OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Chainsaws and Concrete Cutters Petrol Chainsaws and Concrete Cutters Stihl Ms380 Farm Boss back kick starting

Hi guys im working on a Ms380 stihl for a friend it kicks back like a mule i have checked the key on the flywheel that is good its getting good fuel and a new plug still dose it even had the top end off looking for worn parts still nothing i was thinking bad coil but not 100% shore it runs fine when started it is a 1994 any help would be appreciated

Is the decompressor working properly if fitted? some have a little black button on the head that you push in before starting and releases itself once started. I found on a recently borrowed large husky it was a real pig to pull over and kicked like hell when cold without it.

no this model don't have a decompressor

[video] [/video]
there it is

G'day you have already looked at the number one thing it could be and thats the flywheel key...next is coil I guees .. Its very odd the saw doing this are you sure whoever is starting the saw is giving it a full hard pull on the rope,pulling it over slow and not giving %100 will make many a saw kick back like a mule and almost pull your fingers off very painful...They are 72cc and a very good old saw, Stihl still make them but now called ms381..Cheers

yea he has the older one the 038 magnum more or less the same saw and he can start it fine so maybe a faulty coil

yeah I think the coil is the only thing left that would make the saw do that too...Only way to find out is get a 2nd coil to try not cheap new, maybe 2nd hand one is the go,be good if you had a known good running saw to pull the coil off and try on this saw....

i can pull the coil from the 038 since its the same and you saying not to get a cheap one cause i was looking at a $30 one on ebay

No I mean to get a new coil off Stihl will not be cheap,genuine Stihl parts cost a lot of money...Is the one your lookng at new if so it would be made in China for $30... china make fake 038/ms380 even the ms381 ,I dont know how good the quality of a China coil would be.....If you have a 2nd saw try the coil off that on the one kicking back if it stops you know its the coil ,the 38's are all the same saw under the covers...Cheers

One more thing to set the air gap between coil and flyweel just use a business card..

yea i know the business card trick cheers ill take the gamble with a china coil if that is the problem ill try the coil during the week or weekend maybe and ill see how i go Btw did u see the video link of me doing a few starts

i done the coil today didn't seem to make much difference i have swapped the starter also and i haven't yet given it a good test but will post up the results when that is done

ok it might be fixed i started it dead cold no kickback started it several other times no problem so hoping the coil swap or starter swap was the issue but the problems didn't transfer to the other saw which is odd