I took the chainsaw into a service center and they said that the piston was scored and that this was not covered by warranty. I ask them what could have caused it to malfunction and they said it could be set to lean from the factory or not enough oil in the gas. They checked the gas and stated that there was oil in it. I paid them $10.00 for a service call to get the saw back. I called up customer service and they said that a scored piston was not covered by warranty. I called back and escalated the issue - it is now in the hands of the coorprate warranty division.
Hi David,
Sorry your having trouble with your saw. A scored piston can occur from a number of things. While you say the service center states it may be set to lean from the factory that could be easily proved be finding out what exactly the carburetor settings are set. We produce 1000's of these chainsaws and if we were setting them to lean we would have more issues like yours happening all over the world. Random accusations from a service center doesn't necessarily make them true. That being said a scored piston and cylinder can be caused by a great many things (ie lean settings, air leak, a dull chain, clogged cooling fins, old/stale fuel, wrong/cheap oil, etc... and can happen very quickly in less than a tank of fuel. The biggest threat nowadays comes from the fuel being provided at your local gas station. Most gas has at least 10% ethanol and any more than that will void your warranty. Ethanol can be very damaging to your engine. It has alcohol in it which draws in moisture,washes the oil film off cylinder walls and deteriorates fuel lines and diaphragms in the fuel system. Your owner manual states not to mix fuel that isn't going to used up in 30 days so it is also to your benefit use whats in the machine or put a fuel stabilizer in it. I recommend to everyone I talk to to buy premium gas for their two stroke machines as the average homeowner uses about two gallons of gas a year of mixed gas. It usually has less additives added to it and the cost is low for a little extra insurance to protect your engine. You said you've already escalated it to our corporate warranty division I hope they can help you. I just want you to know not every failure is a warranty issue.
Hi David,
Sorry your having trouble with your saw. A scored piston can occur from a number of things. While you say the service center states it may be set to lean from the factory that could be easily proved be finding out what exactly the carburetor settings are set. We produce 1000's of these chainsaws and if we were setting them to lean we would have more issues like yours happening all over the world. Random accusations from a service center doesn't necessarily make them true. That being said a scored piston and cylinder can be caused by a great many things (ie lean settings, air leak, a dull chain, clogged cooling fins, old/stale fuel, wrong/cheap oil, etc... and can happen very quickly in less than a tank of fuel. The biggest threat nowadays comes from the fuel being provided at your local gas station. Most gas has at least 10% ethanol and any more than that will void your warranty. Ethanol can be very damaging to your engine. It has alcohol in it which draws in moisture,washes the oil film off cylinder walls and deteriorates fuel lines and diaphragms in the fuel system. Your owner manual states not to mix fuel that isn't going to used up in 30 days so it is also to your benefit use whats in the machine or put a fuel stabilizer in it. I recommend to everyone I talk to to buy premium gas for their two stroke machines as the average homeowner uses about two gallons of gas a year of mixed gas. It usually has less additives added to it and the cost is low for a little extra insurance to protect your engine. You said you've already escalated it to our corporate warranty division I hope they can help you. I just want you to know not every failure is a warranty issue.