Stihl MS241 build

I'm planning on doing some performance enhancement on my second MS241 saw as well as some cosmetic changes and repairs. Some repairs I already have completed. They include a new solenoid and fuel filter, clutch drum, bar stud and oil tank cap. The previous owner had changed the bar stud to accept 3003 mount bars and .325 chain vs the original equipment 3005 bar mount and 3/8 picco chain. Another "repair" I'll address is having this previous repair tig welded for my own piece of mind. Its pinned in place currently. It's solid but I want to keep it that way. One of the handlebar AV springs bolts there.

 

I have it broken down to this stage currently.


I checked the squishand its at 0.031 with base gasket. The compression is 180.

 

I attempted my first "fish gill" muffler mod today. It's acceptable for now. I also cut the screen out and enlarged the factory opening. More to come.

 

MAF143 Eric Wanderweg

 

Excellent I imagine it should cut faster with the Picco chain it was originally designed for, vs. the "full size" loops. Muffler mod looks nice and clean. Looking forward to your progress.

 

In testing I witnessed at Kevins last GTG, the new Stihl RS pro narrow kerf .325 out cut factory Picco super, square ground Picco super and a fast hand filed Picco super. All on the same log and saw. Same operator. Now standard .325 is probably slower than Picco on these sub 50cc saws. I converted my XS241 to the narrow Kerf .325 with an Oregon 18" Speed cut bar and ms250 clutch drum. I bought three loops of the RS Pro chain. Haven't touched wood yet. The saw in this thread will remain 3/8 Picco as I have three bars and a few chains for it.

 

Eric Wanderweg

Thanks for the thumbs up on the muffler. I'm pretty particular and I'm decently happy with it.

 

I'm a fan of gill slits in mufflers when you can direct the hot gas to "safe" places with them. Low cost with lots of area is easy. They don't work for cutting on regulated land or in very dry areas where a spark arrestor is appropriate. But where I'm located, and cutting on private land, gills are basically free performance for my "low budget buddies".

Also glad to see a "busted" cylinder kept alive. My 357 jug had a tree fall on it in the previous owners reign. Rivets and aluminum strip is keeping the cracked fin in place. I'm not a fan of putting the level of heat needed to "weld" into A single spot on a cylinder so if you go that route, be super carful. Pinned in place may be the best way. The cylinder is designed to deal with heat from the whole head area. It warms up and cools evenly in normal operation.

 

I was planning on telling them it needs to be done in small steps to avoid warping. I'm going to also suggest blowing air in the cylinder from the underside, letting it escape out the plug hole. Shawn Carr welds on cylinders a lot. People send him cylinders and cases to repair. If the local place can't do it I'll send it to him.

 

For best results the trick with welding aluminum is to preheat the whole part first, then weld away...

 

I was wondering about that after I posted.

 

So the cosmetics...

I'm not thrilled with the scuzzy look the saw has from the used bar oil staining the plastic. Everything that is white plastic is getting a nice boiling hot bath in black rit dye. The case will remain white and the hood orange. If I don't like the orange hood after the black, I'll blacken it as well.

 

Very nice looking fish gills.

 

I don't suppose they make white rit dye do they.

 

Thanks bud. I can't make it look like Kevin so this will have to do. His looks factory on my xs241.

 

Nope. Only a "bleaching" agent. Non chlorinated for removing stains. I suppose I could try that first.

 

I like the gills on the muffler. Nice job, they look factory!

 

Thanks bud.

The scratches and scars were already there. I think the saw was smashed by a tree or partially ran over at some point. Perfect candidate for my hackery. Lol

 

X3 or 4, Nice work!

 

Not too shabby.


x5 or 6? LOL