# comments on old stihl 031 AV'S



## diesel&coffee (Feb 26, 2010)

ok was reading the 381/038 mag thread.. I have seen a lot, lot, lot of 031 AV's on EBAY lately.. Any comments on the 031 vrs the 032/030..


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## indiansprings (Feb 26, 2010)

031's and 032's were excellent saws for the day, heavy in today's world, but great firewood saws, pro construction. Built like tanks and tough as hell. I have a 032 that I bought new almost 30 years ago, it has had nothing done to it but, replacing a few plugs, one air filter replacement and normal care and it Stihl runs like a new one. I have an 030 as well, but they weren't made but a year maybe two and have smaller displacement than the 031/032.
A good 031 or 032 can make someone a cheap dependable firewood saw that will last for years.


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## joe25DA (Feb 26, 2010)

indiansprings said:


> 031's and 032's were excellent saws for the day, heavy in today's world, but great firewood saws, pro construction. Built like tanks and tough as hell. I have a 032 that I bought new almost 30 years ago, it has had nothing done to it but, replacing a few plugs, one air filter replacement and normal care and it Stihl runs like a new one. I have an 030 as well, but they weren't made but a year maybe two and have smaller displacement than the 031/032.
> A good 031 or 032 can make someone a cheap dependable firewood saw that will last for years.



agreed. I have one Stihl and its an 031AV, Very well built. Mine is an early model, made in West Germany. If you get one, you wont be disapointed.
<a href="http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/?action=view&current=saw061.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/saw061.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


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## Paul001 (Feb 26, 2010)

diesel&coffee said:


> ok was reading the 381/038 mag thread.. I have seen a lot, lot, lot of 031 AV's on EBAY lately.. Any comments on the 031 vrs the 032/030..



They are good saws, not in the same league as an 038 Mag, but good firewood saws.

Coil/points are/were an issue. See several a year that are toasted. 

Find a good running unit, and use it for firewood, you'll be pleased. Expect it to be an old style torque king, well there are better choices


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## redunshee (Feb 26, 2010)

*!*



joe25DA said:


> agreed. I have one Stihl and its an 031AV, Very well built. Mine is an early model, made in West Germany. If you get one, you wont be disapointed.
> <a href="http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/?action=view&current=saw061.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/saw061.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



Good god Joe that's in fantastic shape! Did you paint it?
Bob


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## joe25DA (Feb 26, 2010)

redunshee said:


> Good god Joe that's in fantastic shape! Did you paint it?
> Bob



No, I got it real greasy and dirty, I cleaned it and thats what was underneath. It neede a new plug wire carb kit and lines. I did spray the muffler. That saw is all original, even has the Duramatic hard nose. Runs as good as it looks too 170psi


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## redunshee (Feb 26, 2010)

joe25DA said:


> No, I got it real greasy and dirty, I cleaned it and thats what was underneath. It neede a new plug wire carb kit and lines. I did spray the muffler. That saw is all original, even has the Duramatic hard nose. Runs as good as it looks too 170psi



fantastic! What a find!!!!


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## joe25DA (Feb 26, 2010)

My repair shop had it kickin around for years, he said "you want that old stihl, $30." I was pretty happy that day. I buy alot from him and send him alot of work so he takes good care of me. Works great for both of us.


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## DSS (Feb 26, 2010)

Beautiful.I love those old saws.


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## BloodOnTheIce (Feb 26, 2010)

There are still a lot of them out there, but between the ignitions dieing, and rewind parts are all obsolete, fixing them is getting rough. 

They were 50cc's and a common setup around here is 3/8" with a 16/18" hard nose bar. I have seen a couple with 24" bars and had no idea how they could pull them.


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## diesel&coffee (Feb 26, 2010)

why hardnose bars... even thou the bar is short - isn't a roller bar much better for the saw/chain??


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## joe25DA (Feb 26, 2010)

diesel&coffee said:


> why hardnose bars... even thou the bar is short - isn't a roller bar much better for the saw/chain??



Well, less moving parts to wear out. Typically the tips of these bars are hardened steel to reduce wear. And Ive even heard of some guys welding steel on the tips of worn hardnose bars then re-grooving them. Nowadays you dont see a lot of hard nose bars around for the reasons you stated. I kept it on cause the saw is in awesome shape and its the original bar.


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## ShaneLogs (Jan 31, 2013)

I have a 20" Rollomatic E roller nose bar with the re-buildable sprocket and that thing chews! Semi-chisel even!


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## Guido Salvage (Jan 31, 2013)

I have 4 of them in pieces in boxes, maybe I need to put one together...


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## Rookie1 (Jan 31, 2013)

Cool resurrection of an old thread. I have a box of 3 or so that I need to put together. Plan on starting soon thanks to Epicklein22 and farmboss45 for getting me more parts.


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## thomas41 (Jan 31, 2013)

I bought a new 031 in 1982 or 3, and it is still a good saw. My son has it now, and has another running and a parts one, just in case.
'Very tough and dependable. DO NOT put ethanol gas in one,, or if you do, drain it out and put some other fuel in to store it.


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## a. palmer jr. (Jan 31, 2013)

I have a couple of 031s and an 032. Very nice well put together saws. They are heavier than new saws of the same size but not bad compared to other makes of that era. Mine all have 20" Rollomatic bars on them.


