# I need help with my gas chainsaw, please?



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I have a Husqvarna 445 chainsaw. It is nearly new, but I'm having a problem keeping it running. It's really easy to start, but dies again almost immediately. It idles very roughly and for a very brief time before dying, and if you try to accelerate, instead of revving, it dies. If I'm persistant, it will gradually idle more smoothly, and all of a sudden, it will rev up for me. I don't dare back off on the throttle once I have it running or it will die. And while I'm using it, it will run at full throttle for 5-10 minutes, long enough to cut up a tree or 2, and then all of a sudden, it starts to sputter and most of the time, I can't get it revved up again and it dies. 

Is it possible that I have some crud in the the gas and it is intermittently clogging the fuel filter? I figured that if the fuel filter was clogged, it would choke out the engine, but would it only be clogged part of the time? The gas isn't fresh, probably 6 months old, but it was stored with Stabil, and I added 2 cycle oil at the ratio listed on the bottle. The air filter has a little dust in it, but not bad. I blew it out with canned air, just in case. Should I drain the gas tank and strain all the gas before refilling the tank? Is there a way to clear the fuel filter or would I need to buy a new one entirely? Is there something else I should be looking at?

I really want to get our woodpile built up and the wind storm debris cleaned up, but without a dependable chain saw it's hard to do. I want to be more self reliant and able to service my own saw! I've learned to sharpen the chain, so I figure I should be able to learn how to do some basic mechanicing, right? I'd appreciate any advice those of you that are more experienced with saws can give me. Thanks!


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## Tamar (Feb 23, 2005)

Hi there,

My son does most of the wood around here and suggests to drain that gas, mix up fresh gas with the 2 cycle, and clean the fuel line because old gas can make a "gum" in it, causing the line to clog. 

You might also adjust the carburetor, it has plus and minus screws to adjust the idle. 

Worst case scenario is to find a local who knows how to do repairs and let them have you watch so you can do it yourself the next time.

Hope this helps some..
Tamar


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## Riverrat (Oct 14, 2008)

If it is a newer saw it does not have adjustments for the carb. Could be a dirty fuel line, take the fuel line of the carb, blow back through it, sometimes this helps. Check the filter in the fuel line, might need to be changed. How is the air filter, clean or dirty? gas that is 6 months old should not be the problem, I run gas that is that old 90% of the time with no problems. Change the plug, may not be working right, had that happen with a new plug. 
If these things do not work, it could be dirt in the carb itself. Unless you are real handy, do not attempt this yourself. Find someone who has worked on them and get them to show you how. You have to take it apart and clean it.....Good Luck.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

One other easy thing to check is the spark arrestor screen.....it may be plugged with a carbon build-up. The screen is over the exhaust opening on the muffler. Use a wire brush to remove any carbon on the screen.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

i agree with them probably plugged gas filter , i would clean up the hole saw , blow it off with the air compressor get all the dust off wipe it down then drain oil and gass , replace the gas filter , clean the air filter , pour some gas into the oil resivour seal and shake then dump 

new premium 93 octain gas is also a good idea , i always run premium in my saw i get more than a cord cut to the gallon so the 60 cent difference is worth it to me also my saw said that is what i should run in the manual.

make sure your funnel has a screen , and wipe the caps with a rag before opening for fuleing

if nothing else if it is that new your dealer shoud get the saw back to make it right.

my 2 year old sthil MS-260 has high and low idle adjustments , if huskys don't i just got another +1 for the sthil.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

When I mix the oil in for my saw, I add the correct amount of Lucas cleaner to the mix. I also always run the saw completely dry of gas when cutting. Those two things really make a difference.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Harry Chickpea said:


> When I mix the oil in for my saw, I add the correct amount of Lucas cleaner to the mix. I also always run the saw completely dry of gas when cutting. Those two things really make a difference.


are you saying that you run the saw dry before storing?


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Actually, I run the saw dry every time I use it. I do the same with my weedwhacker. Allowing gas to stay in 2 cycle engines just doesn't work for me.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

Former Husky dealer here. Chances are you have contaminated fuel. Do as suggested and dump it, rinse the tank and try fresh. If it still does it put in a new fuel filter. The filter is in the tank and you can fish it out with a small bent wire about 6" long. The filter just pulls off the line. If it ever got water in it the filter will hold the water and block the fuel and some additives will gum up the filter too. If the problems continue I'd suspect the carb is gunked and it needs cleaning. If you're not mechanical then have a dealer do it.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Thanks for all the advice - I KNEW if anyone had an idea of what to try, it would be our HT crew.  I stopped at Lowe's this morning after work to see if they carried fuel filters and air filters - that's where I bought the saw. I talked to the saw guy there, and he told me to just bring the saw back and he'd exchange it for a brand new one! I didn't expect that, since I had it for nearly a year before taking it out of the box and learning to use it. However, they are still selling the exact same model and I've only used it a dozen times or so. 

They do sell a 3 year service contract for $39 - I seldom buy a service contract for anything, but laptop computers, but I think this one sounds like a good deal. Just an annual tuneup would run me more than that. What do you think - get the contract or not? 

Of course, when I got home today, I fired up the saw and after an initial warm up, it ran much better! Go figger. :shrug: Maybe whatever junk was in it worked its way out. I'll use it the next couple days, use up the gas mix and start fresh with a new saw and new gas. Again, thank you to all that posted...I will save this thread for future refernce.


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