stihl 251

[slider]

Question about a stihl 251 cold starting. When it is cold it acts like it is locked up. We have broken 2 pull ropes so far. After it is started and warm it cranks fine .This is the only saw that i have that is doing this. Any ideas ?

[doc henderson]

mine does not do that.  how cold?  my bigger pro saws all have decomp. valves.  my 250 has easy start.

[sawguy21]

Before yanking hard enough to break the ropes it is wise to look further for the cause of the problem. Is the pulley sloppy on the post? The pully will then be off center and bind on the flywheel.

[slider]

Thanks Sawguy it is my older 251 ,i have 2 . I was not the one pulling on it .It was a loaner to a friend .I will check on that when it comes back. On my 500i when using the decomp it cranks then dies every time ,i just stopped using it .

[firefighter ontheside]

i seem to remember my dad taking his 251 in for same issue.  i think part of dads issue was weakness and not being able to pull like he used to.  he got it backfrom shop and had same problem again.

[Magicman]

I replaced an MS310 a couple of years ago because my old hands could not pull the starter rope when the temps dropped down. 

[Keepfixin]

I've had the problem of a "locked up" saw too. Also had a snowmachine the other day not wanting to pullover cold (-20) because I went through some deeper snow, about 20 inches, and believe it got moisture in the motor from sucking in all the humidity under the hood. So it basically could freeze up. My dad used chevron outboard 2 cycle mixed 32:1 in our 044 for years and never had that problem. Maybe because its has a tc-w3 rating? From my understanding it leaves a coating on the cylinder walls to prevent corrosion, but it doesn't have a air cooled engine rating so protection in hot weather with that wouldn't be the best in my opinion. Also another thought is to make sure your saw is winterized at the air intake. Either by removing a plug, switching a lever, or a removed plate to get warm air to intake so your motor runs warmer to prevent moisture problems. I also like to use a Stihl cold weather plate that screws to my 044 starter housing which covers almost half of the covers vent openings. Makes a saw run nice at -10 to -20. A piece of duct tape ran across the bottom is my go to with every saw though once the weather stays below freezing. So try to keep your saw dry, use maybe a 40:1 mix, and winterize. If it still throws a fit just bring it inside to warm up. :-)