The Most common Stihl Fuel Tank Vent Problems – Let’s Explore

Stihl is one of the famous brands for chainsaws and provides high-quality products to its customers.

Though, from the past few years, it has been analysed that Stihl’s chainsaws are causing some problems for users, and one of those main problems is regarding fuel tanks.

Yes, Stihl fuel tank vent problems are one in light and have been talked about mainly by customers on different forums.

SurferHandy will illustrate the main issues that happen to the Stihl fuel tank, along with some of the professional tips that one should use to assess whether the fuel tank is leaking or not. 

This article will also lighten the main concerns raised by the current customers on different platforms using Stihl’s chainsaws.

One of the main issues that happen to the tank is due to the air pressure. Air pressure accumulates in the tank, which can cause sudden exposure to the tank as well.

Moreover, if the saw causes some trouble while starting, then the pressure it requires to create can cause the saw to get heated up, which makes the fuel bubbles in the fuel tank; this also can cause tank exposure due to fuel getting extra heated up.

chainsaw tank vent problems

Stihl is a premium brand that has high-quality chainsaws for users. However, there are some problems which these saws have been showing for the last few years, and Stihl fuel tank vent problems are not less than any worry for consistent users. Fuel tanks need regular cleaning and even replacing some parts to stay safe.

If these measures are not taken from time to time, then problems can occur, which include; accumulation of air inside the tank which can cause exposure, and heating up of the fuel due to extra pressure that happens from the forceful startup of the saw.

The article below will discuss all these problems in detail that causes fuel tanks to become problematic.

Common Problem With The Fuel Tank 

The fuel tank is one of the main components of the chainsaw as it affects the working of the chainsaw. Following is the overview of some problems that can occur to the fuel tank of the chainsaw;

Air In The Tank 

The air starts to gather in the fuel tank and can cause severe issues like fuel leakage or blast in the fuel tank.

This depends on the type of oil being used, and if the oil is one, then the chainsaw will take more pressure to start working; oil should be thin and of mild temperature for the proper working of the chainsaw. Otherwise, the oil will cause extra pressure on the fuel tank, and the tank will inhale air to release the tension.

Exposure From The Fuel Tank

At times, it has been seen that fuel tanks cause some problems by exposing the fuel out of the tank; bubbles start to come in the tank while the chainsaw is in use, and upon opening the tank, all those fuel bubbles begin to come out in a blasting way.

This usually happens because the chainsaw takes a hard time getting started and working as well. In this complicated process, starting up, the oil gets too heated and causes the fuel bubbles to form, and in worst cases, those bubbles come out of the tank with this much high pressure.

Issues With Smooth Working Of The Saw

Fuel tanks, when not working correctly, can affect the workings of the chainsaw. A chainsaw can lose power in the middle of the work if the fuel tank does not cooperate accordingly.

Chainsaw can get heated up and stop working if oil is dripping off from the fuel tank or there are bubbles in the tank, and lastly if the fuel gets extra heated and is causing additional pressure on the chainsaw, which makes it harder to work.

Moreover, sometimes chainsaw works accordingly but does not remain active for more than 10 to 15 minutes. This is also because of the fuel tank when fuel does not support the working of the saw and lets the saw repeatedly stop during use.

Stihl fuel cap problems

if the fuel cap of the sithl chainsaw not fit properly that might cause a serious issue with the machine in the form of spillage gas which increase the risk of fire. So, there are serveral issue with cap like cap not venting, & cap won’t close.

stihl gas cap won’t close

most of the people try to forcefully the cap back and face results of breaking the cap, most of the new patent model special fuel tank and oil tank caps are easily to open and close without require of any tool by just flipping the cap.

but some time we face issue gas cap won’t close which can be many reasons to not close.

People try to find cap position which really not be on real position to be locked down, to resolve this issue check the cap upper side have black line & the gas tank also have a little round circle to match the two alignment mark it will adjust perfectly

How To Check The Efficiency Of Fuel Tank

Here are some of the tips for the users of chainsaws who can check the efficiency of the fuel tank vent by following these tips;

1. First, Extinguish all the categories of flames which include; cigarettes, cigars, smoke, pipes and heaters with open flames
2. Make the tank free from fuel and extract all the energy from the tank into a clean container for later use
3. Now remove the filter that is installed in the fuel and tank and see clearly if the filter is clean or needs some help to get cleaned manually
4. See if the vent line is swollen or not. If it’s swell, then replace it with the new one. Lines in the vent usually gets swell when they get exposed to alcohol or any other fast chemical that is mixed in the fuel
5. Now seal the lines of the filter to the end by using the hemostats
6. There is a way to check the accuracy of the line and to check if it is not leaking again; 

• Hold the carburettor and remove the line from it
• Now take a vacuum tester and connect it with the line end along with the pump pressure of 100 kph
• After connection, the line should show the final results; if it’s leaking, then it means there is still a problem, but if the line is not leaking, then this indicates the issue has been resolved

7. After checking the line and replacing it, again check the new pne by releasing the pressure of the vacuum and assess the line for 30 more seconds; this time, turn the knob to vacuum and let the speed of the vacuum at 50 kph
8. Remove the vacuum and also remove hemostats from the line after the successful check of the line
9. Now carefully complete the assembling of the fuel cap and tighten it
10. If you see any purge return line in the unit, then fix it with hemostats before moving to another step 
11. Now is the time to put pressure on the vent to see if it’s working perfectly. First, the lever of the vent to the position which is best to test, now start putting the pressure on it, which must be of around 7 PSI
12. Wait for 30 seconds, then assess the result because, after 30 seconds, the valve will start to work against this much pressure
13. Now assess the results; replacement is required in case the vent does not hold the pressure and the tank starts to leak
14. After assessing the results, move to the decision level where it should be decided that for replacement, what should be the procedure and which tank would be suitable
15. Though the company do give a warranty for the replacement of the tank vent, to be eligible for this, their set criteria should be met
16. In another case, the vent should be cleaned or replaced if the company’s warranty criteria do not suit your condition.

Conclusion 

After reading the above article, users can now conclude Stihl fuel tank vent problems, which have occurred to the saws of mostly old users, which could be due to the non-cleaning and non-changing of some of the tank spare parts from time to time.

Moreover, fuel tank problems such as; air accumulation in the tank and fuel getting extra heated should be resolved on time to avoid significant issues, which could even be an exposure.