Breathing new life into a old trusty friend..

So I have this old Stihl 023 I bought around 20+ years ago to cope with all the hardwood trees felled on 8 acres beside my house to create a new bog. I guesstimate I had around 10+ cords tree length with the branches still attached skidded to the corner of my property. I started out with my little Homelite XL (I think) and soon discovered this was too much for this saw plus the vibration made my hands go numb in minutes.. So I bought the Stihl 023 and at $299.00 was a lot money back then!

Fast forward to today.. Our resident chainsaw expert MasterMech offered to take the old girl and breathe life back into her! MM informed me this saw was in excellent condition and went on to say the 1123 series saws were a very good saw.. Having spent much time running this saw I have to agree it was made to last. Did she have issues? Yup! The oiler was very stingy and MM found it to be worn out and he is installing a new higher output oil pump so now I won't have to rely so much on canola oil and pouring oil onto the chain lol.. MM keeps his secrets close to his vest and won't divulge all his little tricks.. That's OK I understand where he is coming from!

I am attaching pics sent to me by MM showing progress. MM thank you for your generosity and expertise in helping bring my trusty chainsaw back to life!
LONG LIVE FRANKENSAW!!



Pic 0398 shows the saw completely disassembled aka pile o' parts
Pic 399 illustrates how much better the old saws breathe compared to today (my muffler is on the right)
Pic 400 shows that the case had to be ground down a bit to remove the chain oiler pump

 

Ha ha Ray, I have no secrets really, but rather than toss a piston/rings in your 023 (40mm) engine, I have a barely-used 025/MS250 (42.3 mm) engine to swap in instead. (I didn't want to give that much away right off) Of course we're going to open up a stock MS250 muffler and make 'er run like she should. I also have the newer air filter assembly and a side chain adjuster for it that I am retrofitting in. So she's gonna come back to you as a MS250 in 023 clothing.

 

My friend MM just informed me this saw will now have a side chain tension adjuster upgrade! Boy that's going to make chain adjustments much easier!

 

Wooooooo Hooooooooo I love it!!!! That was the saw I really wanted 20 years ago but couldn't afford! Thank you MM!

 

Just read that the 025 can take an 18" bar.. Good to know as I currently have a 16" bar.. Gotta go moving son back to college in Boston..

 

the 3005 mount bars for small Stihls are a bit shorter than the 3003 mount bars for the bigger saws. 18" on a 021/023/025 is about the same length as a 16" on an 024/026/029. I prefer shorter bars myself on small saws but an 025/MS250 has no trouble running the "big" bar.

 

Good on you MasterMech for fixing Rays saw!

Ray, I am sure MM will do everything he can to make that saw bigger and better than before. It will be like a new saw when it comes back!

I love to hear and see stuff like this.. Good deeds done by good people, for good people.

 

Boy this is pretty exciting.. So now I will have the Stihl 025 I wanted way back when! MM has modded the cover because it has the MS250 air filter, replaced the fuel filter, cleaned the oil strainer and replaced the pull rope! Here are some pics:

Pic 409 is the new and improved MS250 air filter
Pic 410 is the modded cover to accept the new filter
Pic 411 is the new pull rope

<<< can you tell I am happy?

Nice work MM! Once again thank you!

BTW we moved my son into his dorm room at Northeastern for his last semester and this is the view from his room.. The tall building is the Prudential Building aka "The Pru"

 

The pics are sent by MM and the story by yours truly..

 

Yes excellent program.. Joe has worked at Keurig, did a government job and recently spent 6 months at Parker Aerospace in Florida.. He is looking for a job for when he graduates in the spring.. He took chemical engineering as his major..

 

You can spray them with a solvent like brake cleaner to remove the oil and then blow through them GENTLY to dry and clear the fines. They are cheap enough that I would consider replacing it annually depending on use.

 

MasterMech is the man doing the work and a fine job at that! Funny how the 1123 series of saws seems to be accepted by the pro guys. That says a lot.

 

Wow and Sweetness! Youre going to get a new old saw back, probably wont even know it after MasterMech massages it and adds his TLC to it. He does some awesome work. Will be expecting a report of it when she makes it home and