Old Stihl FS 36 Weed Eater

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  • leehljp
    Just me
    • Dec 2002
    • 8429
    • Tunica, MS
    • BT3000/3100

    Old Stihl FS 36 Weed Eater



    This is about my “new to me” old Stihl FS 36 weed eater, but I mention the background in the first two paragraphs

    I bought a Ryobi gas weed eater straight shaft late last summer and have really enjoyed how easy it cranks both hot and cold. It is fairly well balanced and less power than I would like but it is reasonable. And while at my daughter’s home in Missouri last fall, she asked me to fix her gas weed eater, my old one - a cheaper Poulan model. I brought it home with me to MS to work on it when I could, and order any parts if needed. She has a Ryobi 18V trimmer and she likes it because it is lighter. She has since told me she did not want the gas weed eater back because she likes the lighter weight 18V Ryobi much better.

    I worked on the Poulan, changed the spark plug and adjusted the carb as best I could. It runs great, starts on two or thee pulls, both hot and cold. Now I have two working, and easy cranking weed eaters. Both are not quite as powerful as I would like, and can bog down in moderately heavy vines.

    Old Stihl FS 36 weed eater:
    THEN a couple of months ago, I got a call from the Chancery Clerk in another city about 150 miles away. The accountant who was our finance committee chairman in our organization for many years died last year. (We knew about it but because of covid, we could not attend. -It was not a covid related death.)

    The Chancery Clerk said he left many of his household furnishings to us. Some fairly valuable. Since it was about 150 miles away, we elected find an antique dealer and see if he would purchase anything. We got some fair price considering we didn’t have to move it. (The house was sold and the new tenants* wanted to move in as soon as possible.) There were a few things around that we brought back, including a Stihl FS36 weed eater that appeared to be about 20 years old from condition of the fuel bulb an gas hoses - they crumbled just touching them. The FS 36 began production in the mid '80s. I think it stopped production in the early 2000's.)

    But it was a Stihl. I brought it home, spent about 6 hours taking the motor apart, ordered a carb kit with two fuel bulbs and a spark plug. I cleaned everything and replace the spark plug, replaced 2 gaskets, fuel lines, fuel filter, and air filter and put everything back together. The real work was in adjusting the carb. 3 needles - slow speed set, fast speed set, and needle valve rich/lean.

    At this point, all of my childhood gas model airplane experience came back and into play. Too rich has its distinct sound; too lean has its distinct sound. It took me about 30 minutes to get the perfect adjustments for the needle valve, high speed limit and low speed limit screws. Since it was running perfectly, the next test was: How easily would it crank? It takes about 2 to 3 pulls when cold, not bad! And one pull when warm or hot.


    Today, I needed a major weed eating trim around the house, trees and fences. I pulled out the “one pull” Ryobi and used it for 30 minutes. Ryobi Worked Ok but underpowered. I put the Ryobi up, and got out the Stihl. It had an .065 line in it when I got it, so I put new .065 in it. That line seemed too small, but that was what was in it. The Stihl had plenty of power but it wasn’t cutting well. I stopped cutting, pulled out some .095 cord and put it in. It sure seemed big compared to the .065.

    Cranked it up and it was like a totally different machine. I put it on some vines in the back fence, and it did not phase the Stihl one bit. The power was there to cut 1/4” woody vines, and it kept its speed up so that the vines never got caught.and wrapped around it like happens when the speed is reduced.

    One small problem to me is the balance. It has a curved shaft and seems just a tad short, but it works OK, except the shortness throws the balance off. The balance is just a tad too close to the engine and I have to pull up on the engine rather than being able to hold it at the balance point. And I have to push downward on the front handle as I guide the cutting direction. IN different words: the balance point is not at the handle grip which is located just in front of the engine housing. The balance is at the nose of the engine. Not a major problem, but it works the arm that holds the weight more.

    I ordered a well rated shoulder strap from Amazon this afternoon. I’ll see if that helps.

    This at least 20 year old Stihl weed eater is powerful.

    Now, what to do with the other two weed eaters.?


    *new tenants: The chancery clerk (CC) mentioned that the new tenants were eager to move in, so we needed to get everything out or get the antique dealer to buy it. The house had two living areas; the lady's 95 year old father was going to be living in the far end. Then the CC mentioned the name of the 95 year old man (who was the CC's Sunday school teacher before Covid hit). When he mentioned the man's name, I was shocked - He was my high school principal when I graduated from high school in '65. The lady buying the house was a year behind me in school. Small world. My principal and his wife also became missionaries with our mission organization at about the same time we did, and we were able to see them a couple of times 30 - 35 years ago. They were in South America while we were in Japan. Small world.
    Last edited by leehljp; 05-16-2021, 09:12 AM.
    Hank Lee

    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!
  • Jim Frye
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2002
    • 1051
    • Maumee, OH, USA.
    • Ryobi BT3000 & BT3100

    #2
    Brings back some memories. Back in the late '90s, I got hooked on Ryobi's TrimmerPlus line of outdoor tools. I bought a Ryobi 990r 4 cycle straight shaft string trimmer/brush cutter. The first four stroke string trimmer on the market. Sure liked not having to mix gas & oil. I then added a blower/vac, sidewalk edger, and a cultivator. The 990r lasted 15 years, but the cam wore down to the point where it would only run on full choke. Repairs were going to cost over $200, so I replaced the 990r with a $194 Troybilt 4 stroke clone straight shaft trimmer that could accept the TrimmerPlus and ExpandIt accessories. By that time MTD had bought the Troybilt company and Ryobi's outdoor tool line. Now I had two .095 string trimmer heads as well as all of the other attachments. The Troybilt ran until last year and by then I had a Ryobi electric riding mower and so the gas trimmer was replaced with a 40 volt Ryobi straight shaft string trimmer that can accommodate the TrimmerPlus and ExpandIt tools. Now I have three .095 string trimmers. String jam? What me worry? Actually, I have one set up with line, one with plastic blades, and the oldest with a brush cutter blade. I do need to get a second 40 volt battery pack though as the 4 ahr. pack is just shy of my desired run time.
    Jim Frye
    The Nut in the Cellar.
    ”Sawdust Is Man Glitter”

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