How to Recalibrate The Stihl MS 500i After Mods

In this video I explain how to reset or recalibrate a Stihl MS 500i after basic exhaust and intake modifications.

[@froghollowfirewoodllc]

In my 42 years of cutting wood, by far the best saw I've ever had. Got two of them.

[@dougreid2351]

Terrific, straight forward video. I wish I had found it sooner! Subscribed tonight. Thanks again. I'll run my new 500 i for the first time tomorrow! DOUG out

[@glennllewellyn7369]

How did you go tiger? Australia

[@6900pilot]

I have a 500i I guess the high price pays off in situations like yours, an incredible saw full of technology and so simple to run. And they're a beauty of a saw.. I'm thrilled with mine. 👍🏻

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Right. Darn good looking saw!

[@6900pilot]

@Old Iron - Axe and Tool even better with a 28 inch light bar!! I wish ya many years of use with your saw..

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

@John I wanted the light bar but they didn't have any in .063. The saw shop said that stihl is phasing out .063 I'm not switching to .050 for awhile, got tons of .063 chains. Bastards.

[@6900pilot]

@Old Iron - Axe and Tool I'm not sure buddy, I got everything new with the new saw, I sold my old saw a stihl 029 super.. was a great workhorse..

[@curtisneill2007]

I threw every saw I owned but the 661 in the shop and run 500i almost exclusively. Unless I'm in a big stand and need the 661 to pull a 36 or 42 500i all day long.

[@mrsmel269]

thank you for my family's and my freedom brother . i want to get these mods for ours. just got her and only played with it for a little bit.

[@geszt]

A dealer can recalibrate the saw with the Stihl diagnostics tool. But that is mainly for diagnostics purposes. If the saw fails to calibrate it gives back an error code. Otherwise it is just as your dealer said. Just use it! The saw permanently calibrates itself at use.

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Correct.

[@Brian2bears]

Great video. Nice shop. Verified owner/operator who uses the saw daily and has refered to the owners manual....

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Hey thanks man. Your a rare breed referring to the manual!

[@Brian2bears]

@@old_iron_axe_and_tool I was referring to you sir, but I do read the manuals myself...

[@jonnyonthespot4629]

Thanks for the info.

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Any time!

[@billhackley3540]

first one lasted 60 seconds. factory defect. (fuel flooding issue). second one had hot start, elevation start issues 2 weeks in. 9 months in with patience i absolutely love it. up to 3' trees my go to bigger than my ol 660 comes in. 461's been on a rack. thanks for the video got mods coming. have no idea where my useless manual is

[@br-dj2ti]

Hey buddy question for you watching this video I see you have a bunch of Axe heads. I got about 6 axes recently made for me and I want to put linseed boiled linseed oil on them do you know how often I should do that and how many times at the start thank you so much

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

I recommend raw linseed oil for the first series of applications because it soaks in better. The old rule of thumb is once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for a year. Another technique is whenever you crack a beer and feel like obsessing over an axe!

[@br-dj2ti]

@@old_iron_axe_and_tool thank you so much I appreciate it.

[@tyharland1906]

He's right. Maybe alittle excessive, but yeah. Linseed/ boiled linseed oil works great. You won't be disappointed

[@richardflagg3084]

Your dealer is correct. Run it like you stole it. No different than an extreme temp or altitude change. In a few cuts it will acclimate to the changes. The only time it is recommended to recalibrate the 500i is when one of the electrical components is replaced. It has to be hooked up to the Stihl diagnostic kit (MDG1) to initiate a recalibration. It is the only MTronic saw that doesn't allow a field reset or calibration.

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Correct. Pretty awesome technology really. Although Im not sure it's classified as m-tronic, that's carburetor management?

[@richardflagg3084]

@@old_iron_axe_and_tool Yes technically it's called injection technology by Stihl. Not under the MTronic umbrella.

[@skatebanana156]

Did you end up having to trim your cylinder shroud for the max flow cover?

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

No. Some people trim a little tab where the filter seats at the intake. I didn't do it though.

[@skatebanana156]

Ya i left tab alone on the intake. The directions show modifying the cylinder shroud or cutting back the max flow cover so they don’t rub together. Have you had any issues with not having them trimmed back? Debating on doing it on my saw.

[@mungo47]

Did you notice much difference between the stock one to the filter and muffler mods one

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Ya, it cuts better. But a stock 500i is a great saw also. Definitely need ear protection with the Bark box on though. Can't go wrong either way.

[@michaelbyrne8083]

Sonora fly co 🤘🏻

[@centsofhumor]

Thank you for your service sir. Good info. Liked and Subscribed.

