The Forestry Forum

I have an under 1 year old Dolmar 6100.  I've been having troubles where the engine RPMs will cycle up and down sometimes by as much as 50%.  When it gets severe, its almost impossible to use it.  The dealer has replaced the coil, replaced the carb, replaced the fuel line in the tank and replaced the fuel filter in the tank.  When I got it back from them, it ran great for about 2 tanks of fuel and then started acting up again.

It only acts up when it gets hot. 

Last time I cut it started acting up again.  I talked to the dealer and they said Makita wants it sent in to their factory repair shop.  Well.....I used it today and it ran great.  Just a little rich but otherwise never missed a beat.

So now I'm wondering why it had issues before and ran fine today.  The only difference is, its a lot warmer outside today then it was the day it was acting up.  I do have the port open that gives warm air to the carb and its in the winter setting.

Just wondering if these strato carbs are really finicky and need to be adjusted all the time or if I just got a lemon?

Did the dealer perform a vacuum or pressure test on the crankcase? I would be looking for an air leak, the finicky carb is just a symptom. The new carbs are pretty reliable and shouldn't need frequent adjustment.

Hi Sawguy,

No they didn't.  I also suspect an air leak.  Something is probably opening up when things get hot and expand.  I am sure that if the saw is sent to Makita it will either be repaired or replaced with a new saw.  The dealer will give me a Pro Saw to use while the Dolmar is away at Makita.

Mainly I was wondering if what I was experiencing was common with that saw in which case I'd trade it in.  But it sounds like based on what you're saying that the saw is not known for these sorts of problems.  Hopefully that means it will get fixed and be reliable.

First I have heard 6100 is usually good to go.  I have 3.
Shep

Rubber boot behind carb.

how about crank seal when cold it shrinks and worm it will swell had a husky like that 

you got a air leak , could be the boot, could be a gasket like the base gasket, is the cylinder bolts still tight , another thing to check is make sure your fuel line does not have a pin hole in it