Hi,

I'm no slouch when it comes to small engine repairs but I'm no expert either.

I have a Stihl O15 L chainsaw (small limb saw) that sees little yearly use. It wasn't starting easily (took 30 minutes to even get warmed up to the point where it would run as long as it wasn't idling, even then it would stall if it wasn't given gas.) I found a crack in the gas line and replaced that which included an update to the original fuel filter as well.

It wasn't starting much easier after this and insisted on stalling unless I fully depressed the gas trigger. Backing it off even a little made it stall. I sprayed the carburetor with cleaner and flushed the gas tank and now it takes much less effort to start it but until it warms up after about 10 minutes, it shows signs of not receiving consistent fuel intake. After a good warm-up period it can almost run on idle without needing the gas trigger being depressed at all but still can stall out easily if left to idle too long.

Any ideas on what to check or adjust next? Is it worth rebuilding the carburetor or is there something else to check first? To clean the carburetor I sprayed the outside down (making sure the choke valve was closed so nothing got in), started it and sprayed down the carburetor throat and on the valve which caused the engine to shut off until I pulled the starting cord maybe 5 to 10 times (not sure if this is normal). Is there any reason I should tinker with the Hi and Low idle adjustments or the "LA" screw on the carburetor?

Thanks,

Jeff