# Stihl BR600 Backpack Blower - Refresh



## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Ok, so I tricked you into clicking this. I am going to do an overview of the work I'm doing on my 3 Stihl BR600 Backpack Blowers that I picked up from a "needs work" pile at a landscaper. But for now I have a fairly simple question.

I am going to clean most of the plastic parts of the blowers tomorrow. I noticed quite a bit of build up on parts of the engine(around flywheel and spark plug/valve area) when doing some work today. Is there any point to cleaning up these areas or are they just going to get filthy again? Am I risking getting some cleaner where is shouldn't be?





I have these products. Guessing the engine degreaser would work best if I would use anything at all.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I'm no help - I've never torn my Stihl backpack down that far.

I've never been a big fan of engine degreaser - it leaves a film/oily residue. I like brake cleaner or carb cleaner. Just be careful around plastic parts.


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## southernguy311 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wear safety glasses when spraying that stuff I've gotten cleaner in the eyes so many times


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## Shuffinator (May 2, 2017)

:thumbup: The carb cleaner at Walmart is the same stuff as that gum out, and cheaper. If you're like me, you'll appreciate the cheaper part. Blue can!


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I would recommend cleaning it ALL as best you can as it may help you see leaks or other issues that all the grease and grime is covering up. Just make sure to put clean rags in any openings that you don't want the cleaning stuff in and I'm sure you'll be fine. I try to clean all my equipment at least once a year to keep the build up at a manageable level.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Thank you all for the recommendations.

I ended up soaking the plastic parts in the Simple Green and it worked fairly well. I didn't end up doing too much cleaning around the engine areas because I really had no idea if any of these were going to end up running or not. I figured that I would wait until I see which ones, if any, end up working and then I will clean that/those one(s).


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

After you get all 3 running, lmk if you want to turn around and sell one. LOL.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

ericgautier said:


> After you get all 3 running, lmk if you want to turn around and sell one. LOL.


Haha. That's all I have heard from my neighbors when they have seen me out working on them. Maybe I should make this a business :lol:


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> ericgautier said:
> 
> 
> > After you get all 3 running, lmk if you want to turn around and sell one. LOL.
> ...


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Ware said:


> SGrabs33 said:
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> 
> > ericgautier said:
> ...


Man, I cant stay away from those memes :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Ok, I promise I will eventually update this with info helpful to others. Hopefully I can edit it well enough to make sense.

I have done my fair share of YouTube and Googling this engine and I think I know the answer but wanted to see if any of you small engine mechanics have run across this before.

After I did the standard carb/spark/filter on this engine it started right up. The engine ran fine but there was a knocking sound. After taking it apart I noticed the flywheel was rubbing the coil on one of the rotations. When trying to fix the clearance I saw that there is some play in the flywheel. Video below... I did my best.

https://youtu.be/7W1TFtqFxdA

After doing a lot of Googling I think the problem is that there is a bad bearing on the crank allowing the movement. Does anyone know if that may be the case or have another idea?


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

Ware said:


> SGrabs33 said:
> 
> 
> > ericgautier said:
> ...


Yes yes.... The tree puller. We have got to get that video up front and center somehow.

Can someone please link to it? I'd like see it again.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

https://youtu.be/ZSwzv2XQW4o


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

:thumbup:


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> After doing a lot of Googling I think the problem is that there is a bad bearing on the crank allowing the movement. Does anyone know if that may be the case or have another idea?


I think hat it has 2 bearings, one one each side of the shaft.

Another guess is that you'll need way more than a bearing or 2 if it ran for any amount of time with bad bearings.

I dislike Stihl for the lack of information available online. They make it very difficult (not impossible) for you to get anything outside of an authorized Stihl dealer.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Redtenchu said:


> I think hat it has 2 bearings, one one each side of the shaft.
> 
> Another guess is that you'll need way more than a bearing or 2 if it ran for any amount of time with bad bearings.
> 
> I dislike Stihl for the lack of information available online. They make it very difficult (not impossible) for you to get anything outside of an authorized Stihl dealer.


Thanks Red. You are right, there seem to be two bearings. I agree that there is quite possibly more wrong if it has been running with bad bearings. With the TruCut a bad bearing comes with a bad reel, in the case of 2 of my TruCuts. In the Stihl case it could be a scored piston or cylinder, who knows.

I agree, the lack of info online is frustrating. I even went to a dealership the other day for some parts and they were less than helpful. They expect someone to pay the 50+ dollars per hour rate to fix whatever is wrong. With that plus the cost of their expensive parts ($2.50 for a replacement screw) most people just buy a new unit. With that being said, it seems like(based on my hours of googling) with proper maintenance(using the correct oil/gas ratio, etc) these units can last a long time. Both MQ and Ware have had their units for a number of years. They obviously take care of their units meticulously, but with a little effort I think these units will last a good while.


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