Stihl ms 026 and Stihl ms 180c choke levers not moving into kill position (2024)

ridefreshies said:

Good morning I have to 2 chainsaw issues that are the same. First is stihl ms 180 c the kill switch does not work. I tried to move the spring inside the saw and I not 100 percent sure of where it goes. The saw works fine it just wont go into kill position. The only way to stop saw is pull the trigger and push the choke lever all the way down to start position. Second is my stihl ms 026 saw does the same thing getting annoyed with these issues. However starts and runs good. I have to say that I am too cheap to bring it in for service with stihl tech. The good news is I wont be cutting wood for a while so I have plenty of time until next time I do. thanks

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hay mate can you put some pics up so we can try and see what the problem is ???

here is the pic of my stihl ms 026

this is the pic of my stihl 026

ridefreshies said:

this is the pic of my stihl 026

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You may wanna replace that air filter :msp_ohmy:

Here are some pics of my 026 with the fuel tank vent removed.

The contact on the grounding wire has to make contact with the detent spring for the switch to short out the ignition and kill the motor. Mine has a crappy connection so I just have to thumb the switch so the contacts meet.

Attached pics show you what it looks like in run, and kill positions and one labelled where contact has to be made to kill the saw. If you are making contact with the spring and the grounding wire and the saw still runs, the grounding wire may be broken or disconnected at the other end.
I hope that helps a bit in your troubleshooting.

I see I've got some Q-Tip fuzz on the switch. I don't want you to think they're cobwebs.
There's an extra 'n' in ignition on the last pic incase you need a spare.

Run position

Kill position

Labelled parts

sefh3 said:

Fossil,
Great detailed pictures.

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Thanks. 99% due to my wife's camera. Takes nice pics.

sefh3 said:

Looks like it's a quick fix. The spring needs to go under the master control switch.

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Unless it's stretched and bent so it lost its "springy". I've seen them like that before as well.
Then you have to buy a new one. It's only a few buckaroos if you do.

Solder

If you can't get parts, you can clamp the spring a little from above with needle nose pliers, and put a ball of solder on the terminal end and get several more years of good use.

The cause is pushing the multi-function switch down to the choke position without pressing the trigger interlock and trigger. If you don't press the interlock the trigger can't move, if the trigger cant move, the control bar will jump up and over the kill switch spring.
To me it's annoying because it proves that someone didn't pay attention to me when I instructed the customer about the proper starting procedure when they purchased the saw, and didn't read the owner's manual.....

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burntmill said:

.... All i have to work out next is how to view this forums options in English instead of French. Chainsaws are easier. Cheers.

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bottom left corner there are 2 dropdown boxs, the left one will say "green seo fixed width" (or at least mine does), and the one next to it will say "francais", click this one and select english from the dropdown

Language

There's a selector drop down box at the bottom right of the screen.

Don't know why but mine keeps changing language so I have to keep reselecting English.