# Stihl 026 won't start



## edsteeler (Aug 12, 2008)

The carburetor is new,new oil seals, new fuel line and filter, impulse line is good. Compression 160. Tried 3 other rebuilt carburetors. I got it started by putting fuel in carburetor, it ran bad and won't restart


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## finaprint (Jan 29, 2006)

The carb screws need to be pre-opened at least to a point the engine likes enough to stay running long enough to finetune it out. They don't come like that.

Probably wet-fouled the plug.


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## rokr (Oct 19, 2008)

Here is some info I found on how to adjust the carburetor.

Make sure that the air filter is clean and the muffler screen is clear. Start by setting the H & L carb screws to the default factory nominal setting. On the 026/260 that means turn the screws in and seat them *gentley* until the screw stops, and then back them off. Back the H &L screw both out one full turn. Start the saw and run it to warm it up with the bar and chain on it. With a tach, set the idle to 3300 RPM. Then turn the L screw in or out to get the highest idle speed. Reset the L/A to 3300 RPM again, and redo the process until you get the highest idle from the L screw. Usually it is a only hair one way or the other. With the L screw set, turn the L/A (idle) screw down until the chain stops running (with the brake off) and then another quarter turn past that point. 

Then set the H screw. At WOT, the saw should be set to run at about 14,000 RPM. It should burple or 4-stroke some at WOT. If it sounds clean, it is running lean. Do some cutting, and the WOT saw sound should clean up in the cut. If the saw bogs or does not cut well, adjust the H screw in or out a tad (1/16th turn) and do another cut to see if it cuts better. Redo the process until you get the best cutting saw with a burple sound running unloaded WOT. To see if the saw is running rich enough, do a good long cut at WOT. Then shut off the saw from WOT. Let it cool down and pull the plug. It should be chocolate brown. Light grey or white and it is too lean. 

If you do not have an adjustable H screw, all you can do is adjust the L screw. Run a tach to check the WOT speed, and it should be about 14,000.


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## finaprint (Jan 29, 2006)

Good method there that can be somewhat applied to other makes and models. So many do not grasp that the mixture screws have to preset at a certain point the engine will like and the plug must be new or dry at that time or it never will start. A wet plug can spark out of the motor all day long and will simply short down the side of the electrode when put back in the engine. You as well better be pretty good adjusting once it pops off or flooded again and right back where you started, a device that will not start at all. 2 strokes are some picky b-tches. 

The main metering valves in the carbs must never be messed with at all, they are critical to as close as a couple of thousandths and that off and you can kiss it goodbye. The typical height setting devices used just get them close and often you have to vary off that setting a bit to get the full range of fuel needed to work properly with the mixture screws. 

Like pointed out above, if the saw runs super clean at max rpm freewheeling then it will be too lean under a load and you risk piston seizure then.


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