Sponge in Stihl fs56 gas tank

Pitt said:

I also saw that sponge and just removed it as it was free floating.
Mine developed a crack in the fuel tank which appears to be a part of one side of the frame and not just a replaceable part like on a weed eater.
Thought I finally had it sealed after about 4 levels of RTV but it has started leaking thru all that silicone sealant when I pump it up.
After use I unscrew the gas cap to relieve pressure and it stops leaking.
Anyone know an easy fix for a leaking gas tank on one?
Thx in advance!

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Smithsonite said:

I'll add one more - one that keeps me from buying Stihl altogether:

Buying parts is a ROYAL PITA! I get that they want only "Authorized Stihl dealers" working on their stuff to keep quality in check ... but if I'm shelling out $500 for a piece of equipment I G** DAMN better have the option of repairing it myself, since I HAVE the ABILITY!

Ran a shop 14 years, and getting Stihl parts was always a hassle. No diagrams online to reference, and no online purchasing of parts! I had to go 10 miles to the friggin dealer through MA traffic - an hour of lost productivity out of my day - only to get charged SHIPPING and sales tax for the part anyway!

Every so often I'd get lucky and find someone on eBay selling what I needed ... but that's a rarity at times.

Eff Stihl. I'll stick with Echo or Husqvarna. I can buy parts online, and continue WORKING and MAKING MONEY while the part gets dropped on my doorstep. Now that I'm out of that line of work, I still prefer the ease of ordering parts online. Have you ever driven in MA? If you have, especially after they legalized WEED, you'll understand exactly where I'm coming from. It's r*tard central out there!!

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Odd, since I've had Stihl equipment for close to 40 years now and never had any trouble at all getting parts. I have a farm supply store a couple of miles away that sells Stihl, and a locally owned Coast-to-Coast hardware store even closer that is also a dealer. Both have always had any part I've needed for any of my Stihl tools. Granted, I've not had much trouble and thus not needed many parts, but the primer bulb for my leaf blowers and the string trimer I had before the current one, were the most common part I needed. Chains for my MS311 chain saw, no problems there either. I lost a nut that holds the chain cover and locks the bar in position after adjusting the chain tension, no problem, had it in stock. Since I've never asked for a part that one or both of them didn't have in stock, I've never tried the online orders. I have service manuals for all of my Stihl products, with complete breakdown and listing of part numbers. Maybe it's not that way in your area, but it's always been that way for me here in farming country in the middle of the US. My newest Stihl tool is now 16 years old. They just don't wear out if you take care of them. Oh yeah, I needed a fuel cap for my trimmer this spring and they had it in stock, $9.

Smithsonite said:

I'll add one more - one that keeps me from buying Stihl altogether:

Buying parts is a ROYAL PITA! I get that they want only "Authorized Stihl dealers" working on their stuff to keep quality in check ... but if I'm shelling out $500 for a piece of equipment I G** DAMN better have the option of repairing it myself, since I HAVE the ABILITY!

Ran a shop 14 years, and getting Stihl parts was always a hassle. No diagrams online to reference, and no online purchasing of parts! I had to go 10 miles to the friggin dealer through MA traffic - an hour of lost productivity out of my day - only to get charged SHIPPING and sales tax for the part anyway!

Every so often I'd get lucky and find someone on eBay selling what I needed ... but that's a rarity at times.

Eff Stihl. I'll stick with Echo or Husqvarna. I can buy parts online, and continue WORKING and MAKING MONEY while the part gets dropped on my doorstep. Now that I'm out of that line of work, I still prefer the ease of ordering parts online. Have you ever driven in MA? If you have, especially after they legalized WEED, you'll understand exactly where I'm coming from. It's r*tard central out there!!

Click to expand...

Believe it or not most IPLs can found online. Just got to know where. Now the PNs may have been superseded. So far lately I come two dealers that were A**holes. One that won't sell to businesses and the other just keeps losing the paperwork. I going to try another one Tuesday in my area as I have given up on John Deere dealer here due to their attitude. They think they hateful toward the customer and get by with it. Well they don't with me.

Now if you are a business with a sales tax exemption you should not be paying sale taxes on resale part purchases. As for shipping yes they charge on special order items but if you can wait you should be to get it on one their stock orders.

And driving anywhere can be a royal pain with all the cell phone idiots. I had one the other day that couldn't put the phone down long enough to get 4 bags of trash out her SUV.

The tune up kit includes a fuel filter, but it doesn't look like a sponge. Possible someone replaced the filter with a sponge to act as a gas filter.
I'd buy a tune up kit ($22) and do it right. (Probably needs a new plug and air cleaner anyway.)

I also 2nd the use of the echo. I've never cussed out any piece of equipment more than my Stihl. Darn line continously sticks in the head. Tried everything, including WD40. Echo hardly ever binds.

Hard to start as well.

Pitt said:

I also saw that sponge and just removed it as it was free floating.
Mine developed a crack in the fuel tank which appears to be a part of one side of the frame and not just a replaceable part like on a weed eater.
Thought I finally had it sealed after about 4 levels of RTV but it has started leaking thru all that silicone sealant when I pump it up.
After use I unscrew the gas cap to relieve pressure and it stops leaking.
Anyone know an easy fix for a leaking gas tank on one?
Thx in advance!

Click to expand...

enigma-2 said:

The tune up kit includes a fuel filter, but it doesn't look like a sponge. Possible someone replaced the filter with a sponge to act as a gas filter.
I'd buy a tune up kit ($22) and do it right. (Probably needs a new plug and air cleaner anyway.)

I also 2nd the use of the echo. I've never cussed out any piece of equipment more than my Stihl. Darn line continously sticks in the head. Tried everything, including WD40. Echo hardly ever binds.

Hard to start as well.

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The fuel filter is still in the tank. I bought the trimmer new roughly 2.5 years ago and its never been serviced by anyone. She has treated me well so I will get a tune up kit, thanks for the suggestion.

enigma-2 said:

The tune up kit includes a fuel filter, but it doesn't look like a sponge. Possible someone replaced the filter with a sponge to act as a gas filter.
I'd buy a tune up kit ($22) and do it right. (Probably needs a new plug and air cleaner anyway.)

I also 2nd the use of the echo. I've never cussed out any piece of equipment more than my Stihl. Darn line continously sticks in the head. Tried everything, including WD40. Echo hardly ever binds.

Hard to start as well.

Click to expand...

I put an Echo Speed Feed 400 head on my FS 56. It's a better option than the Stihl bump feed head.