Stihl MS500i

[lehman live edge slab]

You buy the 462 and send your 044r this way

 

[lehman live edge slab]

So now that stihl seems well on there way to all efi saws a person now needs to figure out how to get the protected software and hook ups. My tree service friend is for sure buying the ms 500i when it’s out but has me fix all his saws. He won’t go to the dealer which is where stihl is pretty much trying to force you to go to. I’m going to look at the husky auto tune stuff but way I understand I can buy it all outright if I want too because husky doesn’t care.

 

[thesawincanada]

Nice saw but in talking to a friend of mine that owns a Stihl dealer he avoids selling the fuel injected saw. He always points them to the carb models. Reason is concrete saws run in a harsh inviroment, saw is out of warranty in a short time. When the customer comes in with running problems, it ends up being the injection pump at $360 for the part plus labor. He is tired at customers flipping out at him. All because some dirt got into the fuel tank. A word of warning for people wanting to buy this new saw. It’s the same fuel injection system as the concrete saw they’ve had out for a few years.

 

[thesawincanada]

Way cheaper to do a carb overhaul or carb replacement than the EFI route. But I give 5 stars to Stihl for coming out with a fuel injection saw.

 

[nohoff]

The injection pump for the cutoff saw is about 20 Euro in Germany.
i swapped Pump, Injector and fuel lines for 200 Euro incl. labor

 

[thesawincanada]

A carb is $12 for aftermarket plus labor. A lot of people going to get burned when they have gas that is off or went bad. I’m just saying not trying to sound like a joy killer. It’s an expensive saw to purchase but more expensive to maintain.

 

[nohoff]

The injection saw is cheaper to maintain then the carb one.
I just changed pumps and 2 times the Injector because someone filled it with water and let it sit for weeks.
We have about 20 TS 410/420 and 40 TS 500i and most of the time those 500i s just need a new starter rope.

Most TS 410/420 had carb problems or bad intake manifolds.
And i think 22 USD OEM price is cheap compared to 12 USD AM parts.

 

[thesawincanada]

Your talking euros to us or Canadian

 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

@thesawincanada and @nohoff... Sounds like you both have worked on the TS500i. In reading the reviews on the Stihl site, it sounds like they had duds in 2013, and even then it sounded like fuel issues.

If I only ran ethanol free gas with HP2 always mixed at 36:1, would that solve most the issues? I have zero chance of trying a 462 compared to the 500i and am leaning towards the 500i. How well is the pump/injector protected against FOD?

 

[thesawincanada]

I was just posting what my friend said who owns a Stihl, husqvarna, toro, Honda Dealer said. I probably would buy one being the saw nut than I am.

 

[nohoff]

@Fairways_and_Greens
I don't know your gas quality in the US but we have only 5% /10%Ethanol here in Germany and they work fine with that.(all 1:50 HP or cheapest 2-Stroke oil available)
First TS 500 had problems with the pumps but they are easy to repair (it looks like carb without a venturi, same diaphragms)
The fuel lines had some bad batches but we had the same problem with the TS 420s.
The MS 500i got a new fuel filter that is now used on several other saws.
I think it can handle as much dirt as M-Tronic carb.

 

[lehman live edge slab]

The U.S has 87-91 octane with 10% ethanol or 91 ethanol free for small engines. I wouldn’t see any fuel issues with our gas unless your buying gas from a small remote station that takes forever to sell a tank of gas.

 

[thesawincanada]

In Canada we have shell 92 octane which is 100% ethanol free. Thank goodness for this. It’s all I use. Especially the summer blend fuel

 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

In Canada we have shell 92 octane which is 100% ethanol free. Thank goodness for this. It’s all I use. Especially the summer blend fuel

I've never had enough cans or foresight to get enough summer blend to last me through winter... You think there's that much of a difference?

Pure Gas has maps for the ethonol free stuff: https://www.pure-gas.org/maps

 

[thesawincanada]

They add anti freeze chemical to gas for winter months used to be methyl hydrate but now they add u guessed it ethanol. That’s what I’ve heard they call it the winter blend

 

[thesawincanada]

Simple test you get a plastic or glass tube add some water, mark the water line then add your gas if the water level raises you have ethanol in the gas. The fuel and water stay separated

 

[lehman live edge slab]

I’ve heard they put some extra things in the gas to get it to burn more readily in the cold temperatures. They still sell non oxy fuel all winter, just blended to vaporize better in cold.

 

[bwalker]

I've never had enough cans or foresight to get enough summer blend to last me through winter... You think there's that much of a difference?

Pure Gas has maps for the ethonol free stuff: https://www.pure-gas.org/maps

Why would one want to use summer blend fuel in the winter? Makes for hard starting.

 

[bwalker]

I’ve heard they put some extra things in the gas to get it to burn more readily in the cold temperatures. They still sell non oxy fuel all winter, just blended to vaporize better in cold.

I work at a refinery and we simply add a little more butane to our winter blend. Makes the fuel slightly more volatile which helps with cold starts.

 

[thesawincanada]

What would keep it from freezing in your gas tank