Stihler said over $20 each on the seals... I said "Ouch!" He said, "I know." I did go ahead and get some OEM filters and spark plugs though. The have always treated me right there, but I haven't had them really work on anything yet either since I mostly do stuff myself. I'll be looking on line for the seals. figure I better pull the muffler and look at the piston and cylinder before ordering parts and might as well get bearings along with the seals if I'm in that far. I'll at least see if there is any play in the crank bearings while peaking at the cylinder. I'll check out the oiler while I'm yanking parts off. Might as well order everything I need at one time.
Started taking it apart last night checking fuel lines and the intake boot while doing it. There doesn't seem to be any play in the crank bearings, but they will be getting replaced anyway along with the seals. I ordered some aftermarket bearings and seals and they should be here Thursday. I'll finish disassembly today and go through and thoroughly clean all the parts up so it will be ready to assemble once the parts get here. I've been taking pictures and bagging groups of parts as I've removed them to aid in getting it all back together. Nothing scary yet. Piston and cylinder look just fine from the exhaust port, I'll verify it when I get all the way there.
Any reccommendations on the carb while its off or just leave it since it seems to be fine? I hadn't planned on taking it apart but I problably should open it up and clean it while it's off.
Rebuild kits are cheap. $10 or so. And it’s a good opportunity to clean the ports and make sure metering valve and screen are clean. Probably be the easiest part of the project.
20 each for seals is crazy ! I bought them for an old 029 and the dealer hit me for 7 each. I know that there are aftermarket seals available for much less but with everything involved in changing them I wanted OEM. If they were 20 each I might have gone a different route.
When you clean / check your cab , do not blow high pressure air through the throat of the carb . There’s a good chance of destroying the high speed nozzle if you do .
Thanks all for the tips. When cleaning carbs, I alway use the spray can stuff and never my compressor. I've always had good luck with that and I always have 3 or 4 cans here in the shop. I checked my gasket goo for when I get ready to put the crankcase back together... HARD as a rock (another AC/DC tune for the ages). I'll have to pick up some of that also. I guess it's been a while since I've wrenched inside a case. Last time I used it was probably when I did the timing belt and cam seals on our 99 a couple years ago. Yes, I would have preferred OEM seals and bearings, but after doing this the first time on this saw, I'll be OK if I have to do it again in 7 or 8 years. The first time is always tedious for me... Lots of little parts to bag up and clean and remember to put back in. I actually enjoy working on this kind of stuff, just never tore a saw completely down before. Mowers, quads, cars, and trucks, yes, but never had to work on saws this deep before.
Your cell phone is your friend for pics as you go or a good Stihl repair manual. I may be able to come up with one if you think you need it.
cell phone has been working so far, but if a repair manual is available, that would be awesome cuz it will have torques and stuff. Usually, if I take it apart, I can get it back together... Sometimes it takes a second try when I find a baggy of parts that I forgot to put in when I'm done... LOL doesn't happen often, but it has happened. Dad used to say, "If you haven't fixed it yet, you didn't tear it apart far enough."
Seals- The “tilt” test isn’t always an indicator of bad seals on a chainsaw. It could tell you that something’s up, but not always. A pressure vac test (vac, especially) is the best way. Another shadetree idea is to carefully spray carb cleaner at the seals area when the saw is running; the saw may die or dramatically change rpms. Bearings- Double check the dimensions on those AM bearings. That series of saw doesn’t use conventional 6202/6203 bearings, right? I’ve used a ton of AM seals without an issue. Hybrid clamshell- those saws aren’t the traditional mag cased Stihls you see on YouTube. They’re more similar to the clamshell 1127 series, but are different lol. +1 for always looking at the p/c. You’re into it now, though. If you visually inspect the cylinder mating area and seals, you can sometimes see where a leak may have been happening. Sometimes not and you’re just replacing parts.
Stihl Dirko, Hondabond, and others are the best sealants. Loctite 518 isn’t the best for these clamshells. Yes to the carb kit and clean. I don’t pressure and vacuum test new rebuilds since everything is...well... new and I did the job. Honestly the p/v test should have been done before teardown. Having said that, sure- go for it to confirm the joints are sealed since this is your first build. Remember, there are only a few spots a chainsaw can leak air.
This is my first chainsaw build, but I've done some 2 stroke quads before (a few years back). I cleaned the outside of the carb up but I'm still waiting on the carb kit to get here. Once that's here I'll jump into that. Pulled the clamshell apart and the piston / cylinder look good to me, no scoring at all. Some carbon build up on the top of the piston and up in the head. I used to use cheapo 2 stroke oil, but I've grown up and have been using the good stuff for the last few years. I'll clean the clamshell joint real good. I'm still waiting on the parts. they should be here in the next couple of days. The bearings roll smooth but have some side to side play and the outer race can tilt some off axis so they will be getting replaced. I'll try to get some of the carbon off the top ring, but I'm not sure of the best way to clean it off or if it really matters that much. I'm thinking of rounding off the edges of the lower end of the transfer ports cuz they're machined knife edges at this point. I'm not messing with the other ports since they are buried way up in the jug out of reach of any of my tools. Not sure if that would make a slight difference or not. It's hard for me not to get the dremel out when I have a two stroke this far apart, but I know these aren't very friendly to modifications. The plug looks good to me, but I don't read them everyday so if it looks off to any of you engine builders out there, let me know. Thanks again for all the advice on this project. I'm learning a lot. Mostly how easy this is and not to shy away from it, just stay orgainized with the parts groups as they come off and take plenty of pix. It's not as much fun as being outside, but this needs done.
I got the chance to play with the saw this evening for an hour or so. Got the bearings off the crank, cleaned the clamshell mating surfaces up real well, piston top clean. The bottom of the jug had some nasty machining marks in it that I cleaned off with 320 grit wet on the flat table saw surface. The entries to the transfer ports seam very harsh and angular to me. I walked over by the tool / storage shelves and the Dremel was calling my name... I'm probably going to round those sharp edges off and maybe clean and polish the exhaust port. I'm not gonna take any meat out and I can't get up into this cylinder anyway with the tools I have. It ran pretty good already and this will be very little change, but I just can't pass up the chance to use a Dremel in a 2-stroke again. Just the principle of it. Come on over here, get the carbide burrs out, plug me in... you can't possibly screw it up... just a tad more power... you can do it... Dremel's can be a bad influence, sitting there with an old Vito's sticker from when I built my old Blaster... LOL
Dremels...sore spot for me now...mine worked for about 1 second today before it quit...took it all apart and checked things with a meter...I don't see what the problem is...
Good job cleaning up the cylinder base. That’s the issue with a lot of these clamshells and why, in my experience, certain sealants won’t work. Anaerobic loctite 518 has been pushed online by a few guys for these... naaa. There’s a reason why Stihl went with Dirko.
I've had a few over the years. A couple of them were el'cheapo's and they lasted through the job I needed it for and then got tossed... I should just bite the bullet and buy a nice set up, but I don't really use one all that much. I have TONS of the little attachements and bits though. The one box is just full of the bits. That cheapo imitation dremel is long gone... LOL
I'm Stihl trying to load the repair manual for you. I've loaded others here but this one won't. Maybe I'll have to get my 10 year old nephew to figure it out.
When putting stuff back together, CLEAN is the operative word. It will all get cleaned again with some starting fluid to MAKE SURE there is no oils to mess with the sealant.
