my LT 40 idles fine, quits when cutting

[logwalker]

There is one thing wrong with blast cleaning a spark plug. It rounds off the nice sharp edges of the electrode and the ground tang. It turns out that it is much easier to get a good spark from a sharp edge than a rounded one. If you use the correct media for blasting maybe it wouldn't round the edges. Or take a file and renew the sharp edges. This would be a problem with a weak or failing coil. LW

[highpockets]

Ghessawyer,

I dont know if it would be Kosher to point my angry misused finger at PCS Power in Bosier City, Lousiana about his charging to fix work already fixed, ie, $47 to replace plugs, even though it was my third trip towing the mill 140miles round trip($50 gas/trip).  I guess I should not mention Rock specifically as I already did that in a three page letter to Onan regional.  So I will not.

These are the same bunch that sold me a $80.00 coil for a 20 h.p. Honda but did not seem to have time to help me with anything else.  The same coil is some $ 40.00 out of Plano, Texas.  Actually this guy was raised in the woods near me.  I think their main problem is that their business is lawn mowers and chainsaws and larger engines are not what they do.   

I am about 42 miles south of Shreveport. Where are you?  I may be able to help.

[MemphisLogger]

I'd second a look at the mating service of your pickup tube on the tank.

Mine started sucking air there and it was dying with the same backfire.

A bead of rsv hooked me up   

[chassawyers]

I FIXED IT!!!!!  Tried about everything I could think of and most of what was recommended here and by tech support.  If I had the hair I would have pulled it out.....nothing kept my saw cutting.  I went through it it cleaning and greasing and all that stuff I know how to do and it would cut for a while.  When it quit I noticed a wire on the alternator was moving.

I had the alternator fall off due to a bad weld at about 500 hours.  It broke the original electrical connector and I have been using a simple connector in its place.  The plug in the alternator has a number of pins and the connector was appearently contacting other pins some times.  I stripped some wire and kept the insulation off the wire and slipped it over the other  pins.  I cut 12 hours of quartersawn oak without a problem. 

Thanks everybody! 

[logwalker]

Good Job Chessawyers, You get the perseverance award. So many times it is something so simple. It just didn't sound like a electrical problem. LW

[Coon]

Atleast you figured out that it wasn't the wires in YOUR head that were shorting out.  Glad to hear that you got it fixed.  Gonna have to cut a whole whack load to catch up on those sawing hours to catch up now.  Oh well, I can see that grin on your face from ear to ear all the way over here. :D :D
Brad.

[sawguy21]

There is a lesson here for all of us. :D :D :D I have spent too much time chasing gremlins on the wrong trail.

[chassawyers]

Hey Highpockets...

I got er fixed.  Been cutting fine the last 8 hours and I have a new replacement wire setup to make it all nice again.  It has been sooo excellent to have the input from so many folks. 

In responce to your question, I live in Natchitoches.  If ya ever find yourself crusin our fine metropolis stop in fer some coffee.  Give me a call to make sure I am here....352-2244.  Deb will probably answer and just tell her you need coffee.  She will understand.  And if you want to get a break from the winter, COON from Skas.......  "yall come on down". 

[Coon]

chassawyers,   I would really love to but you see I gots to be here to boil down da saps and keep an eye on my logger.

You see the other day when I asked a friend with a skidder if he would do some custom skidding for me before breakup.  He said "sure what you you have in mind?"  Me:  "Well I would like to get atleast 20,000 bdft of spruce out and maybe more.  I can help you out with the falling and limbing provided I am not busy sugaring."  John says "Take care of your sugaring first.  I'll do the logging.  Besides your back can't handle the logging thing anymore day in and day out."
  The deal ended up being 50/50 split of whatever he can get out before breakup.  John owns a small cat that has a backhoe attachment on the back.  On the end of the boom he has manufactured his own cutting head that he uses to fall and limb the trees on the spot.  He then skids tree length with his timbejack line skidder.  At the landing his daughter and myself will do the bucking with chainsaws.  We expect to get in the neighborhood of about 80,000 bdft of saw logs out as well as numerous cords of tops for firewood which we will split as well.

Brad.