My take on the Stihl 500i fuel injected chainsaw

A look at the inside of the 500i and what makes them tick.

[@jyelynn1963]

Thankyou ! Some practical observations not just repeated from every other channel, newest fan from the south west of oz

[@phi376]

Some people tell me I’m crazy for letting my saws warm up. I think they’re crazy for not doing it. Thanks for proving my point.

[@ProSaw70]

The engine in a chainsaw is no different to any other internal combustion engine. They need a bit of time to warm up and get the moving parts lubricated. You wouldn’t hop into you car, start it and then hold it at redline. You are correct to let your engine warm up.

[@br-dj2ti]

How long should you let your chainsaw warm up for 30 seconds a minute what do you think

[@michpatriot9097]

I hold my hand against the cylinder head fins..when its uncomfortable warm then I start cutting.

[@Sensei948]

@@ProSaw70 oil mix 1:33 is ok ?

[@Andy-rp3ee]

@@michpatriot9097I like that advice

[@gunterbecker8528]

Very valuable information, great advice and helpful information about the 500i 😊

[@ProSaw70]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Bournefort]

Great information. I haven't seen any videos of the insides yet. Thanks for showing everything!

[@Redhackle]

Very informative. Will get one this weekend. Thank you from Canada.

[@stuartwhelan3258]

Great video especially the bit about the ecu and running idle before switching off . Cheers for that 👍

[@rooster3019]

Maybe I have not been paying attention. I had to learn the hard way to let the saw idle down for a few minutes to prevent hard hot starts or flooding. Yours is the first comment I have noticed suggesting this and why. It also helps avoiding vapor lock.

[@joshgreen5566]

Have two in the shop now. Crank bearings and having to rebuild them, my dealer said just weak bearings. He had 10 or 12 of them in there all for the same thing

[@jackrideout8669]

Great video mate! Have been running my 500i for a year now and I’m pretty happy with it, great power! The only negative is the air filter! Any work dry timber or anything like that just blocks the air filter up so quick. A pre filter definitely helps but it’s definitely a lot worse then the other pro saws I have used

[@julianalderson3938]

Lot of fullas use aftermarket foam filter. Say might help.

[@JS-oy6nn]

Maxflow air filters

[@gumwap1]

Really impressive saws. Only complaints are the mounting for the top cover (loosens with time), soft suspension, and they’re pretty thirsty. But so far, reliable, strong, smooth, and great power to weight.

[@bob_frazier]

Nice tour! Thanks.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Looks like an interesting channel Just picked up a 500i

[@SuperMarkbrewer]

Thank you very interesting indeed

[@MrHuntermikey]

Thanks for your tips. Great stuff

[@julianalderson3938]

Very good detailed vid. Thanx i figured fairy dust made em run. Just never knew, do like em tho smooth in light thanx bro.

[@ProSaw70]

Thankyou mate. Much appreciated.

[@timhannan4551]

Really informative video, thanks. Just wondering if you have seen any problems with the injector on the 500i since you made this video 2 yrs ago, I am thinking particularly of ethanol-related deposits blocking the injector. I would appreciate any opinions you had on this. Thanks and happy new year.

[@ProSaw70]

The injectors themselves seem to be very reliable. Luckily I’ve not seen any that have been exposed to ethanol fuel. It’s certainly something that I advise against using.

[@timhannan4551]

@@ProSaw70 Many thanks for your reply. Good to know that you have found them reliable. All the best.

[@richardf9137]

Good Information, Thanks!

[@luke0b708]

Thanks Mate. Legend!

[@benredmond8271]

Great video! Thanks.

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Hello from Northern Virginia, just subscribed 🚜🪵👍🏼🇺🇸

[@ProSaw70]

Hello mate. Hope you enjoy what I do. 🙂

[@hk93shooter]

just like a race car, you dont rip the quarter mile with out letting it warm up first. thanks for the parts check.dont need it but i really want a 500. maybe someday.

[@LabiaLicker]

G'day mate. How is parts availability for these saws? Am worried about things like the ecu going south. Being up there in the Blue mountains these saws must get a work out. How do you find these modern Stihl 462, 500, 661 for reliability? Putting aside user error of course.

[@ProSaw70]

Hi mate. Parts availability is good for these. You can buy every part from your Stihl dealer. I personally haven’t heard of an ECU going bad. They are an epoxy potted item. I have had one through my workshop that had one of the electrical plug seals compromised. This allowed moisture into the actual plug/terminal area. One of the male terminals corroded through necessitating a new ECU. I personally much prefer the 462 & 661. (I run a modified 661 myself) The 462 & 661 will be quite happy in the back of the ute. They are both solid & well built saws. The 500i has extremely thin case castings. (That’s why it’s so light) Unfortunately these thin castings are also prone to damage from impacts the other two stihl’s would shrug off.

[@LabiaLicker]

@@ProSaw70 Thanks for the great info. Do you offer porting as a service? Thinking of sending a saw your way.

