homelite chainsaw stalls


  #1  
Old 11-30-09, 01:51 PM
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homelite chainsaw stalls

I inherited a Homelite d3300 chainsaw. It looks like it has never been used and I had no problem getting it started, but when I tried to get it to accelerate it would stop. I checked the "L" needle and it was turned counterclockwise as far as it would go. Thank you for any suggestions.
 
  #2  
Old 11-30-09, 04:02 PM
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Sounds to me like the carb needs to be taken apart and cleaned at the least.
 
  #3  
Old 12-02-09, 05:15 AM
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Smile Hello

I agree with Cheese,

But before you ever pull apart a Carb do the gas lines first and retry to start it. It may fix the issues.

Next do not attempt to repair a Carb you have no idea on what you are doing. It is very easily damage and cause more headaches. A new Carb is 30 to 150 bucks some times.

But let’s say you do know what you are doing and the Carb has been rebuilt. Then follow the stuff I have written.

So after you rebuilt the Carb hopefully you did the Welch plugs as well. If not you still could have an issue.

The Welch plugs are covers over the well that the maker made in order to drill what I call the jet holes in the Carb. The Manufacture needed some way to drill these holes so they made an open sunken area and drilled tiny holes. Some carbs have 1 or 2 and even 3 small holes under the Welch Plug. Now the Welch plug is that funny odd color spot on the Carb, some small circle some large, some triangle, some rectangle. Various shapes and sizes. Zama has their style and Walbro has there and Tecumseh has theirs and so on.

There are special tools to remove and to reinstall these.

If you do not have any and attempt to take them out and replace I suggest testing your skills on some junk Carbs. It is a talent to do this right.

Some have very small holes drilled under them, so small I had to use a very fine sewing needle to clean them.

I say this once remove the Welch plug and clean the area well then reassemble it. Not doing this will leave fragment of material under the plug and just reclog the holes and give you nothing but headaches.

So let’s say you know what you are doing to this point and the Carb is cleaned and reassembled.

Here is what to do next.

Adjust the L needle and H needle in this fashion.

Take the L needle the entire way in not to crush the seat. Then one complete turn out form what ever visual spot you had. You must watch this as well.

Repeat the same with the H needle. Again be careful not to take the H needle the entire way in. You do not want to crush the seat. This could cause funny running issues.

Check Spark, Clean the plug.

Again the gas lines before you try anything.

Next place the Carb back on making sure all gaskets are in good shape.

Now try to start!

May run rough at first and might stall. Then take the L needle and turn it ever so slightly open. Leave the H alone. That will be later.

Then try again. First we have to do is get this thing to idle. Once it idles on its own and warms up we will then mess with the H needle. Now let’s say it is idling but rough sounds shaky but is running. We have 2 ways to go here on the L needle only. Left to close and or right to open. So I recommend right to open more. The engine should reeve up and as you turn ever so slow slightly, it will get rough and stall. Quickly close back the needle not to stall the engine. Then go close and do the same thing and it will struggle and begin to stall quickly open the needle again until it runs smooth. In between these 2 points is the sweet spot. Play in this sweet spot until your ears thinks it sounds good. We will have to come back and play here again.

What you are attempting to do is find the sweet spot for idling, not to rich and not to lean. This is a small area on the L needle. This has to be done first and you have to feel the and listen to the engine. The engine will talk and will tell you hey I am ok or hey I suck.

Ok let’s say now you found the sweet idling spot. Sounds good and idles really well.

Leave the idle alone, do not go back. Your brain will say yes but you have to stay away.

I love to let my engines idle for about 10 minutes. This allows the engine to heat up evenly and any other issues it may have will appear. You know the Carb is working, so what we are trying to find is any other hidden issues lurking in the engine.

Ok let’s say it does work well and is still idling. Now try to reeve it up.

It may choke out at his point. If it does restart it and now we will try the H needle.

Now if it did choke out by trying to apply speed to it and you have restarted it now just like the L needle turn the H needle a little to the open which is richer and start it. Slightly reeve it until is starts choking and back down and once again ever so slightly adjust the H needle. Then as it smoothes out slightly increase speed/gas and adjust the needle until it is smooth of at least running with the throttle wide open.

As in the L needle adjustment the same will be with he H needle, Once you have full throttle and it is running slowly open the H needle until it acts crappy and then back down until it closed and starts acting crappy and then back in the middle until once again you find the sweet spot.

Now once high is done L may need a little adjustment. But it should idle fine and power up nice.

Now you may run into an idle to mid range stall or bogging noise. This is the L needle adjustment ever so slightly as you are trying to increase gas.

What I do is not touch the L needle with this mid point issue, what I do is take the idle screw on the throttle assembly and raise rpms to that point where I hear it and stop staying slightly in it but not enough to kill the engine. As it sits there I then ever so slightly adjust the L needle and raise the RPMS and see if it a steady and or smooth transition out some, it should from low/Idle speed to high power range.

