Stihl MS 461 Chainsaw! HARD To Start! LOW Compression! What Happened To This Saw?!

Check out this heavy use, owned by Hydro - Stihl MS 461 Chainsaw! It was dropped off with starting and running issues. What could the problem be? We are going to find out! Come with me, let's DIG IN!
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[@chrischiampo7647]

Excellent Diagnosis Erica Love All The Videos 😊😀😊👍🏼 The Thing I Like Most is Your Thoroughness in Your Diagnostics 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@hdhhc5555]

Darn.... I'd buy that saw. Put a hyway piston and cylinder on it, give it a clean and it's a revived saw.

[@Terry_Baker]

Glad I'm not the only one who gets up around 4am.

[@rickthelian2215]

That was interesting, servicing on a regular bases May of caught it earlier .

[@Allesschrauber]

Hello Very Nice Video. I like your calm style and profesional work. We saw it on the Spark Plug that the saw was running lean, and a smitch of Grey told me the Piston left the Chat. Thanks for the good work and Greetings from the Stihl Land Germany.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you for being here! I appreciate you!

[@asamelia5124]

I put a small film of dielectric grease on the base of that filter, help seal it better and catch anything trying to sneak by

[@almclean4835]

I really enjoy this type of video where we see the problem and them see the cause, keep them coming 👏👏

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

More to come! Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it!

[@holleyman1970]

Too bad saws don't come with an exhaust pyro. That would have shown up pretty quick, lean is mean.

[@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849]

I've always loved the 461, but I have always thought that Stihl dropped the ball with the filtration system.

[@wrstew1272]

Five dollar tube ruined a thousand dollar saw. Operator should have noticed it running lean 😢

[@larryleonard3922]

That was a fabulous educational experience, thank you!!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pflqr]

I love Canada

[@Dopest_diecast2003]

I really appreciate you.Teaching people knowledge , it's a dying Work force / Career But I self-taught myself everything about small enginesi'm pretty decent at fixing on. So I appreciate you teaching me more knowledge. I worked on a husqvarna 128ld And it also had pistons scoring. I believe it was because he ran it without an air filter. Or it was running too Lean, but I'm pretty sure it was the air filter.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you! 😊

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Depending on the saw, orientation of carb, carb design and how fast it’s pulled over they can absolutely be started with NO impulse involved whatsoever. The piston going down will create suction on the intake side and draw a very little bit of fuel up through the idle and main jets through the venturi of the carb. Once it’s started it very well CAN run. You won’t get any power out of it and it might not even spool up enough to be anywhere near usable, depending on the saw. But it can run long enough with enough effort to roast itself. I’m not sure the “straight gassed explanation” applies here because if someone is dumb enough to straight gas it they won’t be smart enough to know what an impulse line is, where it is or what it does, and if it would cover their mistake. I think it’s an honest failure due to “reefing” on it to get it unstuck. Reefing….😂😂😂 Excellent work again!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Exactly! Everything you just said is right! 👍

[@tuberocker69]

Coffee and chainsaws make me extremely happy! ☕🌞☕

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Meee too!!

[@Lee-JayGessell]

My people

[@stevetheriault4164]

GREAT COMBINATION😁👍👍

[@johnrhodes7487]

Cool diagnostics Erica. Great video

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Glad you liked it!

[@SpruceGoose-qx8zj]

That poor saw. 461's aren't cheap. I have 2 of them and I love how they perform. I clean them after use all the time. I guess it's just a habit now. You do excellent work lady and your videos are enjoyable to watch❤ The fact that you're a lovely lady is just an added benefit😁

[@edwardmarshall5059]

Another top video. Thanks for the effort and concise narration. Wonderful. I learn so much from you.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

My pleasure!

[@wernerkeggenhoff7835]

What type of plug do you use to plug decompression valve ?. Pitch on threads ?

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

The plug is 10mm x 1.0 Stihl part number is 1122 025 2200

[@waholoopesorry74]

I love these videos and the channel. Subscribed. I flip broken lawnmowers as a side hustle but I enjoy all kinds of small engine repairs

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@slaznum1]

beautiful job as always, so, if this was "special" like grampas saw, a new piston, jug, rod and main bearing to sort it out?? Is there such a thing as over boring these? probably not worth the time?

[@patrickvennard838]

Hopefully you can sell them a 462 now. I think they are the best 70cc saws on the market and I am a Husky man.

[@mikesfarmmikesfarm3977]

its hard to ask someone doing this for a living to give up even more free time (besides making vids) to dig in further to show us. I really enjoy sharpening my diagnosis skills and get to see the real root cause. thx

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you for appreciating this fact. It is hard to find time , and I don’t have time for everything I want to do. I enjoy making these videos for ya’ll and I will continue to as long as I see interest in this content.

