a factory making hedge trimmers, brushcutters and low end homeowner type chainsaws in China too, as does Husky, some Dolmar/Makita's are assembled there too (from German made, Dolmar and Mahle parts) in a Makita factory, and on it goes.

When consumers stop demanding the absolutely cheapest products available and China floats it's currency to more correctly reflect it's value, companies will continue to use China for manufacturing.
 
I have a Stihl FS 45 trimmer that's 9 years old now and it had the carb replaced on it last year.

My neighbor, a mechanic by trade, worked on it and wound up replacing the carb.

All in all, I can't complain about the trimmer or my Stihl chainsaw as for their age, I have spent very little money on them, as far as repairs. I usually just put them away and never "prep" them for winter storage.

But I am able to buy non-ethanol fuel....that helps!
 
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