Yesterday, I tried to fire up my FS45 trimmer, and it was very hard to start. 15 or 20 pulls to get it going, and then, it barely ran. giving it any throttle killed the engine, and it was spewing some black stuff out of the exhaust. I finished my trimming with my other weed whacker, then decided to repair the fs45 today. I checked the obvious. plug, air filter, even changed the fuel filter. no help. Then I pulled the spark arrestor, and it was completely clogged. I tried burning the carbon with a torch, but had minimal luck. I soaked it in some gasoline for 1/2 hour, dried it off and torched it again. still couldn't see much clean screen. Finally, I removed the screen, reinstalled the spark arrestor plug, and then the trimmer started right up on the 2nd pull, and ran better than it has in months.
My question is. is this screen Really necessary. other than to satisfy some government regulation?? Before I spend $20 for a new arrestor, which may clog up again in the future, I would like other opinions on this.
What oil to gas ratio are you running?
there are also a few OEM stihl arrestors on ebay for about $10-$13
What oil to gas ratio are you running?
there are also a few OEM stihl arrestors on ebay for about $10-$13
I run a 50/1 ratio in ALL my Stihl tools, and I run premium unleaded 93 octane gas. I saw the arrestors on EBAY and Amazon, and the "price" isn't any big deal. I just wonder if these things are really necessary. they look like just another reason for engine troubles. I suppose that if a person was doing some chain sawing or trimming in a drought stricken area with dry vegetation all around, they might need that small bit of extra caution, but around my area, finding a day or two without rain is often difficult.