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Freeland Power Equipment Repair
MAINTENANCE
Benefits of Regular Service
Servicing your small engine tool or toy on a regular basis offers many advantages over the Wait-Until-It-Breaks Maintenance Program.
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By establishing a service schedule, you will gain confidence that whenever you need the unit it will be ready for use.
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By performing a number of service functions together, you will save time. You can pick up all needed parts and lubricants in one trip to the parts store. Then you need to disassemble a component only once to perform numerous service procedures rather than taking it apart many times.
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Regular service gives you a chance to visually inspect the entire engine and related components for damage, wear, and other potential problems.
TUNING
Carburetor adjustment is critical on chain saws and other two-cycle engines. An adjustment that is too rich will cause a saw to smoke, have insufficient power, result in additional carbon build up and may damage the engine. An adjustment that is too lean will also produce insufficient power and is more likely to damage the engine through lean seizure. The correct carburetor adjustment will allow the saw to produce maximum power, extend the duty cycle of the engine, produce minimal smoke, idle smoothly, rev up nicely and give trouble free service.
An over rich carburetor adjustment is when the proportion of fuel in the combustible air/fuel mixture is so high that the fuel does not burn well. The burn does not produce much heat, so the power stroke is weak. The partially burned mixture is expelled into the muffler and exits the saw as smoke. An over rich condition causes carbon buildup and will plug the fire screen and cylinder ports if run for a period of time. Outside of carburetor adjustments this can also be caused by having too much oil mixed with the fuel, and/or old stale gasoline.
A lean carburetor adjustment is when the proportion of fuel in the combustible air/fuel mixture is so low that there is not enough fuel to burn. This also makes a weak power stroke and causes the saw to have insufficient power. In addition to low power, a lean condition causes the cylinder temperature to rise, which often leads to seizure. A lean condition also allows for excessive RPM which often leads to big end rod bearing failure. Other causes for a lean running condition include lack of oil in the fuel mix, and when the fuel tank runs empty. Always stop a saw before the tank runs completely dry. Be sure to use the correct gasoline:oil mixture ratio recommended for your chainsaw.
PREVENTITVE MAINENANCE
As the term suggests, preventive maintenance requires that a small investment of time and money be made periodically to avoid a greater expense down the road. This is especially true of high-revving chainsaws. Because they're air-cooled, usually are used under extreme conditions, and are often expected to perform beyond their limits, the gasoline-powered cutters demand more than just occasional attention. You should typically service your saw before it starts to act up, but, short of that, you should at least be knowledgeable of the warning signs that will indicate your machine's ready for a check-up. Difficult starting is probably the most common problem, and this can be caused by anything from stale fuel to a bad spark plug On the other hand, a loss of power at full throttle could be a sign of a dirty air filter or a clogged exhaust chamber. And even with the engine running perfectly, you may find that you have to really lay into a log to get it cut, with only a chattering chain and an overheated bar to show for your efforts. If this is the case, it's time to sharpen that chain, before its dullness can cause further complications.
Storage problems are a primary cause of small-engine failures. But lack of maintenance runs a close second. Nothing likes to be worked hard and put away wet and dirty. Have your equipment prepared to start the season before you store it at the end of the season. We can help you with that by making sure your equipment is ready to go all of the time.