Second hand stihl ms064

[OG89]

I bought a second hand stihl ms064 off the internet for 900 New Zealand dollars. It arrived yesterday . It started fine, idled good, and cut really well ...for two cuts through a pine log . Then it seemed to get hot and stop completely. I let it rest for 15 minutes or so and tries again . Same thing happend. I rang I'm the guy I bought it off and he told me to run it on more of a 25:1 mix rather than 50:1 and to adjust the high carb adjustment 1/8 turn anticlockwise . I did this and now the thing won't start . He told me I couple send it back for a full refund but I really can't be bothered with that . I'm considering taking it into the stihl shop for a full service and hopefully they can tell me what's going on . Any knowledge and expertise would be much appreciated.

[sawguy21]

Welcome!  That is an old saw, the first thing I would do is remove the muffler and inspect the piston for galling or scoring. Doubling the oil mix and cranking up the hi speed mixture are band aid solutions at best. If you are not confident in your own abilities take it to a reputable dealer for analysis, that is a big chunk of change to throw away.

[OG89]

Thanks sawguy. I'll check out the piston right away . I guess I'm trying to decide if it's worth sorting out or if I should just get a refund and start my search again . Maybe I bought a dud from the start. I was so looking forward to getting the saw that the thought of sending it back is almost not an option. However 900 is a large chunk.. Anyway I'll get to work on the saw and report back . First step is to google what galling and scoring means 😅

[sawguy21]

When you look through the exhaust port the piston should be shiny and smooth, minor scratches are acceptable. Deep ones (scoring) are not. Galling is metal transfer from the piston due to overheating, it will be obvious.

[OG89]

And if I see scoring and galling , would it be best to send the saw back for a refund ? 

[Tacotodd]

YES!

[OG89]

Excellent , thanks tacotodd. Bit of a shame but I've packaged up the saw and will send it back on monday. After I get the refund of course ... I checked out the piston and it actually looked pretty non scratched from what my untrained eye could tell. Regardless , the hunt continues and in the mean time my ms230 will have to do . Cheers everyone 

[lxskllr]

You might have a different "landscape" in NZ, but I'd be leery of buying a saw that's been out of production too long. If your goal is to buy a working saw that needs to work, make sure you have good parts availability, and a good expectation of that availability continuing til you get your money out of the saw. IOW, if a $900 saw needs to work for you for 10 years to pay for itself, factor that into your purchase decision when estimating parts availability. If parts are drying up now, it won't be any better 7 years from now, and you'd still be 3 years from "pay off".

[OG89]

Thanks lxskllr, very true . I'll take all this into consideration when looking for my next saw. I'm a sucker when it comes to older models but I guess sometimes they are just a bit outdated. The O64 has been sent back to Auckland and I have received a full refund so all is well. It really was a nice saw to use ( for the four cuts I got out of it 😅) nice a solid and so much more power than I'm used to using . I think I'll look for something similar only a bit of a new model perhaps 

[Real1shepherd]

Older model saws are OK if you can buy suitable used parts in good quality. But there's kind of a formula....you take the used purchase price and add to that any parts you may have to buy other than normal wear & tear parts. If that total exceeds 3/4 the price of a comparable new saw, you're drowning.

Also, you should have the ability to repair said used saw.....all the way to splitting the case....because taking it to a dealer more than you would a new saw eats into the formula as well. 

Kevin