Is The MS500i A Good Saw?

[whitesnake]

View attachment 420639

I know all about it.

Damn near lost your bark box!

 

[sawmikaze]

Damn near lost your bark box!

Woof

 

[whitesnake]

I don't think any Autotune, M-tronic, or fuel injected chainsaw is a good idea for a fire fighting crew. I've had a lot of people tell me that they have had the same experience you had.

Old school still has its place. Or…m18 Milwaukee! lol

 

[whitesnake]

Woof

Hey it would’ve made the saw even lighter.

 

[Ketchup]

Looking thru the service manual, and the diagnostic process in the MDG doesn't tell me much at all about that sensor Kalab.

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That’s very helpful actually. @NateSaw was convinced that sensor is a barometer. I guess it reads temp as well. That all tracks with traditional fuel injection. Based on the problems the 500 squatting in my shop has, I think the control module has an auto shutoff level for case pressure.

Thanks Randy!

 

[Woodwackr]

Hey it would’ve made the saw even lighter.

And quieter.
I took mine off and modded the muffler myself. Same performance, less noise

 

[sawmikaze]

And quieter.
I took mine off and modded the muffler myself. Same performance, less noise

I agree.

 

[Gearshifter]

Looks like my 500i I got at a pawn shop really cheap! It had low compression , no pull start handle and made a hell of a noise in the clutch.

Plugged decomp , new clutch and new elasto start . I thought it was gonna be a real fix it upper but It has monster Compression and is my most reliable saw after replacing those parts

 

[Woodwackr]

Looks like my 500i I got at a pawn shop really cheap! It had low compression , no pull start handle and made a hell of a noise in the clutch.

Plugged decomp , new clutch and new elasto start . I thought it was gonna be a real fix it upper but It has monster Compression and is my most reliable saw after replacing those parts

Sometimes ya get lucky

 

[2000ssm6]

Impressive, makes me feel good I’m still running an old school 044 though.

 

[Dustin4185]

Respectfully, I have had the complete opposite experience in the same circumstances. I’ve personally blown up 3 on fires. I don’t know if it’s because with all the weight reduction they can’t handle heat as well as the older models, but my crew has gone back to ms 440’s and 460’s. They have a bad habit of boiling the gas as well making them run like garbage until they cool down, whereas when a 440 starts boiling they just keep going. I’ve heard complaints from multiple crews from multiple locations and agencies that they’ve had the same issues, it seems most are related to running them with whatever local gas and oil and ratio then going to a new location and getting different gas and oil and usually a different elevation, after about 3 tanks they just quit running, won’t restart, let them cool down and they’ll restart but won’t idle, hot restarts you have to reprime them, etc. Kind of sad, the 500 was supposed to be lighter and make more power which is perfect to hike with and cut hotline but not if they don’t run

Interesting. What part of the country are you in? I’m in east TN and we aren’t on wildfires. All of our stuff is Rx fires. Sometimes they get a little sporty though. I still have two NIB 461s that I will use if we start having issues like that. That is what’s great about these forums. People can share info across different parts of the country.

 

[Dustin4185]

I don't think any Autotune, M-tronic, or fuel injected chainsaw is a good idea for a fire fighting crew. I've had a lot of people tell me that they have had the same experience you had.

The thing is, that’s going to be the only thing available in the future I’m afraid. They better figure it out!

 

[Mastermind]

The thing is, that’s going to be the only thing available in the future I’m afraid. They better figure it out!

Stihl has the 261, 362, 462, 661, and 881 in adjustable versions.

 

[Stihlalltheway]

Interesting. What part of the country are you in? I’m in east TN and we aren’t on wildfires. All of our stuff is Rx fires. Sometimes they get a little sporty though. I still have two NIB 461s that I will use if we start having issues like that. That is what’s great about these forums. People can share info across different parts of the country.

R3, pretty hot and pretty dry. Rolled out to Louisiana and the 500i would not run right if at all, had to go back to a 461. I’ve heard the same from people in R9 and R1. And yes, our RX’s also get wild, the national push for fuels reduction is making things easier

 

[Woodwackr]

The only time I’ve had fuel boil like that was at 8,000’ in summer. All 3 saws…
An old timer there suggested new gas.
Dumped them out, mixed up new, problem solved. That particular batch had a pkt of fuel stabilizer. Hmm. Never used that stuff again.
The 500s do run cooler with a basic muffler mod.

 

[Stihlalltheway]

We run stihl motomix out of a 55 gallon drum. If it was up to me we wouldn’t. I’m sure that doesn’t help the situation, but regardless, the 500’s boil quicker than any other saw and run like dogshit after. Got one we’re working on right now, I bucked a decent sized ponderosa just to get it to lay flat on the ground prepping a road. One tank of fuel, boiled the gas, didn’t run right the rest of the assignment, had it reset at the dealer, ran a tank through it hoping it would retune itself, still won’t run right, won’t even idle for more than 5 seconds when warm. Stihl diagnostic says nothing wrong, gonna have to throw parts at it until it’s right

 

[Stihlalltheway]

For the record, I don’t hate the 500i, and I definitely think it has its place. I have my own personal one that Kevin ported, and I love it. I just don’t think it’s the best option for what I do.

 

[Dustin4185]

Stihl has the 261, 362, 462, 661, and 881 in adjustable versions.

I know they do now, but for how long? I’ve not kept up like I should have, but was part of that due to not being ableto get the control modules due to C19 or the Ukraine fiasco? Maybe I’m thinking of something else. We have two regular carb 261s at work.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

I've boiled gas in all kinds of saws here in South Carolina, especially the older mag saws . Really only Husqvarna's saws have given me trouble on restart? When it's 99° with a real feel of 108° the fuel caps of any saw practically jump into your hand! When unscrewed.
A few guys at work have gotten the 500i but it most spends time riding around and looking good.
Stihl mix gives me a wicked headache so I stopped using it after a few years, added benefits of not having carbon buildup also.
Heat is a relatively easy thing to test for operation control, I'd pour a bottle of cool water on my ProMac700 when milling with it ,the evaporation would would keep the temps reasonable.
If particulates from fires are the problem a prefilter might help .

 

[redline4]

We run stihl motomix out of a 55 gallon drum. If it was up to me we wouldn’t. I’m sure that doesn’t help the situation, but regardless, the 500’s boil quicker than any other saw and run like dogshit after. Got one we’re working on right now, I bucked a decent sized ponderosa just to get it to lay flat on the ground prepping a road. One tank of fuel, boiled the gas, didn’t run right the rest of the assignment, had it reset at the dealer, ran a tank through it hoping it would retune itself, still won’t run right, won’t even idle for more than 5 seconds when warm. Stihl diagnostic says nothing wrong, gonna have to throw parts at it until it’s right

Are you pushing fuel through with the primer on the hot restarts or just pulling it over?
You going to make it to Steve's this fall too?