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The Saga of My "Cheap" Used MS 201

jcarlberg

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Sometimes ya gotta learn the hard way.

Sometime last year I picked up a "cheap" MS 201 off the local buy-and-sell. Guy was nice enough, said he had got it at an auction. Didn't REALLY need it but for $350 Canadian or whatever I paid I figured "why not?"

Brought it out one day to cut out some brush; saw ran well for 10 minutes then started powering out; difficulty restarting, etc. Local small engine mechanic took it in, had it for a couple of weeks, said he went all the way through it, couple new carb parts, would be good to go. Charged me an arm and a leg; pretty much doubled the cost of the saw. Oh well, still a good deal for what should now be a good-as-new 201.

Saw didn't get much use until this spring, was pulling wood out of the forest and had one of my boys trimming branches off fallen logs with the 201. Wouldn't run right again after it got hot. Fack. Talked to my small engine guy; he's like "bring it back, I won't charge you anything." Took it back to him eventually, left it there.

Other day he tells me "Oh by the way, your saw is all done. Grab it from my shop any time!" So I did; saw runs well (so far). Went out to see him and asked "Do I owe you anything for the repair?" He's like "Yeah, turns out it was the coil; very expensive part; there was a recall on that saw from years ago for the coil but you got it used and had no record of ownership so I had to pay full price for the part." Apparently a very expensive part!

So now I'm into this saw for almost to the dollar what I would have paid for a brand-new one. Lesson learned - avoid used, unless you know the person extremely well or they have a great rep (like many of the sellers on OPE Forum). Now my question is...assuming this saw is running well (no reason to believe otherwise though I haven't used it much) should I keep it, or consider it "cursed" and try to dump it and invest the cash in something else?
 

Bill G

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Was it a 201T or the rear handle version?
 

Coupe

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I had a Husqvarna 51 doing the same thing and is always easy to track down.
There's a little gadget you can buy called a spark tester for around $5 or $10.
Sometimes they will run till you shut them down and won't start again or do
what your one was doing. All you do with the tester is plug it on your spark plug
lead then the other end plugs onto the spark plug. It has a little light inside it
and when you pull it over and in your case you won't see any light. With that
9 times out of 10 points to the coil and that,s when you test your coil. They are
the cheapest way of doing that test. They are also good for testing thee on/off
switch for a fault. I have known a few people have been caught like you and in
saying that it is not that easy a fault to find because when they cool off they
will 9 times out of 10 start again.
 

hacskaroly

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Now my question is...assuming this saw is running well (no reason to believe otherwise though I haven't used it much) should I keep it, or consider it "cursed" and try to dump it and invest the cash in something else?
That mechanic didn't treat you very well it sounds like, either time you visited him. Getting a used saw is a crap shoot, even looking it over really well, you still might not see something significant that is an issue.
 

Bill G

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Top handle.
Sadly you have more in the saw than what I could have sent you a shiny new one for😔 We have all been there though. I know I have spent waay too much chasing project saws and other projects. I am not sure if Stihl offers a lifetime warranty on ignition modules but if they do your dealer really screwed you. If they do it does not matter if you bought it new. The dealer can use the serial number from a 201T they sold new and warranty it. That is just simple customer service
 

sawmikaze

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You just explained why I don't bother with used saws unless they were used a couple times by someone I know didn't beat the hell out of it, even then..it's a gamble.
 

mainer_in_ak

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Sometimes ya gotta learn the hard way.

Sometime last year I picked up a "cheap" MS 201 off the local buy-and-sell. Guy was nice enough, said he had got it at an auction. Didn't REALLY need it but for $350 Canadian or whatever I paid I figured "why not?"

Brought it out one day to cut out some brush; saw ran well for 10 minutes then started powering out; difficulty restarting, etc. Local small engine mechanic took it in, had it for a couple of weeks, said he went all the way through it, couple new carb parts, would be good to go. Charged me an arm and a leg; pretty much doubled the cost of the saw. Oh well, still a good deal for what should now be a good-as-new 201.

Saw didn't get much use until this spring, was pulling wood out of the forest and had one of my boys trimming branches off fallen logs with the 201. Wouldn't run right again after it got hot. Fack. Talked to my small engine guy; he's like "bring it back, I won't charge you anything." Took it back to him eventually, left it there.

Other day he tells me "Oh by the way, your saw is all done. Grab it from my shop any time!" So I did; saw runs well (so far). Went out to see him and asked "Do I owe you anything for the repair?" He's like "Yeah, turns out it was the coil; very expensive part; there was a recall on that saw from years ago for the coil but you got it used and had no record of ownership so I had to pay full price for the part." Apparently a very expensive part!

So now I'm into this saw for almost to the dollar what I would have paid for a brand-new one. Lesson learned - avoid used, unless you know the person extremely well or they have a great rep (like many of the sellers on OPE Forum). Now my question is...assuming this saw is running well (no reason to believe otherwise though I haven't used it much) should I keep it, or consider it "cursed" and try to dump it and invest the cash in something else?
Not really of any use for a firewood operation. It's a valuable saw for climbers and compact/cheap to ship anywhere. 201's sell fast. Might sell it and get into another used 60 cc saw.

There's a lighly used shindaiwa-timberwolf in the classified for $225. Phenomenal firewood saw:


Don't get discouraged away from used saws from single bad experience. They're not all expensive to work on and there's some good deals out there.
 
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