Chainsaws has made the life of many woodcutters easier. The manual effort initially invested in cutting wood has now been made convenient with the introduction of this incredible piece of equipment that does all the work with minimal effort required. 

Stihl manufactures one-of-a-kind chainsaws. Any product purchased from them is versatile and is guaranteed to last for a longer span while being worthwhile and having value for money. 

Significantly, the Stihl ms170 has a pronounced reputation for being a lightweight, easily portable, and efficiently operating chainsaw. While all its advantages stand, there is a massive problem that users report pretty frequently, and that is Stihl Ms170 won’t start.

There are many reasons why Stihl ms 170 won’t start. Let’s find them out!  

Stihl Ms170 Won’t Start

The reasons why Stihl ms 170 won’t start vary, but they are all narrowed down to a shared link, which arises from the chainsaw not being maintained and being out of service. 

Often users become so devoted to continue using their Stihl chainsaws and misinterpret the company’s guaranteed reliability for their product never to get worn out. However, just like humans, machines must be cleaned for prolonged use. 

Now, we will further delve into detail and discuss the reasons for Stihl ms170 won’t start. 

Incorrect Setting of the Ms170 

For your Stihl ms 170 to start, you must ensure that the settings demanded for the machine to be up and running should be aligned according to what is necessary. This means that you should have the off/on level and the throttle used for starting in the precise position on your chainsaw. 

The throttle must be out of its lock and placed downwards to squeeze the following trigger, subsequently bringing the lever in motion. To start a Stihl chainsaw, there are two options for settings. 

One option is utilized when starting a cold engine, whereby the choke of the chainsaw is adjusted to restrict airflow. In the second option, the throttle is used to start an engine that has been warmed. 

Here position claims “I” is for running, and the “0” indicates a button to bring the engine to an immediate halt. Therefore, it is essential that before you begin to start the engine, you are well aware of its condition- whether the engine is warm or cold.

Next up, you use the setting per the knowledge of your engine. If you are not taking this measure accurately and missing out on any of the information, then the Stihl Ms170 won’t start. 

Thus, to start the chainsaw’s engine, you should use the right sort of setting. 

Fuel in Stihl Ms170 

The engine that has been installed is a gas power engine. To start this engine, patience is required because gas engines, when compared to petrol-fuelled engines, do not start immediately.

Regardless of you waiting for a few seconds and the engine not starting, it’s time you check your fuel tank. This is because, with time and when gas has been in the tank for a long time, it starts to depreciate in its effectiveness as the gas particles break themselves down.

In contrast, many users have undertaken an alternative measure of mixing gasoline with ethanol to ensure that the gas lasts longer in its effectiveness. This phenomenon has always resulted in an adverse outcome whereby the engine is damaged.

Yes, using ethanol with gas enhances the fuel’s longevity, but this combination is not advisable for use with small engines installed in your Stihl ms170 chainsaw. So whenever your chainsaw is not starting, remember the last time you had the fuel tank refilled for your MS170.

If the period has gone beyond a month or thirty days, you must refill the tank with new gas. During the thirty-day period where you did not use your Stihl ms170, the gas became unstable and posed a severe challenge for you when starting the machine. 

Gas Composition

Just like having fresh gas for the engine’s operation is integral. Another factor of equal importance stands to be the composition of the gas. You have to be cautious with the engines of your Stihl ms170 because they are small in size and often cannot withstand pure gasoline or incorrect composition proportions of the fuel. 

Therefore, always use a fuel composition of 50:1, where 50 stands for gasoline and 1 for oil. Always use gas containing the minimum octane content but a full content of ethanol. 

Spark plug is Flawed

Primary purpose of a spark plug is to start the chainsaw engine and then make sure that it keeps running without any hindrances. The spark plug of your Stihl ms170 is one of those items that demand replacement. 

You should not be replacing the spark plug on a monthly basis, but replacing it annually is a more plausible option. However, the chainsaw determines the frequency you must change your spark plug.

For instance, if you use your Stihl ms170 almost daily, replace the spark plug after two or three months. Otherwise, the component is good to go and demands not to be replaced. When your Stihl ms170 doesn’t start, you begin your inspection to identify the problem from the spark plug.

Cautiously, examine the spark plug and try to evaluate whether it has worn out or not. But before that, take an old toothbrush and clean the spark plug densely. Run the bristles on the brush within every tiny space encountered in the spark plug and attach it back to the chainsaw. 

Sometimes a clogged plug can be why your Stihl ms 170 won’t start. If, despite this, the chainsaw is not beginning, then without any further adieu, replace it with a new one. 

Ignition Coil Gone Bad

Supposedly, you started with a detailed examination of the spark plug and concluded that the issue is not within it. Then the next component of the Stihl ms170 that you should be checking for fault is the ignition coil. 

The only time your chainsaw won’t start is in a scenario whereby the spark plug is in an acceptable condition, but the spark is still not emerging because the ignition coil of the ms170 has gone bad. 

What would have happened is that the winding fastening of your ignition coil might have shorted out and separated. In this case, the spark plug will not receive a voltage to formulate a spark. 

For further verification of your suspicion that the ignition coil has gone bad, you can check the part against an ohmmeter. If there is an occurring break within the voltage that the ignition coil is tending to deliver, then the problem is the ignition coil.

This is because the coil always sends a continuous voltage, and the in-between breaks are an alarm for attention to replacing the component. 

Problematic Fuel Filter

You must have heard about an air filter and how it is responsible for filtering the air when installed in any machine. By the term fuel filter, you should be able to derive the meaning of it and the purpose it serves. 

But if not, then we will clarify it for you. A fuel filter undertakes the responsibility of cleansing the fuel before it is sent to the engine and keeps any particles that might cause the fuel to go bad or faulty. 

When the fuel filters have been over-clogged with particles of dirt or filter, it will prevent the effortless passing of fuel that has to be further and later on sent to the engine.

When this happens, the inability of the fuel filter to clean the fuel and then transmit it along the fuel lines for it to reach the engine, the consequence is simple- Stihl MS170 won’t start. 

Therefore, to solve this problem, you can either cleanse the fuel filter, ensuring that nothing is left within its strainer and every clogging particle has been removed, or you can just replace the fuel filter. It is up to your discretion and a decision for you to take! 

Conclusion 

In the end, we have to say that in this article, we have given you multiple possibilities that could be a reason your Stihl MS170 won’t start. You now must vigilantly observe and decide on a single cause.