Chainsaw carb query...

I got myself a spares/repair chainsaw from the bay and from what I can tell and from the description all it needs is a carb clearout and it should be fine, but before I embark on that rebuild, and potential visit to a workshop, are there any cheats? For example bunging some carb cleaner into the air intake? Or is that pointless?

I know some of guys are pretty knowledgable about these things, thanks in advance!

Mmm...two stroke carb? BITD I would Ultrasonic clean the carbs on my mosickles.

Dont know if that is any help? Carb cleaner should be okay but I would have thought you need to remove the carb to get into the jets and float bowl etc

Re:

Cleaning the carb shouldn't be too hard. Usually opening the float bowl, cleaning that and blowing some compressed air into the nozzles and openings will do the trick. A quick youtube search should teach you all you need to know.

However dirty carbs can be the result of bad fuel or excessively long periods of non-use. Both tend to leave deposits on the inside of the engine as well. Usually most of that will get out on its own once the engine gets hot.
If you have easy access to the spark plug, take it out and inspect both the plug and the top of the piston (you'll need a flashlight for the latter).

One thing that always helped me clean out old engines is a bit of nitromethane in the fuel tank (no more than 5% though, you don't know how healthy that engine is). I only used it on mopeds and motorcycles TBH, never on chainsaws. However it shouldn't make much of a difference.

So is it starting???

Strip it, soak the bits petrol redex (other brands are available) for a few days, rinse with white spirit, dry with compressed air.

If it's Stihl or Husqvarna then you'll still be able to get pretty much any spares you might need , even if the saw is old.
For other stuff like Ryobi, McCulloch etc then probably not.....there's a reason they're cheap.

I'm waiting on a couple of parts from the workshop, it's a Tanaka so not quite in the Stihl cash range but still perfectly serviceable.

Its trying really hard to fire, with the occasional splutter having been laid up for a while, hence why I'm sure it's the carb. I should be getting some carb cleaner today so we shall see...

If all else fails these guys are great - http://www.seymourandlisle.co.uk/