Piston stops?

Are piston stops ok to use or is putting rope in the cylinder a better way to hold the crank? Always wondered if piston stop might nick the piston or cause other possible damage? Might be a silly question but I have always wondered.

 

I'd use rope. Just make sure the piston is above the exhaust port or else the rope will get caught in the port creating a little predicament

 

Yeah I'd use a rope. I've seen posted pics of holes in pistons from stops.

 

Rope works great as long as you follow what HittinStihl said. However, the plastic piston stops work just fine too. If you get your hands on one of the metal screw-in 'peg type' piston stops don't use it on the smaller homeowner grade saws or you might puncture the top of the piston. Trust me on that one...

 

Been there, done that. Local Stihl dealer bailed me out of that predicament and gave me some plastic piston stops. Good guy. Didn't even charge me the "stupid tax" for his time. You know where I will be buying all my saws, chains, parts, etc. in the future.

 

Thanks for the replies. I have an old metal piston stop but don't believe I'll be using it. I don't believe I even know where I got it.

 

They metel piston stops work good for setting up a degree wheel. That's it

 

What MM said, I use an air impact too. No need to worry about damage. Someone I buy saws from just told me he bent the crankshaft on a Stihl I believe using the rope trick.

 

The 1/4" 20v Dewalt impacts work well for saw work in my experience. I keep on on my saw tool box in the truck.

I do use the stihl plastic stops.

 

I Use a Dewalt battery pac impact diver.
the 12v makita is one of the smallest most "adequately" powered gun available. It's real light and easy to keep in your hand. A cheap set of adapters for deep well sockets and you have a good start.

 

Impacts only for me without any type of stop.

 

I should use my impact driver more, but I don't have the special tools for clutch removal on some of saws I work on - so I improvise and no impact would work - so, rope trick mainly. If I'm breaking down a saw to part out and it has a toasted top end, I'll use my metal stop to speed things up. Cheers!

 

Silly Huskywormies...I think you can slot out an old deep well socket and spin off that way.
Neal , lend a hand here...you've spun more huskies then I ever looked at.

 

Yes - I've seen that fix - need to make one, but I never remember till I need to pop a clutch - I use two channel locks and always works, but a pain for sure - perhaps a project for the snow day coming up! Cheers!

 

I just use cheap deep well sockets that are cut to fit if the clutch isn't a hex drive.

 

So since my first post in this thread I've been enlightened . . . unintentionally. For several years now I've used a combination of metal stops, plastic stops, and pull cord to remove flywheel nuts and clutches. I happen to currently have in my shop an FHC member's saw to do some work on. For the first time I've been unable, under my own strength, to free the clutch. For the record, I've been using a plastic stop on this 066. So, this past week on my way home from work I picked up a tool that's been on the 'wish list' ever since I utilized a moving company 3 years ago and 'lost' my impact gun and english & metric impact socket sets. I picked up a 1/2" drive DeWalt 20V impact gun and a set of deep well metric impact sockets. This may very well be the closest thing to a miracle I've personally encountered. It was like I walked for the first time. If time would have allowed I would have handily removed the clutches from every saw I own, every saw in line in my shop, and every saw owned by every neighbor of mine just because it was so revolutionary. At risk of sounding dramatic, it changed my life.

No stop, no rope, no time. Just leave the spark plug in and take care of business. I need to go now . . . I just remembered another saw I have stashed under my bench that still has the clutch installed...