Stihl 044 Magnum has low compression...time to rebuild...

Hello all. Today I was informed by the Stihl Tech weenie that my beloved 044 Magnum has low compression and should be repaired to the tune of a brand new MS440. I have a hard time believing him since it absolutely manhandles a 32 inch bar with a full skip chain which I used earlier today. It is an older saw and I would like to keep her around since she works well and never complains.....wife also included.

I would like to give her a little more pep but not make her a dragster. I am trying to stay in the $300 price for parts range.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/390538291453?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I am considering this big bore kit but I am not sure if this is the best route to go. As far as the mechanical aptitude part, I shall rely on the sage tutelage of Unicorn 1 and his large shop.

Cheers,

Chris

 

Pull the muffler and inspect the piston and cylinder. If they look okay, you might be able to just replace the rings. If the saw runs okay, I wouldnt do anything else to it.

 

Or send it out for porting. You'll still be under your $400 budget. The nice thing is they will inspect the saw and replace the worn out parts while they have it apart.

 

Hello Sir. Thanks for the information. The technician pulled off the muffler and inspected it and said the piston and cylinder looked good. Would It be better to replace the rings with OEM parts or aftermarket and the muffler is going to also be replaced with a ported muffler.

 

It sounds like you may only have a worn ring issue. Certainly no reason to ditch the saw.

Take the cylinder off and inspect everything. Provided everything looks ok, put a new OEM ring and gasket and slap it back together. If the saw is really old, you may consider replacing the impulse and fuel lines while you have everything apart since these items dry out and crack over time. And of course the fuel filter as well.

If the piston is looking bad, go ahead and replace that. Also keep in mind if the cylinder is scored, you may be able to use muriatic acid to clean away the piston material that may have deposited on the walls.

 

Get a set of Caber rings, they'll cost less than OEM and are every bit the quality . . . if not better. Keep in mind that if you're going to upgrade to a dual port muffler you'll need to re-tune the saw afterwards or you might be running a bit too lean.

I agree that if everything looks good you should just replace the rings, and the DP muffler will certainly give it a little more pep.

If you would happen to decide to go for a big bore kit for a displacement bump choose carefully and don't get a nameless kit from eBay. You'll get varied opinions on them, but I would personally look at the NWP brand big bore kit that can be purchased from Bailey's. In the spirit of full disclosure I'm basing that on what I've been told, not personal experience. I have one of the 044/440 NWP big bore kits, but I've never actually used/installed it. For awhile I was coming across a lot of burned up 440s, so I got the kit "to use on the next one" and of course haven't had any come along ever since...

Good luck!

 

I had a low-compression issue with my 044 when I first picked it up. Both rings and piston were badly worn, so I replaced both. The Meteor kit was $40 including shipping. If you go that route, make sure you get the right one (10mm or 12mm wrist pin).

 

The ebay listing has a bunch of crap you likely don't need..... but I'd skip a chicom big bore kit anyway. If the saw manhandles a 32" bar, then I'd ignore the weenie and just run the saw.

 

Don't walk away...
Run...
You got the best ~70cc model Stihl made already. Focus on making your rig fresh and proper...
But before you do that, get a compression gauge and check it yourself..
Anything near or above 150 is acceptable on those..

 

If the machine marks are still on the piston skirt then replace the rings and run it. Or just send it to me to take care of and you buy you a new one

 

Indeed !

The OP was cutting with a 32" bar, running skip, and said the saw "absolutely manhandles" it............aint nuthin wrong with that saw, just run it

 

Unless your saw is beat I would pick it up and ever go back to that shop. Sounds like he wants to sell you a new saw and keep the old one like mastermech said. Either do the work yourself or take it elsewhere.

 

I agree. Not everything is disposable at the first sign of trouble. Pro saws are designed to be repaired.

 

Bring the saw over this weekend and we can check the compression, I didn't get the chance to run the 044 during the tree cutting because there was so much blood on the saw.

 

What was the result?

 

We cut with it all day today, worked great, still will check the compression.

 

We checked the 044 compression Sunday morning, throttle held open, 100 psi.

 

And it still runs?