Stihl 028 Wood Boss AV - Early Christmas!

I think it has a chain brake because when engaged I can't move the chain. I also read that some of the early versions did not have a chain brake but that later revisions did.

That is a genuine Stihl chain. The orange paper and the kickback warning leaflets were inside the stapled package with the brand new chain. I will call my local stihl dealer tomorrow and see what's what.

Thanks for the TruFuel recommendation. I will return the echo oil and just get that instead. Then I don't have to buy a separate can to store it in either.

Thanks!

 

After watching this video I think I'll buy the Stihl MotoMix.

 

Well I just watched this video.......



And then went out to the garage to take the saw apart.

1. First I drained the fuel. In hindsight I should not have tried to start it the other day but what's done is done. The fuel stank and smelled like varnish.





2. I took off the cover and saw the air filter was pretty dirty. I'll probably clean it off and purchase a new one anyways.



3. Drained the bar oil. It looked ok.



4. Removed the spark plug. Looks like I should put a new one in.



5. When I removed the fuel tank I noticed the fuel filter was separated from the hose. It was in bad shape and FULL of nastiness. I need a new fuel line and a fuel filter. The old hose literally just melted where it broke - so part of the hose on the fuel filter itself is just closed up and so is the other side of the hose.



6. Removed the carburetor and looked at one of the gaskets. Besides a little bit of grime it felt fine. I may be able to get away without putting in a new carb but if it's $20 I'll buy a new one. It's a Walbro.



7. Trigger feels fine and I didn't clean it up since all I had was brake cleaner. I did spritz a little on the carb but again in hindsight I probably should have waited until tomorrow when I can get a can of carb cleaner.



So yeah, I need a rebuild kit - carb, fuel line (oem as I did not like the crappy line included in the video above), spark plug, carb cleaner, air filter, and might as well put a new oil cap and gas cap while I'm at it. Then I'll try to start it.

 

Be careful at the Stihl dealer whatever you do don’t drink the koolaid they have in the jug at the door!!!

 

I don't get it - I'm old and slow now.

 

heres some advice........dont fall in love with that thing.

 

What are you saying? I'm setting myself up for disappointment? From what I've read people have nothing but great things to say about the 028 being made in Germany, etc......

 

OEM only for the fuel line. Check the impulse line along with the grub screw tank vent line.

Solid saws for sure. I own one.

 

well,i guess that depends what your used to....

 

It would be great if you could elaborate just slightly.

Is the impulse line the black rubber one to the bottom right of the carb in this pic? And what's that brown line all the way to the left?

 

I'm not used to anything since I've never owned a gas chain saw before.

 

overweight under powered over engineered german pos with parts mostly NLA unless its chinese crap......hows that????

 

I've only ever used 50:1 even on my older Stihl 029 super. That saw was used to cut 10 cord a year after it's first 10 years or so. I think the old homelite zip used 32:1. The mac610 and Stihl 015 may have used 32:1 too. When new synthetic oils like amsoil sabre day you can safely run 100:1 in saws designed for 50:1, that's pretty impressive and shows you how far oil has come since even 20 years ago. Compared to oil 40 years ago it's remarkable. Fouling plugs was a regular issue I remember. It's isn't an issue anymore with the best oils that you don't need to run such a high oil ratio.
If you don't run premix 2 strokes much, that premixed fuel in cans is great. It's shelf stable for a long long time. I have 2 old calls of it that I use to bring a few tanks of gas into the woods for my saw in my 5gallon saw bucket with the bucket boss tool holder on it. I've found that 1 of those little cabs is more than enough for an afternoon of cutting.

 

I think my 028 was made in West Germany.

 

I would appreciate a more honest answer if that's alright with you.

Well, I'm excited because I've never had a gas saw, never used a Stihl, and it was free (sort of). I think it had to sit for a long time for the fuel line to melt like that.

Another opportunity to learn something new!

 

Yes. The impulse line enters the carb box there and attaches to a nipple at the base of the cylinder. They’re prone to cracking.

The brown line is a tank vent. Watch for leaks there. Feel the line between your fingers to see if it’s shot. It should have a couple small grub screws in it.

028s aren’t high rpm or particularly torque-y saws. The choke flap and oil system is not how I would design them, but they work. The NLA parts are annoying and some parts like certain mufflers are tough to get. Having said that (David, Larry), they can cut a lot of wood.

 

Nice 028!

I’d go with the Stihl premix for now. If you start burning more gas (I’m guessing you will!) then I’d go with the small stihl Oil . One container makes 1 gallon of mix at 50:1 . The premix will get expensive fast when you start using your saw more.

 

Yeah I think I'll try and see if I can find the quart size of the Stihl Motomix. That would be a perfect size.

 

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

Thanks for the info as well. I don't really buck that often, just do some trimming of rounds if they are too long. That said, I saw a downed 50' red oak I think right around the corner from my house in the parking lot of a condo......I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if they will let me take it out of there.

Thanks will do.

 

How does this look?

I'm going to clean the air filter with a toothbrush and keep it as a backup. I don't trust those amazon rebuild kits. At least the fuel line and impulse lines are OEM here. I figured I'd get new caps. I'll order a new Oregon 18" bar just in case on Amazon. 183SLGD025. I guess I'll wait until I start 'er up and get it running before ordering that. The existing bar seems to move the chain by hand just fine but who knows.