So I've recently moved to the bush, which (down here anyway) requires having a chainsaw. I bought the best one I could find, that was big enough to cut through all the big logs that exist on my property. All good I thought. This chainsaw is the top brand in Australia, I'm sure you know which one I mean.

It starts first time, every time, as you'd expect. A brilliant machine. I've only had one tree fall on the house so far, and it didn't do much damage so it's all good.

Fast forward to last sunday, where it just wouldn't start. I tried pulling the cover off, cleaning the air filter, pulling the spark plug, seeing if there was spark (which there was), blowing down the spark plug hole, pulling the rope with the spark plug out, putting it all back together, changing the fuel for stuff that was at most a month old, the works.

Still no kick.

The next thing I know, I'm down at the local chainsaw place getting them to have a look at it.

And you know what they told me? It was flooded. Fricken FLOODED! At least the repair was free.


So this is a public service announcement for everyone who will, at some stage, come across a 2 stroke engine that's flooded. The magic trick apparently is to pull the spark plug, turn the whole machine upside down, pull the cord a couple of times, then put the whole thing back together. Two strokes have a pool of fuel around the crankshaft (hence the oil you put into the fuel) and when you turn it upside down and pull the cord it lets that fuel out. Hence clearing the flood.


I'm sure that everyone else in the whole world knows this, except for me. Well just on the off chance that there's another numpty in here that doesn't know how to start a flooded two stroke, that's how you do it.

Better to feel, than to be

First time I used my brand new petrol drive orange and white beastie I did a cut and jammed the chain.
Eventually got the blade out of the wood and it appeared that the chain had jumped the drive sprocket.
Pulled it apart found the chain was seated properly, put it back together.
Read the instruction booklet........
Released the safety brake
Went back to playing/ pruning.

Dad couldn't get the mower started one day, so he asked my mum to hold her finger over the end of the spark lead as he suspected the coil was not working. When she got the shock of her life, she asked if he knew that was going to happen. He said "yes", and she asked him why he got her to do it instead of doing it himself. He told her it hurts a lot more if you know it's going to happen.

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Harrow said..
Dad couldn't get the mower started one day, so he asked my mum to hold her finger over the end of the spark lead as he suspected the coil was not working. When she got the shock of her life, she asked if he knew that was going to happen. He said "yes", and she asked him why he got her to do it instead of doing it himself. He told her it hurts a lot more if you know it's going to happen.

Your mum must have a lot of patience. I think a lot of women would be pissed about that for a long, long time... Especially when its relatively easy to see the spark when the boot is held next to the metal frame.

I'm all over chainsaws and very confident with using them in all sorts of situations (even have a license to prove it!) Apparently we own a mower and whipper snipper, but as my wife does the lawn - I'm yet to use them.

Nebs I've been using them since Adam was a lad, never flooded one yet. Set choke, pull till it kicks, turn off choke and pull again till it fires, way you go

One that got me a year back was that I couldn't get my Stihl to fire up. It had spark, fuel, clean air filter etc. Bloomin wasp had made a nest in the exhaust outlet; cheeky bugger.

Just to add to this one, if you are going to tip upside down to clear fuel, make sure when you pull starter the the ignition is switched off. I know of two people who have turned their 2 stroke machines (one bike and one lawnmower) into a nice bonfire as a result of the spark plug cap arcing nicely as the fuel cleared

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firiebob said..
Nebs I've been using them since Adam was a lad, never flooded one yet. Set choke, pull till it kicks, turn off choke and pull again till it fires, way you go

Yeah same - never flooded a chainsaw - nice work!

My pro-tip: chainsaws don't cut very well at all when you put the chain on so it runs backwards, but don't ask me how I know

My first motorbike, pulled apart with my dad when it stopped starting, couldn't get it going again no matter what. Long story short a 2 stroke spark plug can fire outside but not when in place. Many hours lost when a new plug fixed it.

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Harrow said..
Dad couldn't get the mower started one day, so he asked my mum to hold her finger over the end of the spark lead as he suspected the coil was not working. When she got the shock of her life, she asked if he knew that was going to happen. He said "yes", and she asked him why he got her to do it instead of doing it himself. He told her it hurts a lot more if you know it's going to happen.

Dad did that to me one day to teach me a lesson .
After he stopped pissing himself laughing he told me .
If I don't know whats going to happen don't do it & don't just go blindly trusting people with my safety just because of my ignorance.
Told me his dad did the same thing & he got the same lesson .
I just couldn't do it to my kids but I told them they said I was an idiot & my dad was a not very nice to do that.
Still it would be funny so can't blame him .

Feel for you Nebs Running Go-Karts taught us a bit about two strokes, and how to make the little buggers go.
On the same angle with two strokes, my brother gave me a petrol powered whipper snipper, years back, saying it needed a kit due to diaphragm being perished.
Sorted easily
But, a few months later at a BBQ, sitting around bumping the gums with brother and mates, he asked me "how's that whipper snipper going" ?
I said " cuts real good, but a right royal pain in the butt to use"
How so he asks?
Well, I have to pull the plug, tip some juice in, replace plug, grab starter cord, hoik on it, as it fires up, hit the grass, but it runs out of juice within seconds, then I have to do it all again. Takes ages to cut the edges
Deathly silence for a bit, as most knew I was a mech-a-neck, and all thinking, what, he must be thick as two short planks???
Anyway my brother was gawking straight at me with his mouth open, then realised as brothers do, that I was pulling the pizz. So he went on with the joke, saying Yea, was a pain for him as well, that's why he gave it to me.
Took a few minutes for the mob, to take a swallow on a beer, look around at others in the mob, and finally realised, we were just pizzing with them.
Even today over a beer, some will still ask, "so did you ever get that petrol whipper snipper sorted"

One useful tip, may be most of you already knew of it. But I shall put it out for those who suffered the "unknown" like I did for a couple of weeks !

