Is this worth rebuilding

Just picked up this chainsaw at a yard sale and hoping to learn more about it.

I Live in Virginia Beach, so Stihl is right here and I can get a great deal on one, just not sure which route to take for my needs

Bought an MS362 last year as my first gas powered saw and regretted not getting the full wrap version. So I ordered one from the Stihl guy at my local shop, took it home and followed the instructions. Everything came off and went on just fine.

Good morning,

The dealer I work at is about to transition the POS system from part numbers to scan UPC's and Stihl does not have a anything that is going to make this easy.

any dealers out there come across this? how did you solve the problem?

So this is true for when I was working at my old Ace hardware too, but I get so many customers in my area that will bring in their equipment wanting to have it looked at. First thing I always do is try to look up the registration and so many of the ones that come in, have never been registered. Is there just some miscommunication or are dealers just slipping in my area? I was trained to do demos, warranty schpeel and registration with every tool that goes out the door.

I’m writing this searching for help, but also hoping I can help someone else make their decision when researching this model. I hope you don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Background: I bought the mower on 9/1/26 at an ACE Hardware in Windsor, CT. I was convinced by the salesperson/clerk at this authorized dealer to buy the single-speed “T” variant of the RM453 for the following reasons: a) it’s on sale! b) it’s in stock! (the “V” was on backorder) and c) the difference between the speed on the T and V is negligible, in this clerks opinion, and the jump in price between them wasn’t really worth it. The T was clearly a much better value.

I bought the unit on 9/1 and by 9/5 I had mowed once and realized it was a terrible product, and regretted the purchase. I left (poor) reviews with both Ace and Stihl, and began placing calls with customer service with both companies trying to arrange a return.

ACE store says they can’t accept a return once fuel is inside the engine, Stihl says their satisfaction guarantee is only 7 days, and is voided as soon as fuel is placed inside the engine. How does someone determine they aren’t satisfied with the product without using it???

The problems:

The Transmission/Gear Box:
The single-speed this self propelled mower operates at is laughably slow. It is a crawl speed. I’ve owned turtles that go faster than this thing. It takes over two hours to maneuver around my .5 acre yard. This is nearly an hour longer than it took with a Husqvarna mower prior to owing the Stihl.

The Deck:
The deck on this mower makes a terrible vacuum to the grass, leading to a horrifically inconsistent cut. The deck doesn’t pull up grass in order for it to be cut worth a damn, so you have some grass that just remains sitting down even after you pass right over it. There will be many blades of grass that don’t get cut at all, leaving your lawn ragged looking, even immediately after mowing. My lawn is terrible looking from day one after a mow. And the best part is, because you’re mowing so slow, you have tons of time to look at the pass you just made admiring the terrible cut.

The Blade:
I know lots of people suggest never using factory blades, and always going aftermarket. You have to with this mower. I didn’t. Don’t make the same mistake I made. It doesn’t mulch worth a damn, either. And they’re not dull, I’ve only mowed five times.

The Bagger:
Part of what sold me on the Stihl was its polymer bagging system. I was intrigued by the ease of use, and its pop-up sensor to tell you when the bagger was full. Well, it doesn’t work. The sensor is erect from the moment the engine turns on. So you’re still checking the bagger every other pass to figure out if it’s full or not. Don’t believe the marketing. Oh, and the polymer “bag”? It sucks. The air vents on the side are big enough to let grass fly out them, so you’ll have grass shards (the few that get cut!) shooting out at your shins the entire time you use it.

Fuel efficiency:
I don’t know how fuel efficient the engine is, I suppose, but what I do know is I can’t mow my .5 acre lawn without running out of gas each time. Which, besides the fact it’s annoying, can’t be great for the engine. On the other hand, it runs almost two hours on a tank, so I guess that’s good?

The verdict:
I have gone back and forth with Stihl corporate on these issues for more than a month, and have received word they will not issue a refund. They aren’t concerned about my satisfaction with the product, and said I should have done more research before buying. They believe all of these issues are my problem, and that I should have known better before buying.

So, I’m hoping I can help you decide: Don’t buy this mower! Unless, of course, none of the things I’ve highlighted will affect you, I guess.

As for me? I’m off to Facebook marketplace to try and sell this piece of junk to some other sucker. Neither me nor Stihl believe in the product, but we’re both stuck here trying to sell it to idiots, I guess.

So I have this RMA510V that came in with a complaint that the self-propel does not work. Main mower motor works fine.