[@xx3868]

Worse, the bearings all would have been way lean even if the seals wernt effected, so you would have to safely replace everything and the seals when you are down in the case. Very sad as that hose could easily go unnoticed but unlike a 4 stroke, its critical especially with 50 or 40 to one that it gets all the oil. I run all my old ones with off the shelf oil 25/1 and richish but i guess it would have suffered eventually with same issue.

[@scottfoster2487]

This saw has a long bar ,this had me cracking up,to me a short bar is a 32 incher. Typical gov saw ran like like they stole it,Maintence is a after thought ,sad mindset to have. The new enviro fuels are lethal to saw life. I seen so many saw killed from the worthless decompression .Greasing the base of the air filter helps keep fines out.

[@ronbeatty516]

The coroner-mechanic of chainsaws makes the cause of death known. Thanks for the adventure!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

I love this! I am the “coroner” of chainsaws around here and I may use this or talk about it in a video! Thank you!! lol

[@gillgetter3004]

Really liked that diagnosis, and especially finding out what happened to kill it👍👍

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

I just have to know what happened!!

[@danstevens2204]

A little bit of grease or rubber grease on the base of the air filter prevents and debris sucking underneath. My 500i didn’t seal from new. Added a rubber washer to the spigot and greased the air filter base and have had no issue in 4+ years.

[@waholoopesorry74]

With small air leaks you may be able to tune around it for a period of time... but with an air leak like that, I don't think any amount of tuning could have saved it

[@ClarenceOlsen-o2g]

Very interesting.enjoying the video content,love the channel.cheers

[@PDAUSRC]

Beautiful opening sequence. Are those solar panels auto seeking the best angle?

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Yes they are! They were confused on this morning.

[@dcvariousvids8082]

I can only hope the water company, takes more care of the water, than they do with their chainsaws.

[@mattw5729]

Thank you for taking your valuable time to teach us.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

My pleasure!

[@Juzzy520]

Well who’d ve thought that?? Well done you!!🍺🍺🥰🥰🤘

[@DaddyyCrab]

I was told that you should let the saw warm up a cpl minutes before using because the exhaust side gets hotter than the intake side causing it to score the cylinder.

[@dujeamizic3588]

Well it is shame that piston is damage...and i would not repeare it

[@rtoguidver3651]

I hate the chain break, but I admit it did come in handy once or twice, that's not enough to put up with it the rest of the time.

[@1u5t1n]

How the hell did it even start without the impulse line? Lol

[@jasonsayre8102]

Last I checked it needs that to run the pump. Unless it was part way off then came off the rest of the way during tear down

[@robertmailhos8159]

That is a great idea to flip the chain bar every time you get the chain replaced or sharpened

[@REDLINERUNNER]

There goes again poor JASO FB oil...

[@Nativetribe69]

Hi i got a brand new ms250 cut a few trees broke my throttle got it replaced by the dealership since then my chainsaw doesn’t start like it normally did, it floods if i dont start it with wide open throttle. Told my dealership told me nothing was wrong i definitely know its not like when i bought it please help?

[@Nativetribe69]

I live in Qc canada would there be any way i could send you my chainsaw i would totally love to support you instead of my dealership they are not honest and only want $$$

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

You can email us at [e-mail]

[@ls2005019227]

Excellent job diagnosing the issue! Saw diagnosis/repair are definitely my favorite videos, & apparently I'm not alone, looking at the view counts- Thanks!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you!!

[@jonathanweiner1002]

Thanks, Erica. Another great video. This is a serious question: How do you keep your fingers so clean while you are working on the saws? My wife complains about how dirty my fingers and fingernails get while I am working on my saws, even after I have cleaned up. Do you have any hand-cleaning tips?

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Great question, one I haven’t been asked yet. Weirdly, I use my hair to keep my fingers clean. Hair makes for a great scrubber in the shower! It’s really the only way I have found to get all the bits of dirt off my fingers I am also a gardener , and the dirt does a number on my hands (worse then chainsaws) A good shower scrubbing and a good moisturizer does the trick!

[@rooster3019]

Excellent routine, Can you explain why you plugged the de-comp? It is often the point of air vacuum leak, I plug mine for use, even the 72 and 90 cc saws. Given the oil was properly mixed, I do not think it was "the" oil either with a big air leak like that.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

The decompression valve needs to be removed to perform a vacuum test because the decomp can leak vacuum , however, the combustion side of the engine never experiences vacuum while running. I remove it so that if there is a vacuum leak somewhere else in the saw, I can detect it without the decompression valve interfering. This saw did not fail from the oil mix. It failed due to a massive air leak at the impulse line and the pressure in the tank gave it just enough fuel to continue running.

