How to Clean a Chainsaw Carburetor?

How to clean a chainsaw carburetor? This is a common question that comes in minds of people who use chainsaws regularly. The answer to this question is quite simple and easy to understand, but beginners may find it a little bit trickier. Technically, the condition of the carburetor is directly linked with the efficiency of the chainsaw, if it is in bad condition the engine of the chainsaw will not be able to acquire the desired mixture of air and fuel. Meanwhile, the carburetor is deemed a sensitive component that can go wasted if not taken care of properly.

If you are a beginner, you may find the process a bit perplexing, but after going through the following paragraphs, you will certainly become capable of cleaning the carburetor of your chainsaw. As a result, you will not only enjoy good efficiency from your chainsaw but also add to its life.

Without making any further delay, let us learn how to clean a chainsaw carburetor using an easy-to-understand technique. 

How to Clean a Chainsaw Carburetor – Step by Step Guide 

Cleaning the carburetor is very important in order to keep using your chainsaw in the longer run. If you don’t clean the carburetor of your chainsaw, at some point, it will not start or may stop while using it. The following is the simple guide you can look at to learn about chainsaw carburetor cleaning.

Step 1: Clean the Clogged Filter 

Before entering the carburetor, air passes through the air filter. If the air filter is clogged, it will not allow clean air to pass through the filter and enter the carburetor. Due to the absence of clean air, the carburetor is not able to provide the combustion engine with an appropriate mixture of fuel and air, and the engine will shut down or not start.

Although the filter is not the part of carburetor it is directly linked with it, so it becomes necessary to clean the filter to move forward in this regard. 

Step 2: Inspect the Wind Inlet Area and Clean It 

When it comes to cleaning the carburetor of your chainsaw, inspecting the wind inlet area and its cleaning is also very important. Cleaning the filter is not enough only, but cleaning the inlet area from where air enters the filter is also an inevitable part of the job. If you do not clean the inlet area of wind, there will be no benefit of cleaning the carburetor because the incoming air will again carry dust particles, and the carburetor will be clogged.

When you find dirty wind inlets, you can easily clean them using a spray cleaner. Spray on the sticky surface and then clean it after a few minutes. 

Step 3: Inspect the Needle Valves 

The third step is to thoroughly inspect the needle valves. If your chainsaw is not starting, there are chances that propane deposits have clogged the needle valve. This is a common problem caused that occurs when you add gasoline to your chainsaw. In this situation, it is recommended to get the needle valve out of your chainsaws and wash them properly before reinstalling. 

Typically, needle valves are responsible for controlling the flow of fuel in the carburetor, and when these valves are clogged, fuel doesn’t enter the carburetor and the whole process fails. 

Step 4: Clean the Pull Cord 

This step is a little bit trickier than the aforementioned steps. Due to the sticky residues, starting cord of the chainsaw gets harder to pull, and starting mechanism of the chainsaw becomes anguish. To alleviate these residues, the washing operation demands a consistent supply of fuel to clean the products.

Make sure that the cleaning process eliminates all the residues that make the pulling of starting rope harder. You may need to repeat this process more than once. 

Step 5: Change the Fuel 

Most of the problems associated with the starting mechanism of a chainsaw are linked with the carburetor; there is a malfunctioning in a carburetor that does not let your chainsaw start. Usually, the problem is caused by the propane that gets mixed with gasoline or old diesel. In this situation, it is better to empty the tank from old gas.

Changing the fuel of your chainsaw also eliminates a lot of problems for your chainsaw because gas does not possess any particles, so it is least likely to face a problem for your chainsaw due to gas. 

What Should be the Ratio of Fuel and Gas to Keep the Carburetor Safe? 

Maintenance of the carburetor is very important; otherwise, you may not be able to use your power tool in the longer run. The safety of a carburetor largely depends upon the type of fuel; if fuel is of low quality, the mixture of oil and gas will be poor and it will adversely affect the internal combustion engine.

On the other hand, if you are using fuel of high-octane number, you will rarely face any problem with the carburetor of your chainsaw. For this purpose, it is recommended to use fuel of high-octane number, and the ratio of gas to fuel should be 50:1.

Following the aforementioned ratio of gas to fuel, you can get rid of most of the problems associated with the carburetor of your chainsaw. 

Important Thing to Note?

If you want your chainsaw to serve you for years, you should store it properly. Before you store it for the off-season, make sure that you make the carburetor of your chainsaw fully empty. If you do not make it empty, there will remain some amount of fuel that might cause stubborn deposits.

This is how the efficiency of chainsaws gets worse. You can either run a chainsaw unless the carburetor is empty from the fuel or you can manually make it empty in an open place to avoid the fumes of fuel. 

Conclusion

The carburetor of a chainsaw is one of the basic components which directly affects the performance of the chainsaw. All details have been explained to help you keep the carburetor of your chainsaw safe and clean. 

Abiding by the given instructions, you will not only be able to keep the carburetor of your chainsaw safe, but you will also add considerable value to the overall life of your chainsaw.