A whipper snipper I have ran very well since new for about three years. Then it started to become more lethargic. It won't rev up. I checked the fuel line for blockage. I cleaned the air cleaner. I took apart the entire machine to check the throttling mechanism. No good !

I was thinking at least $50 or more will part company with me if I pay the local lawn mower place a visit. So I consulted my mate John Goggle, and found out the problem was with the exhaust. This Stihl machine has a tiny mess shaped like a cylinder in its exhaust. Its purpose is to arrest the sparks to prevent accidental bush fire. It was clogged with thick soot! Obviously, it suffers from a severe case of constipation at the other end !

I soaked the mesh in petrol for a while, and cleaned it with a wire brush. It was quite a task as the black soot stuck on the mess like cement.

To make a short story long... It works well after that. Some one suggested that the exhaust can be removed altogether as it is a pain in the ass. I kept mine on as Stihl obviously knows a lot more about safety than I do.

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Jupiter said..
One useful tip, may be most of you already knew of it. But I shall put it out for those who suffered the "unknown" like I did for a couple of weeks !

A whipper snipper I have ran very well since new for about three years. Then it started to become more lethargic. It won't rev up. I checked the fuel line for blockage. I cleaned the air cleaner. I took apart the entire machine to check the throttling mechanism. No good !

I was thinking at least $50 or more will part company with me if I pay the local lawn mower place a visit. So I consulted my mate John Goggle, and found out the problem was with the exhaust. This Stihl machine has a tiny mess shaped like a cylinder in its exhaust. Its purpose is to arrest the sparks to prevent accidental bush fire. It was clogged with thick soot! Obviously, it suffers from a severe case of constipation at the other end !

I soaked the mesh in petrol for a while, and cleaned it with a wire brush. It was quite a task as the black soot stuck on the mess like cement.

To make a short story long... It works well after that. Some one suggested that the exhaust can be removed altogether as it is a pain in the ass. I kept mine on as Stihl obviously knows a lot more about safety than I do.

I had the same with mine as well.

The shop removed the muffler then removed the spark arrester mesh then applied a propane torch to the insides which burnt out the soot, refit the muffler without spark arrester and all good for another 10 years

I feel real stupid too...

Saturday = nice food + wine.

So I go to my cellar (cardboard box in the garage), and reach for my last 2009 Gramps Shiraz (special for me). I pick it up and under my finger is a huge cockroach looking back at me; my stupid instinct makes me drop/throw the bottle. As it was still in the air I was thinking you f'ing moron.

I had a pair of white/blue Nike Air Max, and a white polo shirt both have wine on them, and now the garage stinks of wine.

We would normally flick a flooded saw on,with no choke and pull till it fires .. Takes a few rips(dozen ?) but eventual they fire .. Newer saw have a different starting sequence when warm some husky's (562) need the choke flicked then the straight away back off to let the computer know it's a warm start or so I've been told .. It seams to work .. Stilhs I wouldn't choke if warm

I was about 15, two stroke Honda 125. Went like a shower of 5h!t with my scrawny body on it. Used to go out every 2-3 weeks. One time we get all the way out there, pull the bike off the trailer (only a few years old and reliable as they come) and kick it until I can't kick anymore. Try push starting it for ages, it's never done this, no riding for that young fella that day. I'm devostated as the boys ride off. We take it to the local bike mechanic. He works on it for a bout 6 hours until he finds the problem.

.....the rag I had left in the air inlet while I cleaned the air box out last ride.

I'll bet he felt almost as stupid as me that day.

Lesson learned.

I was about 18, jumped into my Premier outside the crowded fish and chip shop. Started it up, reached arm across seat and peered out back window, drove straight into the gutter...in front of me. Crowd inside shop applauded.

Lesson learned.

And I thought sailing with my fin scabbard on was dumb. I've even gone out without my harness on. But that's nothin:

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blueprint said..
Just to add to this one, if you are going to tip upside down to clear fuel, make sure when you pull starter the the ignition is switched off. I know of two people who have turned their 2 stroke machines (one bike and one lawnmower) into a nice bonfire as a result of the spark plug cap arcing nicely as the fuel cleared

Friend did this many years ago on a blueprinted 50 outboard after he flipped his powerduck in the surf at the Gold Coast....put it out by dumping sand into it....

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nebbian said..
....
And you know what they told me? It was flooded. Fricken FLOODED! At least the repair was free.

....

So we have a commercial product where it's meant to be a standard procedure to take out the spark plug, flip it upside down, pull the starter a few times, etc, etc, etc.

Sounds like an opportunity for an engineer to design something that actually works.