Stihl MS 180 hard to pull start

Bob Hedgecutter

Moderator
Staff member
Local time
4:13 AM
Joined
Sep 12, 2021
Reaction score
516
Location
Way Down South New Zealand
Yes, thats the muffler- was going to get you to check the spark arrestor screen under the louvred front grill was not carbon clogged- looks open in your photos so we can scratch that one.
 

amphoterik

New member
Local time
11:13 AM
Joined
May 22, 2023
Reaction score
6
Location
Ohio
Ok, I will take a video today and maybe the visual / audio will help spark (get it?) something
 

Bob Hedgecutter

Moderator
Staff member
Local time
4:13 AM
Joined
Sep 12, 2021
Reaction score
516
Location
Way Down South New Zealand
Looks pretty normal to me?
Id say you may have missed it "pop" on full choke and continued to pull the starter and flooded the saw.
Now it is cleaned out and dried up some, it should start and run if using the "as per manual" starting procedure- on the ground and foot on the pad of the rear handle.
 

amphoterik

New member
Local time
11:13 AM
Joined
May 22, 2023
Reaction score
6
Location
Ohio
Ok, will give it a try. I've only ever tried on closed choke (as per the manual), but will double check my process and go from there. Thanks!
 

Bob Hedgecutter

Moderator
Staff member
Local time
4:13 AM
Joined
Sep 12, 2021
Reaction score
516
Location
Way Down South New Zealand
I have not looked up the specific procedure for the 180, but I know the newer model 250 is very touchy and you must only pull the rope through its entire stroke 3 times before moving from full choke to half choke- or the saw floods.
 

amphoterik

New member
Local time
11:13 AM
Joined
May 22, 2023
Reaction score
6
Location
Ohio
DUDE! It worked! Thank you so much for all the help. Once I reassembled it, I tried starting it with only the half choke (even though the instructions said to start with the "closed choke") and it worked fairly quickly.

Again, can't thank you enough!
 

Bob Hedgecutter

Moderator
Staff member
Local time
4:13 AM
Joined
Sep 12, 2021
Reaction score
516
Location
Way Down South New Zealand
Don't know what your previous procedure was, but it might have been a miscomprehension of the procedure as you do not fully start the saw on full choke.
From cold- set the saw master control lever to full choke, pull the rope for 2-3 full extensions and you should feel and/or hear a "pop" of ignition, that first initial fire that lets you know fuel vapours are meeting the combustion chamber in correct proportions.
It is at that point you move the master control to half choke and pull the rope again and half choke is the engines actual starting position, once running a blip on the trigger brings the saw from fast idle to normal idle.
Think of it like full choke is the priming position, half choke the actual start position.

Trying to fully start the saw on full choke leads to excess fuel dumping into the combustion chamber and crankcase leading to flooding- which is where I think this all started at.
After some use and a few more starts from cold- it will become second nature to you.
Now go and enjoy your saw. (y)
 
Top