[@jjohnson2553]

Nice detective work. I'm glad you followed through with diagnosing the cause of the problem. I was very curious to know what caused the scoring.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@famasmaster2000]

Awesome find ! Nice work 👏

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thanks 👍

[@jamesmorgan1024]

I guess you couldn’t sleep

[@foxwood67]

4:40am comes early. You got me beat by 10 minutes. Great opening shot with the early dawn. Your thorough diagnoses are awesome

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

I do my best work early in the day 😊

[@danmcgivern1345]

Another awesome video.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joeherbert3590]

Fun video. Thanks.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@PatriciaRollins-h1d]

Hey Erica, my coffee is much better watching you fix saws in the morning. 😀

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

You're the best!

[@matthewprendergast7032]

Great video to do the forensic digging and why it died. See if you can get some shots of the Aurora sky up that way. Thanks again

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Great idea!

[@GarryBoyle-oe1ld]

I like you channel and enjoy watching you as you are very good at fixing these saws and you teach me a lot I am yet to buy a pressure test as I am leaning how to repear these engine ok cheers Garry from Australia

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Glad you like them!

[@Procharged32]

Great work well done.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you so much!! 😊

[@magicone9327]

You didn’t show an attempt to start it before you began your work. Did you attempt and it didn’t make it on the vid?

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

The recoil wouldn't pull out because of the state of the clutch.

[@nielso.kristensen8056]

Love seeing all the details and hearing professional explanations and assessments. Keep it up.🙂

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Much appreciated!

[@haneyoakie14]

I’m hard to start too without coffee. I think most of us are. 😊

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

It’s a couple to get me started!

[@haneyoakie14]

@@marriedwithsmallengines especially since you are up before 5am. Is that a normal schedule? My goal is 2am to 8am.

[@kygtx]

Awwwesome Content!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you! That means a lot!

[@Saltbearer]

Great vid!

[@mikejerrett7354]

You made that look easy 😊. Very interesting.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you! 😊

[@steveconroy1614]

How would the saw even start with no impulse to the carb?

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

It’s possible there could be enough pressure in the fuel tank to make it run , especially in hot weather.

[@travelswithbenny3328]

Good job! Very thorough. Enjoyed the viseo!

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Much appreciated!

[@Vinny-i8o]

Hello my friend nice job and coffee looks great 😊

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thanks so much!

[@michaelmcclure8673]

I wonder if they gave it tractor crack to start it ?😮

[@slaznum1]

laughing gas too

[@danstevens2204]

Straight fuelled for sure.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

I don’t think so!

[@brucebinnington]

Question could the decompression valve sillgive you a false teading during compression test?

[@My_cats4748]

Hi Erica 🖐

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Hi! 👋

[@henrybarker1159]

Good autopsy keep up the good work the comment on the black air is interesting where can one find the proper instructions for cleaning these air cleaners thanks for the effort

[@denisthemenace.]

Good morning

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Same to you!

[@stevefromlondon9175]

Your so clever great diagnosis love the video no stupid music Regards Steve UK London

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you SO much!

[@stevefromlondon9175]

Your so welcome l hope your not in any bad weather the US is having

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

The weather here is calm and quiet

[@alexbrown1995]

@@marriedwithsmallengines Down here in Australia it's finally warming up but a good rainfall would be nice. Love your work - very very clear and logical. Cheers

[@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950]

Good heavens, that was an early start to your day!

[@REDLINERUNNER]

I suspect oil the most!!

[@Drottninggatan2017]

My guess is that they straight gassed it. The tell tale sign is they filled the fuel tank up with overly rich mix, after the fact. And then they poked the impulse line off to have something to blame on. There is no way they could have started and run that saw without the impulse line. It is a completely different story if there was a crack in the impulse line or in the intake rubber, that will kill the saw exactly like this one. Ah well, they get a new saw, and the tax payers are paying for it.

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen impulse line issues. And as a matter of fact, I have seen a batch of brand new 461’s come out of the box from the factory with the impulse lines off / almost off. If that saw was straight gassed, the piston would have been scored all the way around. Amazingly, this saw “could” run just from the pressure in the fuel tank. Especially, in the summer heat.

[@briannelson6259]

I like how you show people who have little experience with small engines the steps for diagnosing it and what causes it to happen 👍 I have 40 plus years doing small engine repair. I always pay attention to the muffler. Is it oily, or does it look like it ran hot. I pull the spark plug out and see if it is the nice brown color or if it is grey or light tan. I always check the piston and cylinder for wear or scoring. I always check the mechanical side of it first 👍 Thank you for helping others out with diagnosing their equipment 😊

[@marriedwithsmallengines]

Thank you!!