Thread: Husqvarna Chainsaw won't start

Check for a mud wasp nest in the exhaust if it's been left out in a shed for some time. Seen heaps.

Check that you actually have a spark at the plug. If all good there, carbi may need a clean as the petrol would have evaporated over time and left the oil behind.

Take it to a chain saw mechanic, the seals, jets, etc would need a thorough clean and a tune up.

Fuel tank being empty is a big clue to me so try this

1) Empty the tank and fill 2/3rds with RAW petrol (no two stroke lube) and shake the saw.
2) Remove the spark plug and pull the start cord 5-6 times - this will draw raw petrol through the fuel system. (the whole idea of this is the raw petrol is better that mic at dissolving redial oil - any remaining raw fuel won't be enough to damage the saw)
3) Empty the raw petrol out of the tank and discard and let raw fuel inside cylinder evaporate
4) While waiting for 3) dismantle the carby and tip out the raw petrol and rinse out any gummy residual gunk. (If you have an Ultrasonic cleaner use that to clean the itty-bitty bits - don't use raw petrol in an ultrasonic cleaner, use carby cleaner)
5) Refill tank with fresh mix.
6) Check for spark

7) If no spark check the coil AND check the kill switch is not shorting. If spark present try and start the saw.

8) If no luck check the compression.

9) If compression OK but still no start, then check the crankcase compression/Vacuum (most likely cause is the vacuum hose between the crankcase and carby has a leak - worse case it will be a crankcase/Cylinder seal .

Having suffered and solved most problems with 2-stroke motors I would look in 2 places: first would be the exhaust port on the muffler to check for mud wasp nests or some other blockage. I have found that there is almost no hole too small for a mud wasp to call home, there seems to be a species of wasp suited to whatever size hole you have left uncovered!
The next place to look is the carby. BobL's idea of using neat petrol to clean the residual dried oil from the tank is a great idea but with the carby itself I tend to just strip it down, dunk the bits in clean fuel and buy new diaphragms to replace the old, usually hardened with age, ones. With the common use of fuels like "E10" that contain Ethanol you may find some corrosion due to what I think is moisture in the fuel. E10 fuels seem to do this whereas straight unleaded fuels seem to be free of the problem. It's more of a problem with outboard motors than chainsaws and it could be dependent on the storage environment but you will find out when you put a "kit" in the carby.
And like BobL said, check the line from the crankcase to the carby for cracks. The in-tank fuel filter may need some serious cleaning or replacement if it is really clogged with gunk.
Good luck, the Husky is a good saw.

If the crank case seals are old and leaking it won't start no matter what. The short cut is to confirm spark, get some Start Ya Bastard and squirt some of that into the carby at the same time as pulling the cord. If it fires then it has a fuel problem and if it doesn't something deeper. A good trick with two strokes if you think the motor is flooded is to clamp off the fuel line open the throttle wide and keep pulling the cord, this dries out the plug, the motor goes lean and it will eventually start.

Some great ideas here. Thanks for your support. I'll try cleaning the carby etc this weekend. I suspect there may be something wrong with the fuel line as well as when I tipped it on its side to fill with fresh fuel, the fuel was leaking out from somewhere (and it wasn't being leaked by me missing the filler etc).