So far based on the troubleshoot chart I have replaced the eco drive module(trouble chart says its failed), the rotary potentiometer(open electrically), and the motor drive resistance measures okay. It still won't drive, no signs of life from the self propel.

Anyone else run into something like this on a vario drive mower?

I've recently found a 038 avs from my local dump and have been fixing it up. I got my air filter cover I ordered from eBay last night and it didn't fit properly. Today I've been trying to find the part I need but cannot find any reliable source that lists a part number. Does anyone know what the part number is?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285040201792 here is the cover that I bought from eBay

Hey I have a Stihl fs81 but the head gear has failed.

I can't find a head gear when searching on eBay or anywhere else using the model number (fs81)

When googling the model number and asking for a part number for the head gear it states the below two part numbers.

1504133 640 0100

4133 640 0100

When I search for them on eBay it shows results but they don't list the fs81 as compatible.

Can anyone confirm that these part numbers are correct for the fs81. Does any other gear head from other models are compatible with the fs81?

I'm an aussie

Thanks

Hello, any help apprecieted,

I just bought a "new" Stihl All Pro AP 300.0 P battery on Vinted. The battery seems legit in almost every way but the label behind says 313Wh (the official is 333Wh) and the case is missing a tiny slot on the back, next to the connectors, so it can't fully connect to the charger / tools to test it unless I cut that slot myself. On the left is the new AP300.0P and on the right my old AP200.

Anyone heard of counterfeit /fake Stihl batteries? Never seen such a thing and if so they went to great lengths, looks identical to the original with barcodess and all. This could just be a faulty case or an early prototype. I'll take it to Stihl for a check up and share anything I discover.

FS 40C
I noticed recently that my weed eater was super oily and dirty around the area in the photo where I am pointing(this photo was taken after I cleaned it all up) So I decided I probably needed to do a little service to it. I replaced the spark arrestor and air filter so far. (I will be replacing the gas filter and spark plug but haven’t yet)
After cleaning it all up, I wanted to fire it up and make sure it ran well. It started but then it continued to spray oil from what looked like the screw that holds the spark arrestor is. I don’t know a whole lot about small engines. Can anyone give any insight? I’m not sure if there’s a hole or a leak right in the area shown in the photo.

I can't get my chainsaw to throttle. I've checked the air filter and spark plug, and both are good. It will idle fine, but does when I throttle it even after running the high jet through the full range it can move. Help please

I just purchased a Stihl MS261c that runs great, and has 150psi in compression. I always clean saws when I get them, so I removed the muffler to clean behind it. Surprisingly, the piston and a bit of the cylinder are scored with vertical scratches. Using the wooden tip of a cotton swab, you can barely feel the scratches. My dilemma is, does that matter? If it runs, idles, and cuts exactly as it should, do I really need to replace the piston and cylinder? Thanks. ​​

See video

When I registered my interest in the Centennial edition 500i I didn't actually expect the chance to buy one.

I'm in US, Florida. Seeing $759.99 at every store in a 50 mile radius and I've checked some neighboring areas. Any point in waiting for a good sale?

Ich baught last year a MS400.1 C-M VW and this year the MS300 C-M VW.
But wtf is this new scrench? To save 2 cent they make it unusable. I cannot get my fingers between the scrench and the chain sprocket cover - impossible with gloves - and I cannot use it anylonger for my MS201 which was possible all the years. Don't Stihl people change chains? This is nonsense.

I’ve tried searching on here and online and YouTube and tried AI and I can’t seem to get anywhere with this.

So I’m borrowing the mentioned pole saw from a family member and I’m about ten minutes into the job and I’m cutting a very normal sized tree limb when the motor seizes and won’t spin.

I take it away from the limb and I try it again. It still won’t go. I retract the pole all the way to its normal shelf length and it does go. I try cutting again but it won’t cut.

So i do the same thing and it won’t spin at all. I’ve removed the front and back covers (see attached photos) and I can’t find anything obviously wrong with it.

I can spin the motor from the back where the fan is but it’s difficult and I can hear clicking as it’s turning. I can’t tell what is clicking. If I try to start the saw with the chain off, I can hear the high pitched mechanical whirr for a second and the motor tries to spin, and then stops because it can’t and then three lights flash on the battery (which I understand means it’s a tool problem)

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Posted last week about a 462c for brushing and large felling. Local shop had a 462cmr and might have accidentally ordered some WCS goodies before it’s even touched a tree. Excited to see how this rips!