026 bar and chain question

[ontario026]

Hi, Noobie here, Just a quick question about my 026, It was bought new in the late 90's, not really seen much use, but I'm a new homeowner now, heating with wood, so I'm really starting to get into the woodcutting thing now, up to now it was used just for cleaning up the occasional storm damage etc....

My 026 currently has an 18" bar (pn.3003-003-4317) which is a bar with a gauge of .050 or 1.3mm and I currently run a 23 rs 74 oilomatic chain on it..

While surfing on the Stihl webpage under bar and chain replacement for the MS260 and 026 they list the appropriate bar and chain to have a gauge of .063?? The bar on mine is the original, is it inadequately sized?? Is there a chance that the dealer originally installed the wrong bar? Is there a way to tell if my sprocket is correctly matched to a .050 chain or is there a difference?

What is the primary benefit of the wider gauge?


My last question is about muffler mods? Can someone direct me to a location with pictures for modding the muffler on an 026? My saw has the 3 carb adjustments.....

Currently under load at wide open throttle I get a slight blubber like sound is this normal of a properly tuned saw


Thanks guys,

Matty

 

[glens]

You have the right chain for your bar.

They currently suggest the wider gauge for some reason, but I wouldn't worry about what you have now, and the drive sprocket doesn't care what the width of the driver tang is, so you don't need to worry about <i>that</i>.&nbsp; If/when you wear out your bar you can get the heavier bar/chain combo if you want.&nbsp; I'd consider it merely extra weight for your application.

There are several threads here about muffler modifications to that saw.&nbsp; I've not had much success recently with the search function, but you might find what you need with it.

The slight "burble" at full throttle out of the cut is correct, so long as it just disappears while <i>in</i> the cut.

Congrats on the new home deal.

Glen

 

[ontario026]

Thanks for the quick reply Glen, I will have to pay attention next time I am out, but if I remember correctly I was getting a slight burble (almost like a super light miss..) During the cut... Would this indicate rich or lean?

Thanks again
Matty

 

[Toneman]

Try doing a search on "026 Muffler Modification"
I will see if I have any pics on different ways to do a 026 muffler and post them here for you

 

[glens]

It would be rich, but don't necessarily set the carb leaner unless you're sure the chain is sharp and it's hooking up as best it can (that <i>doesn't</i> mean lean on it and <i>force</i> it to hook up).&nbsp; Too rich within reason is safer than too lean.

There's a post I'd made where I took data from "Timberwolf" and put it into nice tabular form, but I can't find it, nor many of my own posts in this site's search engine.&nbsp; He'd methodically taken measurements of both noise and heat during several stages of muffler outlet opening.

Lo and behold, I've found it

Glen