the repair shop we brought it to is a mom and pop type of place that i've brought stuff to before and not had any problems. I put brand new gas in myself, but I could be too lean. What is the typical mixture ratio for these saws? I suppose I could look for the manual somewhere online and it would tell me. I'll start with that. if that still doesn't do it, i'll try tinker with the carb. I've never worked on a saw carb before, but i'm confident with enough support (ie manuals, you guys etc), I can figure it out.