Stihl Trimmer Service Tips

Stihl property maintenance and landscaping tools are well-respected and looked at by professionals and homeowners alike as among the best that money can buy. Their gas-powered trimmers are no exception to that observation. As with any other gas-powered tool, Stihl trimmers require regular service and maintenance in order to keep them running well.

Most people who purchase and use gas-powered equipment understand that there will be some level of maintenance that will have to be performed on the machine in order to keep it running at its peak level of efficiency. But some do not know when the maintenance tasks have to be performed. Stihl publishes a maintenance chart and includes it with the purchase of every one of their tools. A few of the big maintenance tasks that you will need to be concerned about with your Stihl trimmer are the air filter, the spark plug, the spark arrestor screen and gearbox lubrication.

No fire can burn without the proper amount of oxygen--even in the controlled environment of a combustion chamber. The proper air/fuel mixture must be able to enter the combustion chamber or the engine will begin to sputter, have a hard time starting, will not idle correctly or will not run well at full speed. A very simple way to allow the correct amount of air into the combustion chamber is to keep the air filter clean. Inspect the air filter before each use. If there is dirt and debris accumulation on the filter, tap the filter on the ground to knock the debris off and use compressed air to blow the rest away. If the air filter is damaged--if it has tears or areas of the filter that are thinning or prematurely wearing--replace the filter before the next use of the tool. If dirt and debris are allowed into the combustion chamber, damage to the inner workings of the engine may occur.

It is also very important to keep spark plugs in good repair. Remove the spark plug and check the gap between the electrodes if there is a problem with the trimmer. The gap should measure 0.02 inches and can be measured with a spark plug gapping tool. Wipe the spark plug off with a cloth rag or a paper towel before reinstalling it. It is not unusual for carbon deposits to build up on the spark plug and cause problems. Replace the spark plug with a new one after every 100 hours of operation or annually. If your trimmer is experiencing power problems after cleaning or replacing the spark plug, the spark arrestor screen should be checked and cleaned. You have to remove the four screws that hold the engine shroud in place followed by the one screw that holds the spark arrestor screen in place. The spark arrestor screen is installed inside the muffler and may become dirty because of carbon build-up. After removing the screen, brush the carbon build-up off and clean it up well before reinstalling it. When the screen is clean, the engine will be able to "breathe" again.

The only part of the trimmer that requires regular lubrication--because the engine oil is mixed with the fuel at a 50:1 ratio--is the gear box on the trimmer head. Remove the plug and look into the gear box. If it looks empty, add up to 1/5-ounce of grease to the gear box and reinstall the plug. This should be checked every 25 operating hours.