Awesome Shop Service

[qbilder]

My saw quit firing yesterday so I swapped plug & still no fire. Tried yet another plug & still no fire. Everything looked good, so I took the ignition coil off & asked the local shop to sell me a new one. The fellow refused, said that I need to go home & keep searching because the coils on those saws just don't go bad, and he didn't want to sell me a $122 part I didn't need. I explained to him that I noticed the gap was noticeably wide, so he gave me the specs for setting it & gave me a few other ideas to look at. Well I put the saw back together with the coil gap set at .010", and the saw fired up first pull, no choke. That surprised me. I was only wanting to see if it would fire up. Usually takes a few pulls. Not this time. Strong spark!

I have no idea how the gap spread enough to not spark. I suppose vibration could do it, but nothing seemed loose. Regardless, it didn't have spark before, and it does now. I think I might just go buy a few chains today & say thanks. It's nice having a great shop near by.       

[chainsaw dog]

I d bring him a pizza and a six pack.there are good shops out there .ihave. a few up here.

[sharkey]

Great story and even better outcome.  Im curious what kind of saw were you working on?

[Full Chisel]

I know shops both ways.

One with strict list price policy and not an extensive parts counter.  Or......

Two flexible pricing and well trained staff, some who only work on small engines all day.

One shop will even get you a loaner if they had to send off something they can't handle or wait on parts. You'd be surprised how handy that is if you didn't have your push mower for awhile.

[ladylake]

I just had a 372 Husky in the shop where the screws backed out of the coil, found that after replacing the piston that was scored. Does anyone think those lose screws could cause the piston to score, the coil was rubbing on the flywheel .  To the OP either those screws were loose or worse you might have a bearing going out, no other way for the gap to get bigger.  Steve

[clww]

qbilder- That sounds like your saw guy is a keeper. ;)

[JohnG28]

I just had a 372 Husky in the shop where the screws backed out of the coil, found that after replacing the piston that was scored. Does anyone think those lose screws could cause the piston to score, the coil was rubbing on the flywheel .  To the OP either those screws were loose or worse you might have a bearing going out, no other way for the gap to get bigger.  Steve

If the screws were loose at the coil perhaps they were elsewhere also, definitely some other ones that could toast it.

[ladylake]

 Both the cylinder mounting screws and carb screws were tight, the 2 most likely to toast it. I didn't check the case screws but after 4 tanks it's still running a bit rich at just over 7/8 turns out on the high. It could have been just a dirty carb which I cleaned.   Steve

[qbilder]

The saw is an ms460. Everything about the saw is great, just lost it's spark. I ran it today for several hours cutting mulberry & it never had the slightest hick-up. I have no idea what was wrong, except that somehow it had too much gap between magneto & coil. The guy coulda sold me the new coil I asked for, and the saw would have ran like a champ, and I wouldn't ever have known different. He saved me $122 and gave me 10 minutes of his day. Pizza & beer may not be such a bad idea.

   

[Ianab]

At very least go back and thank him, and buy something that you do need. Spare chains, oil etc. Even if he's not the cheapest, he deserves your business. 

Ian

[AKDoug]

Sounds like a good shop. Not to toot my own horn (but I will ;) ) we do the same thing. I want my customers to come back and I never sell them something they don't need. I won't loan you my tools, but I've been known to check many things (like spark) for free. 

[qbilder]

Come to think of it, my shop owner's name is Doug  ??? Could it be? If so, I thank you very much.

[AKDoug]

Nope :D I'm in Alaska.

[qbilder]

Where at in AK? I plan on moving back up there in the next couple years. Wife retires soon & she's native, so no avoiding AK for me  :D Not that i'd want to. I love it up there.