[@marcw7690]

What a Handle you have on your saw is it from am 661?

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

@@marcw7690 it's a 500i 3/4 wrap handle. They come this way on the west coast.

[@sandytoes8535]

How do I fix mine it cuts just fine but as soon as you let it down to idle it’ll last about 5 seconds and die completely stock air filters clean

[@glennllewellyn7369]

How did you go? Fuel starve? Australia

[@em4703]

The injection system on the 500i and ts500 don't need recalibration. Sure, doing those 5 big cuts speeds it up, but that's all it does, it's not a requirement and you won't lean out the saw if you cut in the summer at 100 degrees F, shut it off, turn it on in the winter and 10 degrees and let it rip (after warming up of course). It constantly recalibrates, and it's faster than how the autotune system does it. What I did notice that help is letting it idle for a minute or two when doing a cold start, it seems to run perfectly from the first cut that way.

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Pretty simple. Don't know why stihl couldn't just say that.

[@curtisneill2007]

Doing the process 100% makes a difference. The saw has all sorts of censors that just like Mtronic will calibrate itself while running but takes a solid bit. If a guy is willing to let his saw warm up and all that good stuff you might as well take the time to recalibrate it. I notice a pretty good difference. I run the 500i and 661C daily cutting timber. Anyone that says you won't notice doesn't run their saws wide open cutting timber for 6 hours a day in the PNW. I'm also friends with saw builders who are mad scientists and the calibration is a thing says them. Great video man!

[@ethan12313]

@@curtisneill2007has 3 sensors

[@Douglas-Fir]

You sound like you know what you’re talking about and I need an answer without going bankrupt at the local saw shop. Mine started leaning out randomly and dying, I had just filled up, it was raining and I’m positive I didn’t get water in the tank. I would prime it again and it would fire up and sit and idle forever but after any sort of throttle it would lean out and die again, I could keep it running by staying on the throttle. I changed the white intake plate that the max flow mounts to 2 weeks before the incident. when I got home that day the two torx bolts were loose I retightened and the next day it ran good for about 30 minutes and then started doing the same thing. Not sure what the issue could be and there is no real forums out there yet.

[@em4703]

@@Douglas-Fir Sounds like an air leak tbh, especially that part about the bolts being lose and running fine after tightening them. Take out the butterfly and make sure everything goes in together properly, together with the metal ring that goes inside the boot to keep it tight. Check the boot too. I'd also run some alkylated gas (Aspen, Motomix, VP etc) to flush out all the pump gas and remove that variable.

[@karollaskowski675]

Hello, do you have a link to the electronic version of this manual? Could you tell me how to calibrate STIHL MS 500i?

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

@@karollaskowski675 there's nothing you can do. If it won't recalibrate on its own, you'll have to take it to a stihl mechanic.

[@karollaskowski675]

@@old_iron_axe_and_tool Could you send me the link to the mobile version of the instruction you're reading? Because I don't have this manual

[@keithsheets6808]

Interesting..I purchased the same mods but according to rip saws they have a video that says use the diag software to put the saw into "recalibrate mode". Not sure what I should do now. I just want the most performance gain for my investment.

[@HanaBasara]

Nice👏🙋🇷🇴

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Thank you sir.

[@jimsworthow531]

Run it for us!

[@pickaxminingexploration3208]

It doesn't need anything. Just run it!

[@Nalla57]

Just seized my pride and joy 2 year old MS500i 😓😞, it picked up the rings by the exhaust port. And have checked but cannot find a reason , plenty oil around the moving parts . Will replace the cylinder kit and piston kit along with a gasket and seal kit , but would love to now why. Anyone else out there had a similar thing happen ??

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

I've not heard of a 500i seize up unless it was heavily molested. Yours stock?

[@Nalla57]

Stock standard running 45 to 1 plenty of oil around the place. I want to know why it's seized as well. Wouldn't have more than 200 hours on it.

[@johnventura2977]

You will have it the rest of your life, just don't drop a tree on it like I did!

[@old_iron_axe_and_tool]

Thats terrible. I put an oak right on top of a ms400 last winter. The ground was so soft that it just sunk in the ground, Nothing broke.

[@Florida239]

Best way to calibrate a 500 is get yourself a 661 and never look back

[@JeffGeorgalas]

Not.

[@swampfoxpicks6908]

Lol, til you run a 500i, stock they are great. But a ported 500i is next level, ported she's a bad bitch!

[@funkysawmanwright5077]

Couldn't give me another 661, biggest pos I've ever cut timber with....ever

[@glennllewellyn7369]

LOL, you guys.

[@willkelley7747]

Sonora !!!!!