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## half (Feb 1, 2013)

*good old o31*

I had a 031AV from new.never gave any trouble and cut a log train full of firewood in its life Just changed plug and airfilter and thats all. It died about 5 yrs ago when the cage on the main bearing went through the transfer port and jammed the piston.at full noise. Took it apart .It was through the icing in the bore and it had a real bad score, so traded it for a Oleomac. good italian saw. bit cheaper than a Stihl, but its been a good saw, just lately seems to be a bit light on chain oil so will take it to bits shortly, and check the pump
the main reason i did not bother rebuilding it was it was a bit noisy and had no chain breaker, and i had had a couple of kickbacks with it ,no damage to me, but a wake up call


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## 056 kid (Feb 1, 2013)

BloodOnTheIce said:


> There are still a lot of them out there, but between the ignitions dieing, and rewind parts are all obsolete, fixing them is getting rough.
> 
> They were 50cc's and a common setup around here is 3/8" with a 16/18" hard nose bar. I have seen a couple with 24" bars and had no idea how they could pull them.



They can pull 42" bars with the right chain. Don't believe it? There's a vid around here somewhere.


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## 056 kid (Feb 1, 2013)

ShaneLogs said:


> I have a 20" Rollomatic E roller nose bar with the re-buildable sprocket and that thing chews! Semi-chisel even!



Do you mean a replaceable sprocket?


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## a. palmer jr. (Feb 1, 2013)

056 kid said:


> Do you mean a replaceable sprocket?



I think he means the riveted on sprocket end.


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## TreeGuyHR (Feb 1, 2013)

Cleaned up my dad's and used it over Thanksgiving to detach these root wads from some pines blown over in a storm. My Dad planted them bare-root in 1963 when he bought the property. I used a bucking cut with the short bar on the saw -- which is the ORIGINAL -- notice the burrs; should have filed them as well:msp_rolleyes:

As far as I know, the saw, bought in 1974, is completely original and hasn't even had a tune up, although it has only been used rarely for the last 20 years or so. Got some hard use early on; we used it with a Sears version of an Alaskan mill to rip planks from eastern Hemlock; hard wood -- the knots shot sparks, as I remember; my job was to hold down the other end of the log!

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## Marvinlee (Jul 6, 2013)

BloodOnTheIce said:


> There are still a lot of them out there, but between the ignitions dieing, and rewind parts are all obsolete, fixing them is getting rough.
> 
> They were 50cc's and a common setup around here is 3/8" with a 16/18" hard nose bar. I have seen a couple with 24" bars and had no idea how they could pull them.




A friend has the 031 AV that he bought new in 1980-81. He runs a 28" bar and has been cutting this morning on a very large fallen Maple tree on our land. It runs the bar very well. The technique seems to be a very sharp chain and a bit of patience. He has a new Stihl within the past year, but prefers the old 031. It starts easier. And, yes, the 031 coil has failed. He found a new one in South Dakota.


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## ChevyHDNutt (Jun 2, 2016)

I just picked this up yesterday, $40, doesn't run but seems to have great compression


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## ChevyHDNutt (Jun 2, 2016)




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## 67L36Driver (Jun 2, 2016)

A great deal depends on the ignition.[emoji20]


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## ChevyHDNutt (Jun 2, 2016)

67L36Driver said:


> A great deal depends on the ignition.[emoji20]


That rough to fix? I don't know much about these old saws.. I saw it and couldn't pass it up for the price


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## 67L36Driver (Jun 2, 2016)

Check for spark at the plug.


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## Matt B (Jun 3, 2016)

Picked up this 032 for $35 from a bloke that said he just wanted rid of it because it didn't cut straight...

Machining almost as new on the piston. V high comp and much more pokey than expected. Surprisingly smooth runner, might have something to do with the weight. Even cut straight once the bar was the dressed


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## 67L36Driver (Jun 3, 2016)

28" bar???!!!

Typo? 16-18 is more the norm.


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## rynosawr (Jun 4, 2016)

The biggest weakness I have seen on these is not even the ignition, as good used and some NOS parts are available; the rubber a/v mounts are nearly impossible to find and every saw I have worked on has had at least a few torn up mounts.

I got the last good used set from Bplust.


These are good old quality built saws, but owners should really hoard some good a/v mounts when they come available and some of the coils and points; with these parts as spares, you can keep an 031/032 going for a long time.


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## ChevyHDNutt (Jun 9, 2016)

rynosawr said:


> The biggest weakness I have seen on these is not even the ignition, as good used and some NOS parts are available; the rubber a/v mounts are nearly impossible to find and every saw I have worked on has had at least a few torn up mounts.
> 
> I got the last good used set from Bplust.
> 
> ...


That's what I need is parts for mine, any suggestions on decent aftermarket parts? Id love to get this thing back running.. thanks


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## skills4lou (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi guys. I did a little googling on my newtome 031AV. Got it for $5, previous owner thought it was dead. Blew about 5 yrs of dust off, some fresh fuel and after about 10 pulls she fired up and purred. Will post a few pics if i can.

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk


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## skills4lou (Sep 3, 2016)

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk


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