Then I do it several times and then slowly reduce the idle screw and bring the engine down just below the clutch engagement point. The tool will run high and seem high but all the makers say the idle should be just below the actual clutch engagement point.

I believe the reason is as the unit gets older and the clutch wears it will snap more is idle is low and you grab it and reeve it up. Also I found out this mid stall or bog point is almost that that engagement pint as well.

So have the RPMS up just so the clutch starts to catch but not engaged.

There you have it Carb adjustment and should run nice!

I hope I have helped!

Henry
 
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Old 12-02-09, 03:25 PM
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Henry,
I would consider myself a novice, however I was able to take a carb apart from a John Deere Snowblower with a Tecumseh engine, and successfully reassemble it and it worked! But these sound a little more complicated. I'll give the gas lines a try. It's a shame to just discard the little saw, but the replacement at HD would be about $100 which is probably less than it would cost to have someone fix it.
Thanks for the help!
 
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Old 12-02-09, 05:26 PM
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Smile Hi

I understand, but these little carbs are more tricky and a pain in the butt.

Give me the number of it and I will see what I can do for a rebuilt one and or a new one for you.

I have 7 avenues for parts and stuff and I rebuild them for a living.

I will help you!

Henry
 
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Old 12-02-09, 07:43 PM
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It's a Homelite 16" d3300 UT10880 that was purchased from
H.D.
 
  #7  
Old 12-03-09, 03:56 AM
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Smile Hi

Gotcha,

But ont he Carb it self will be markings. First you will find the makers name ZAMA, Walbro, Then other markings like CIQ, HDL,HDA then a number 028 so on.

That is how those companies know what rebuild kit you need.

The kit is cheap 10 bucks.

But working in it is the hard part with out the right tools!

Henry
 

Last edited by Weed Eaterman; 12-03-09 at 04:19 AM.
  #8  
Old 12-03-09, 09:37 AM
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Before you start taking the carb apart I would suggest you visit the carb manufacturer's sites they have great technical info about their carbs, after you get to the site select Service/Aftermarket tab. Also pull off the restriction caps from the carb so you can make the necessary adjustments. You may find it not necessary to install a kit, if you do install a new kit use the old metering arm, unless it is very worn, as it has the proper height setting. Have a good one. Geo
Welcome to USA Zama
Welcome to walbro.com
 
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Old 12-03-09, 12:28 PM
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Geo,
Why did the manufacturer put the restriction caps on in the first place? Could you explain what a "metering arm" is? It should not be worn because the saw looks like its brand new and never been used. My assumption is that it never worked correctly but they never bothered to return it.
 
  #10  
Old 12-03-09, 01:05 PM
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The caps are a requirement by EPA for emission purposes and are there to restrict the adjustments made by the homeowner, they work ok when the product is new and everything is clean and flexible. However, as a product ages there will be a buildup of dirt, varnish and the diaphram becomes less flexible and as all this happens the caps restrictions will not let you make enough adjustments to compensate. The EPA idea is you take it to a dealer or buy a new one, some of the carbs require special tools to access the adjustment screws and arent sold to the consumer. Before making any adjustments to the screws, screw them to seat, counting the turns so you will know where they were when you started playing. The metering arm is the part that allows the needle to raise and allow fuel to enter the carb, if it is set too low it will not allow enough fuel into the carb, if set to high it will allow too much and fuel will run out of the carb, which is why it is best to use the old one. Do not use wires or drill bit etc to clean the tiny holes in the carb as there are tiny check valves(tiny discs of mylar) in some of the holes, use spray carb or brake parts cleaner, I prefer brake parts cleaner as it doesn't leave a residue. Have a good one. Geo
 
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Old 12-03-09, 02:20 PM
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Great info Geo

Nice Info Geo,

to be honest I never have used Brake cleaner, was afraid it would be too harsh.

But hey if you are and it works better, I am willing to try it. I was afraid of the rubbers in the Carb would react to it.

I kow today you have to be very careful with cleaners.

I know some makers will tell you in their manuals that some cleaners will destroy the rubber material they use in the Carbs.

I have found some rubbers swell and react to some cleaners. I used a ECO Green Type Cleaner that you mix with water and that stuff swelled the seats and ate the paint in the dip tank.

I know that Purple stuff is very harsh and sweells and eats paint to.

So becareful.

That is why I used Carb Cleaner only, I didn't want to risk this happening again.

I also discovered this little steamer. Man what a job it does. I found it on line. I use it to steam out the holes and help me rinse out the cleaner. It is great checking the holes behind the welch plug. Both of them work good together. The draw back it gets hot fast, but works nice!

I also use a small unltra sonic cleaner from Harbor Fieght it works great on the tougher Carb issues for me. It heats and uses unltra sound. That combination has been nice also.

Have a good day guys!

