After 12 years the carburetor finally failed (always used non-ethanol fuel). When you’re wondering if a genuine Stihl piece of equipment is worth the price, the answer is yes. I think a new carb will cost $20-30. Not bad IMO.

God invented the Stihl leaf blowers because he loves us.

I bought mine 4 years ago and it is the best thing since my pressure washer purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
... I think a new carb will cost $20-30. Not bad IMO.

Check eBay

I replaced mine on a 15 year old Stihl with an eBay carb. I knew it would be from China but they were the only choice.
When I removed the old carb, to my surprise it was marked China.
The old and new looked identical and it runs great.

Might want to replace the fuel lines as they may be brittle from old age and could break at anytime. Well worth the repair costs.

Not a Stihl but when my 20 year old lawnmower was acting up I replaced the carburetor because the Amazon carburetor was only $1 more than the carburetor rebuild kit.

My Stihl BG-65 blower (of 17 years) had the carb replaced after about 10 years of use. The dang ethanol laced fuel ate it up. Since then I was able to find a local gas station that has ethanol free gas and it has been running like a top since. They are great equipment, have a high heat rate, and are definitely worth the money.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
... I think a new carb will cost $20-30. Not bad IMO.

Check eBay

For no good reason other than sticking with dealer approved OEM parts, I use a local place that has always been good to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
For no good reason other than sticking with dealer approved OEM parts, I use a local place that has always been good to me.

It's the same part and you'll get it faster. Unless the local dealer actually stocks the part which is unlikely. The dealer will probably order it from eBay. . Yeah, we have some pretty crappy dealers around here. I travel across the state line for everything now.

I bought a BR600 a couple weeks ago. What a fantastic blower. Works incredibly well. Glad I bought a long lasting machine!

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
For no good reason other than sticking with dealer approved OEM parts, I use a local place that has always been good to me.

It's the same part and you'll get it faster. Unless the local dealer actually stocks the part which is unlikely. The dealer will probably order it from eBay. . Yeah, we have some pretty crappy dealers around here. I travel across the state line for everything now.

Only one problem with that method: my track record on small engines is 50/50. If they can get me back in action for less than half the cost of new, I’ll let them work on it.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
God invented the Stihl leaf blowers because he loves us.

I bought mine 4 years ago and it is the best thing since my pressure washer purchase.

Been happily using my Stihl BR600 leaf blower to blast away leaves, snow, and anything else that isn't solidly bolted down for 7 years now and counting. It sees a lot of use, and it's always been delightfully hassle-free.

I too have a BR600 and love it. For all of you guys that said you have one don't forget that the "Mix4" line from Stihl actually has a set of valves and they need to be adjusted periodically for optimum performance.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
For no good reason other than sticking with dealer approved OEM parts, I use a local place that has always been good to me.

It's the same part and you'll get it faster. Unless the local dealer actually stocks the part which is unlikely. The dealer will probably order it from eBay. . Yeah, we have some pretty crappy dealers around here. I travel across the state line for everything now.

Only one problem with that method: my track record on small engines is 50/50. If they can get me back in action for less than half the cost of new, I’ll let them work on it.

Ah, yes. Good plan.

quote:

Originally posted by steelcityfishanddive:
Might want to replace the fuel lines as they may be brittle from old age and could break at anytime. Well worth the repair costs.

Yep. And simple to replace too.

Do the fuel filter while you're at it. It's at the end of the fuel line, and has to be removed to replace the fuel line, so might as well do it at the same time.

I put an aftermarket carb on my Stihl trimmer. Worked great at half the price. A $60+ Stihl carb didn’t make sense on a $150 trimmer.

I had a BR800 and it lasted a little over a year until the engine blew apart. I replaced it and a few months later, one of my employees stored it in the brush chipper infeed chute between jobs. Well, you guessed it, it was run through the chipper. I have had the replacement BR800 for over a year now and it runs perfectly.

Update: cost me $65 (new blower is $199). Woman that worked on it said the cylinder and piston are still in great shape, no reason it shouldn’t outlast this new carb for another 8-12 years. Runs like the devil again.