I recently bought a used stihl 028 av chainsaw & it was running great for the first 4-5 times I used it. But then the next time I started it up it sounded totally different--much deeper sound to engine--alittle slower with a almost "under water" gurgle type noise. I shut it down & checked the airfilter which looked fine then emptied the gas mix & put in new just in case Id grabbed the old gas can by mistake but still acted the same. Still starts right up. Spent my very last dime buying this & need to get back to cutting more firewood asap... any suggestions on what I could try to check myself? I don't know much about engines but have about 30 years worth of cutting my own firewood using the same model saw. Help! How do I go about checking the carburetor or the fuel filter?

Have you tried just letting it run? Sometimes if things get gummed up then that is what it really needs to do is just run. If it runs well enough to cut wood now then I would atleast run another tankful of fresh gas through it before sounding off the alarm.

If the unit is still under warranty then send it back for needed repairs.

This might sound like a dumb question... but a neighbor recent did this.

Is it a 2-stroke engine... where you using the proper oil pre-mix in it or straight gasoline? And you did grab the right can to fill it up if you did have some mixed?

Have you tried just letting it run? Sometimes if things get gummed up then that is what it really needs to do is just run. If it runs well enough to cut wood now then I would atleast run another tankful of fresh gas through it before sounding off the alarm.

If the unit is still under warranty then send it back for needed repairs.

I was afraid it might hurt it to just let it run so I turned it off pretty darn quick. It's a older model so no warranty