Henry
 
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Old 12-03-09, 04:35 PM
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Weed Eaterman and everyone;
If you have the Harbor Freight 95563 Ultra Sonic 2.6 qt. cleaner do not use it and their detergent for an extended period on the little cube carbs or it will oxidize/corrode/whatever the zinc and turn black on exposed surfaces, outside and inside. If you leave them in some bath cleaners for too long it will melt the mylar check valves, it you use too much pressure when blowing out the passages it will destroy the check valves. Use spray can stuff on the cube carbs. Have a good one. Geo
 
  #13  
Old 12-04-09, 04:37 AM
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Geo

You are correct,

I have been rebuilding small carb's for over 12 years.

Common sense needs to apply on these small Carbs.

I understand about the mylar check valves.

I did forget to mention the Cleaner that came with the sonic unit, I do not use it. It leaves residue behind and clogs the small ports. The changing color never posed a issue with performance. The wierd residue it leaves if you didn't wash it out did.

Also air is good if you do not ues on the Check valve, Steam is good if you do not use it on the check valve.

I am using it on the welch plug area to clear the small drilled holes that the welch plug covers. Not on the Check Valve!

The tech manuls on these are good and get into great detail.

As I stated before to a person not ever working on these carbs and do not have the right tools and exprience should stay away from taking it apart.

You should if you do not know what you are doing take it to a professional. taking apart the Carb yourself and not knowing what you are doing is risky at best and it casues the shop to do more trouble shooting to find the smoking gun with the tool.

You may pay more in the long run. Even though there is great advice here, nothing beats the real thing of knowing and exprienceing the real time issues really assosicated with the Carbs themselves.

Even though we are trying to help some information can be delievered and taken wrong.

So if I left something out or mis feed information I am sorry!

I was not trying to confuse anyone! Just share many ways of doing it simpler and easier and faster with great results.

Have a great weekend!

Henry
 
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Old 12-04-09, 02:16 PM
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Henry,
The carb is a Walbro and it has two numbers on it, 941 and the other is either WT433 or W1433 I can't tell. I'm going to try and adjust and clean it this weekend and see how it goes.
Thanks again for everyones help!
 
  #15  
Old 12-07-09, 03:48 AM
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Wt

It is a WT.

Ya it makes me mad also that they label them so poorly some times you have to guess or use your exprience to figure it out.

I also have a direct e-mail to a tech and he helps me with numbers all the time.

Just recently I found a Kawaski Engine with a Walbro Carb on it. No where in the books was the Carb number listed. E-mailed hima nd he gave me the carb for it. It is no on back order.

Walbro exspecially make specific carbs for other makers and some times you have to dig.

I had a n ECHO SRM 260S and the book said one thing and carb refused to work. E-mialed the Tech and they had made a change in the factory due the card venture and placed a different card on the Bush wacker. So what was in the book was diffenret form what the maker made a change on.

So you would think this would be easy but it s more difficult than people know.

As for the Carb here is the manual for a WT,

Service Manuals

allot of good info here to help you.

read carefully.

Henry
 
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Old 12-07-09, 11:45 AM
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Smile

Geo,
I couldn't get the restriction caps off, so I took a sharp knife and cut the plastic to allow it to turn a little bit further. That seemed to do the trick, it started right up and off to the wood pile I went!
Thanks to everyone!
 
  #17  
Old 12-07-09, 03:27 PM
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Success is a wonderful sound. Have a good one. Geo
 
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Old 07-28-10, 01:50 AM
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Exclamation Check the spark arrester first!

I had this same problem and checked all the usual suspects first; Air filter, spark plug, fuel filter ..all where cleaned and replaced but still the problem persisted.

I tried altering the fuel mixture on the main jet by turning the H screw on the carb. Not knowing which way to turn it, I used the simple trail and error approach. Turning it one way then the next to see if it improved the problem. No dramatic improvement was evident.

After reading this thread I decided to pull down the carb and clean and inspect it. Paying special attention to the needle and diaphragm operation because the carb was flooding with fuel. I could see fuel/air mixture flowing back through the throat of the carb when trying to start it without the air filter attached.

After finding I could see nothing wrong with it, I replaced it using the existing gasket. No result!

I gave up for some time when I was thinking about it one day. What about the exhaust?

Pull off the exhaust from the front of the chainsaw. On the port through which the hot gases exit, you will find a fine mesh of wire. It's there to stop sparks from exiting the system and starting a fire. With long term use, especially with fuel/oil mixtures rich with oil (we all tend to do this just to be 'safe') carbon buildup will occur on the mesh, right up to the point where it almost completely blocks the exhaust. This happens as a matter of course, so every unit is prone to it, just like fouled spark plugs. Long before the engine won't run, there will be severe loss of power. Eventually the saw will start but stall every time you squeeze the throttle open.

Every chainsaw needs to have it's spark arrestor cleaned about every 2 to 3 years with regular use.
 
 

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