Shindaiwa 488 no spark.

[chilkat]

As this is my first post here I will intro myself first. I live in a small town in Southeast Alaska and I heat primarily with wood. I have some mechanical abilities, but am not a small engine mechanic. I have a great running firewood bucking saw, a Stihl MS 261 C that is my primary saw for almost everything. I also have a small Husky for liming and brush work. And I have a Shindaiwa 488 which I bought new some time around 20 years ago. It has been sitting unused for much of that time. I am wanting to get it running again as a backup for the Stihl, should something happen to it for any number of reasons. Call it uncertain times. 

Thus far as the subject line says I can't get a spark. I have changed the plug, the ignition coil, and switch and plug cap. Still no spark. It appears that to keep going I would need to get a new exciter coil. But before throwing more parts at it I wanted to get other opinions as to what to check or do. 
Thanks!

[Guydreads]

After sitting like that, it could be the magnet on the flywheel has become demagnetized. I would just check and stick something metal to the flywheel magnet and see what kind of retention it has. It should be decently hard to pull away from it.

[chilkat]

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't considered the magnets. But the good news is that I did get it to run! I was digging deeper into it by removing the recoil just to see how much it would take to remove the exciter coil and noticed how gummed up it was with dried on bar oil from many years ago. After scraping, compressed air, and vacuuming and then spraying the contacts with electro clean I put it back together and got spark. It fired on the first pull, choke off and the third it was running! I can't say for sure if that was it, but that stuff was like tar all around the exciter.  It smoked out the exhaust a lot at first but after cutting a few logs it cleaned out and runs smooth! Sure can tell it doesn't rev as high as my modern Stihl 262 but it is a good saw as a backup. Plus I found 2 new in the box chains for it so I'm all set.  8)

[Guydreads]

That's great. Yup, oil, grease and all that from years of use can easily clog those things up. Glad to hear it was so simple. 

[Spike60]

Shinny 488 is a good and underated saw. Nice happy ending here and it didn't take you long to get there. I'd suggest giving it some occasional use and not letting it sit all the time. Maybe simple as you notice the chain on the stihl starting to go down hill, grab the 488. Keeps the back up saw fresh, and avoids working the stihl with a chain that's losing it's edge.

You guys would be surprised how many customers never use their back up equipment at all, and then when they actually need it they can't get it started.

[chilkat]

Shinny 488 is a good and underated saw. Nice happy ending here and it didn't take you long to get there. I'd suggest giving it some occasional use and not letting it sit all the time. Maybe simple as you notice the chain on the stihl starting to go down hill, grab the 488. Keeps the back up saw fresh, and avoids working the stihl with a chain that's losing it's edge.

You guys would be surprised how many customers never use their back up equipment at all, and then when they actually need it they can't get it started.

Good point on keeping the saws all in use. I always have rotated chains, flip bars around etc, from when I was milling beams for the house with a Husky 395 and now I will be rotating chainsaws as well! I was so pleasantly surprised when the 488 started on the third pull after sitting so long. 
So another question concerning fuel. I have been running the Stihl 261 on a 50 to 1 ratio using Stihl HP Ultra synthetic. Does anyone see a problem running the 488 on this blend as well? It would be a lot easier to not have to keep 2 cans of mix on hand.. Thanks

[sawguy21]

The 488 will do just fine on that mix.  8)

[Guydreads]

Yep, no problems with that mix. It's great quality oil, just fine. Also, welcome to the forum as you're new. Feel free to ask any questions, and we'll do our best to answer them.

[chilkat]

Thanks much guys for the help. Woodshed is full right now, but there will no doubt be blown down trees this winter so will grab the 488 and put some time on it when that happens. 

[Spike60]

My woodshed is full also, but I'll bet you'll be into yours before I am down here.

Kinda curious; how long is your burning season up there? Mine is generally October through April; 7 months.

[chilkat]

My woodshed is full also, but I'll bet you'll be into yours before I am down here.

Kinda curious; how long is your burning season up there? Mine is generally October through April; 7 months.

Oct through April we'll feed the stove 2 or more times a day, Sept and May it is usually just one fire in the morning, or sometimes none. June, July and Aug no woodstove activity. It's a nice break! Our house is just a few hundred yards from tidewater so we don't see the bitter cold like up in the interior. Zero F is about as cold as it ever gets here..