[@ProSaw70]

Sorry mate I don’t do port work myself. That’s a very specific and exacting field and very few actually do it properly. There are only two blokes that I trust and use for porting. Both in northern NSW.

[@JS-oy6nn]

50:1 isn’t enough oil especially when you’re running stihl brand oil. Motul 800 2T, Schaffer’s 9000, maxima any high quality oil at 40:1 for a stock saw in commercial setting. Of course this is purely my opinion. Great video!!

[@ProSaw70]

Totally agree. 50:1 leaves no room for error.

[@om617yota8]

Stihl oil is garbage too, only JASO FB, very dirty stuff. So many JASO FD options more easily available, and cheaper. Lots cleaner running. My preference is Echo Red Armor.

[@6900pilot]

​@OM617YOTA there is stihl hp super, that's rated jaso fb ISO L EGD has a fuel stabilizer and is way better than the ultra, ultra is garbage for sure.

[@longy6612]

picking mine up this week cant wait to cut some wood with it 👍👍

[@ProSaw70]

Very impressive saws. Very revvy & light. Just don’t throw it around.

[@longy6612]

@@ProSaw70 would you reccomend opening up the exhaust at all after a few tank through it ?

[@ProSaw70]

@@longy6612 all saws will benefit from a correctly modified muffler. Just don’t confuse more noise with more power.

[@robertodebeers2551]

I recently bought a 500i. I'm sorry I did. The saw will not start as it should during intermittent use. My 044s and 362s start every time once warmed up. But not this bloody 500i.

[@ProSaw70]

There have been a lot of issues that I’m aware of. Hard starting is just one.

[@robertodebeers2551]

@@ProSaw70 Thanks.

[@shameelali2549]

I don't think that was a cold seizure,if it was it would be around the whole piston,looks more like dust sucking through the intake and scoring that side only cheers for the vid.

[@garyhaes1092]

What’s your opinion of the proper break in procedure for them?

[@glassjb]

The fuel injector is most proably an electronically controlled valve

[@glassjb]

No pump

[@christiancevero5349]

My worker put regular gas in mime cam it ne fixed

[@kenweis7913]

That saw will cost them their reputation

[@marynapier3962]

That engine case look thin

[@topspeederalmond]

THANK YOU A

[@andreasnorstedt3680]

Since it's on the inlet side isn't it likely it's caused by debris from that problematic air filter top seal?

[@ProSaw70]

If the saw ingests debris you’ll see scoring on the cylinder below the inlet port and wear in the centre of the piston skirt. This damage was on the sides of the piston.

[@andreasnorstedt3680]

@@ProSaw70 Damage looks centre enough on the piston to me! Occam's razor says everyone finds saw dust in the inlet from the top air filter seal and that's the simpler explanation (time for Stihl to sort that ASAP). That a pretty new ms 500i should have the issues you mention more than any other saw sounds implausible. I live in Husqvarna country and the pros hardly warm the saws up here and it's cold when they use em. I'm no pro, I give mine a little time, perhaps 15-20 seconds. Not so much idling since it causes carbon build-up and hardly generates any heat. On shut down a few seconds to dissipate the heat but no need to let it sit for 30 for sure.

[@egtarbforestry8415]

Love my 500i just drinks fuel like a alcoholic though

[@davehudson4607]

How long should you let the saw warm up?

[@ProSaw70]

Let it idle for about 30 seconds or so. Give it a few blips and start cutting. When you finish cutting, give it 10 seconds to idle down before you shut it off.

[@davehudson4607]

@@ProSaw70 Thanks for the information!

[@mikeskidmore6754]

Looks like it would be cheaper to buy a new saw !

[@ronsilva516]

So sad over 2’000 $ saw in us that is and for those cases to be braking like the do thing are just made so thin to make them lite sad sad

[@dragoslavpetrovic3616]

I ll stick with carburetor.

[@alanwatts9232]

Good video, thanks for that. Get saved and get off the grog. The less you have the better off you'll be, physically and financially. Go well.

[@tyroneclarke1666]

I started taking you seriously until I realised it was a beer drinking session lol.

[@ProSaw70]

Not sure one stubbie of beer while working in a hot shed on a Saturday afternoon qualifies as a “session”

[@smokefentanyl]

Lmao shit man, I wanted one until I found out that the case, is fucking nylon! Pfft a $2000 CAD saw after tax and the cases are not even magnesium pffffft no thanks, I’ll stick with husky. Even my 545 auto tune mark 2 is magnesium. No wonder the stihl is so light, oh and like you said, the exhaust port is sooo small there is not much room too to port it, what a piece of shit. Husky will crush stihl up into powdered fentanyl and snort it when they come out with a EFI saw… they have some beautiful magnesium cased pro saws, much much better quality and solid as a rock. Ofc it’s likely it will break if you are foolish enough to fell a tree onto it .. lmao thank you for the time you took to inform me. I’ll passs I’d probably adapt a 500i injector onto a husky myself before I get a 500i now. What a shame, so much for pro grade when it’s 80% PA6 GF 30

[@jarkkolouhe11]

Great video!