How to Start a Stihl 180 Chainsaw

The question of how to get a chainsaw can be divided into two parts:

  1. According to instructions
  2. What to do if you can’t start

Information from the first part will be useful to those who have lost the instruction, or to those whose instruction is uninformative.

The second part will tell you what to do if you did everything correctly according to the instructions, but the chainsaw still does not start. It will also be useful to those who have a bad chainsaw.

1. We start the chainsaw according to the instructions

Different chainsaws can start in different ways. We will analyze the two most popular mechanisms that are used to start a chainsaw that exist today. For example, take the Stihl MS 180 and Echo CS-352ES chainsaws. If you have a different brand of chainsaw, then just try to start by analogy, since most likely you have the same or similar mechanism.

Before starting the description of the start-up process, I want to note that for some chainsaws, the instructions say that before starting the chainsaw, you need to turn on the emergency stop brake. They say it’s safer. However, with a fixed brake, it’s more difficult to get a chainsaw, so it’s better to unlock it. If you do everything wisely, then the chainsaw will not do anything to you during startup. If you are afraid that without fixing the brake of the chainsaw, when you are trying to start it, it may harm you, then it’s better not to take up this tool at all.

So, let’s start with the Stihl MS 180.

    The first thing to do before starting this chainsaw is to move the control lever to the lower position (Fig. 1). Note that this lever moves on the chainsaw to the very bottom only if the throttle button is pressed. Therefore, hold down the throttle button and move the lever down. Thus, we close the shutter in the carburetor and fix the gas at the chainsaw in the pressed position.

How to Start a Stihl 180 Chainsaw

Fig. 1 After you have done this, then to start the chainsaw, you begin to jerk the starter handle with an energetic movement, until you hear that the chainsaw has tried to start and then stalled. After that, we translate the lever for adjusting the position of the damper at the chainsaw one step up (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2

  • In this position, pull the starter handle again until the chainsaw starts up. At the same time, if it turned out to start, it will immediately work at high speeds due to the gas handle being fixed in the pressed position.
  • Then, once we press and release the gas button on the chainsaw. the adjustment lever by the damper will automatically fall into working position (Fig. 3), and the chainsaw speed will fall. Now you can work.
  • Fig. 3

  • If you need to start a heated chainsaw, then you just need to put the lever in position, as in fig. 3, and you can start.
  • To stop the operation of the chainsaw engine, raise the flap adjustment lever to the upper position (Fig. 4).
  • Fig. 4

    Now we will analyze the second second mechanism, which allows you to start a chainsaw.

    Video: How to Start a Stihl 180 Chainsaw


      First, before trying to start, turn on the ignition by moving the toggle switch or chainsaw switch to the appropriate position (Fig. 5).

    Fig. 5 Then we press the swap primer several times (Fig. 6). Gasoline is pumped into it and after that we press it another 3-5 times. If you have a chainsaw without a primer, then go to the next step.

    Fig. 6 Now on the chainsaw we fully extend the lever for adjusting the position of the shutter (Fig. 7). In some chainsaws, in order to start it, this lever can be extended only when the gas button is pressed, while the gas button itself will lock in the pressed position. Others do not need to press the gas button. True, in this case, the gas on the chainsaw is automatically fixed or not fixed at all.

    Fig. 7

  • Next, pull the starter handle until the chainsaw makes an attempt to start and stalls. After that, we push the lever for adjusting the flap position back to the stop on the chainsaw and pull the starter handle again until the chainsaw starts up. In some cases, in order to start the chainsaw, the lever for adjusting the position of the flap needs to be retracted only halfway, and it must be fully retracted after the chainsaw has started up.
  • Chainsaws with fixed gas have high revolutions after starting. Where there is no fixation, the speed is low. In the latter case, due to low revs, the chainsaw usually stalls for a short time. In this case, without adjusting anything, we start the chainsaw again and this can happen several times until the chainsaw warms up a bit and can already keep speed and not stall.
  • To start a hot chainsaw, just turn on the ignition by moving the corresponding toggle switch, and you can pull the starter handle.
  • 2. Why does not the chainsaw start?

    If you did everything according to the instructions, and the chainsaw never starts, then something is wrong with it. Tom may be the fault of some of the most common reasons: no spark; no fuel is supplied; air filter clogged. So, below we offer a procedure that will help identify the reason why the chainsaw does not start.

    Procedure if your chainsaw does not start

    The first thing I would like to note if you do not start the chainsaw. do not twist any screws on the carburetor. If you are not an expert, then you still can’t set up something on your own and you won’t be able to start a chainsaw.

    Perform the following actions necessary to start the chainsaw in the indicated order, starting to do the action under the next number only if the previous one did not help.

    1. For starters, try just leaving the chainsaw alone for 5-10 minutes. Perhaps during the winding up, a candle was filled in her. this happens. Then try to start again according to the instructions.
    2. Remove the housing cover on the chainsaw, take out the air filter and try to start without it. If the filter is dirty, it should be washed in soapy water and dried or replaced with a new one.
    3. Unscrew the spark plug from the chainsaw. Check for spark. If there is no spark, then try to put a new candle. If the spark did not appear, then this means that the ignition unit is damaged and the saw needs to be carried in for repair. True, visual observation of the spark does not yet mean that the ignition unit is in good condition. If there is a spark, but the chainsaw still does not work, do the following on the list.
    4. If there is a spark, but the candle is wet, then turn the chainsaw to drain excess gas from the cylinder if it has accumulated there. Pull the starter without a candle 10-15 times to ventilate the combustion chamber. Calcine the candle and tighten it back, but rather change it to a new one, if any. Try to start again according to the instructions.
    5. If the candle is dry, then put one or two cubes of gas mixture into the syringe and fill it into the cylinder. Try to start a chainsaw. maybe a small speck has got into the carburetor, which prevents the fuel from getting into the combustion chamber. It is quite possible that this mote will be pulled out by the stream formed after starting the chainsaw by adding fuel directly to the cylinder.
    6. Unscrew the muffler and remove it, being careful not to spoil the gasket between the muffler and the engine. Try to start without a silencer and air filter. When removed from the chainsaw muffler can be viewed inside the piston. If there are burrs or nicks on the walls of the cylinder or piston, or the ring on the piston is trapped by burrs, then you will have to be very upset, as this means that the piston is damaged or worn. This usually happens when oil is added to the fuel mixture. With such a malfunction, you will have to contact the service, and perhaps think about buying a new chainsaw, since replacing a piston is quite an expensive operation.

    Thus, we discussed in this article, how to start a chainsaw "on the instructions" as well as what to do if a chainsaw will not start. We hope you find these tips helpful.