026 question & hello from Aus!

[dwain]

HELLO/INTRO: Hello there! I'm a newbie to the site and a little green with chainsaws too. BUT I'm making up for lost time, as I've seriously caught the chainsaw bug. As I review tools over here, I already have a couple of small ones I didn't have to buy (Echo 352 and Dewalt 60V max). But I'm feeling the need to more power (am I sounding familiar here?). My dad recently gave me his old Husqy 55, which is pretty sweet. I've replaced the broken chain break and put new filters in. Just gotta do a little tuning now to get it to idle for more than a minute or two. Now I've also bought a second hand Stihl MS 026, which I'm loving. At some point soon I'm planning to buy something bigger (7900 or 462 / 661 or the like).

026 QUESTION:
I bought it second hand and it had recently been serviced. So it runs and cuts beautifully. BUT I haven't been getting much oil to the bar. My dad and I checked the bar was clean and the intake filter looked good too. We then tore it down to the oil pump and determined that it looked to be in good nick. We ran the saw with no clutch/sprocket attached, and could see PLENTY of oil coming out of the pump outlet. There appeared to be no leaks in the pumps outlet hose, but there did appear to be oil coming out at the pump intake 'boot?'. When the saw is assembled it usually (but not always) has heaps of oil dropping out the bottom cover, but very little going to the bar/chain.

My dad and I think that the seal at the pumps inlet is not good and is sucking in air and leaking oil. There's certainly lots of air bubbles coming through the oil outlet slot. Does this sound right? If so, what is my best course of action do you think?

Thanks for reading!

EDIT: for reference, my saw has the plastic oil pump with the inline (crank-driven) worm gear that keeps oiling regardless of the chain brake.

 

[Crispexx]

Welcome to the site! What I would recommend first is to get the parts lists and repair/shop manual for your saws, you can request them in the ‘The beg for Manuals thread’ thread in the ‘stickies’ section of the chainsaw forum. Just post in there and someone will send you a direct message. I know a decent bit about the 261 which is the newer version of the 026 so I’m hoping they’re still very similar, anyways, I would start with replacing the oiler hose that goes into the oil tank. Replacing the rubber bots on an old saw is always a decent idea since they start to get hard and brittle with age and they’re decently cheap and can fix a lot of problems for the money. You can keep the little filter at the end of the hose unless it has physical damage those don’t really go bad. Consider replacing the fuel line as well for preventative maintenance. I don’t remember if this mode had an impulse line or if that was built into the rubber boot that connects the carb to the cylinder like the 261, but again another thing to consider replacing is it’s getting hard.

The Beg for Manuals Thread
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ls-Thread.68615/&share_type=t&link_source=app

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HarleyT]

here

 

[HarleyT]

ooops, wrong one...

 

[dwain]

ooops, wrong one...

Thanks so much !

 

[dwain]

Welcome to the site! What I would recommend first is to get the parts lists and repair/shop manual for your saws, you can request them in the ‘The beg for Manuals thread’ thread in the ‘stickies’ section of the chainsaw forum. Just post in there and someone will send you a direct message. I know a decent bit about the 261 which is the newer version of the 026 so I’m hoping they’re still very similar, anyways, I would start with replacing the oiler hose that goes into the oil tank. Replacing the rubber bots on an old saw is always a decent idea since they start to get hard and brittle with age and they’re decently cheap and can fix a lot of problems for the money. You can keep the little filter at the end of the hose unless it has physical damage those don’t really go bad. Consider replacing the fuel line as well for preventative maintenance. I don’t remember if this mode had an impulse line or if that was built into the rubber boot that connects the carb to the cylinder like the 261, but again another thing to consider replacing is it’s getting hard.

The Beg for Manuals Thread
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ls-Thread.68615/&share_type=t&link_source=app

Thanks Crispexx! Sounds like good advice. I'll look into replacing all the rubber hoses and boots i reckon

Do you think it's a good/bad idea to buy one of these cheap sets from China with the filter and intake hose for oil and fuel? They're only about $10 delivered....


My worm drive gear doesn't have any arm sticking out from it like these:

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Thanks Crispexx! Sounds like good advice. I'll look into replacing all the rubber hoses and boots i reckon

Do you think it's a good/bad idea to buy one of these cheap sets from China with the filter and intake hose for oil and fuel? They're only about $10 delivered....
View attachment 862119

My worm drive gear doesn't have any arm sticking out from it like these:
View attachment 862118

Your own call on Aliexpress rubber components- but most folk will tell you it is cheap for a reason (its shite!) and might last a month or two before it starts to break down or crack up. Go enquire at your local Stihl agency- genuine rubber parts won't be $10- but might not break the bank either.

From memory, your 026 should have the circlip arm to drive the oil pump and it may have been removed/lost by the previous owner- should look like the photo on the left and your clutch bell cover should have a corresponding notch the circlip arm sits in to be driven.

Kind of surprised an overstayer over there on the West Island has not chimed in and helped you out with how to spit polish a 260.

 

[dwain]

Cheers Bob. My 026 doesn't have the circlip arm and the clutch cover doesn't have the notch. I believe this must be how some 026's were done because I've found other threads on this site where people describe this (plastic oil pump, pump always goes even at idle).

 

[HarleyT]

Cheers Bob. My 026 doesn't have the circlip arm and the clutch cover doesn't have the notch. I believe this must be how some 026's were done because I've found other threads on this site where people describe this (plastic oil pump, pump always goes even at idle).

Here is the blowup, it shows the 2 style pumps and their related parts.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Here is the blowup, it shows the 2 style pumps and their related parts.

View attachment 862139

Which I probably would have seen iffin I had bothered to open your PDF above. Still- I was working off of memory, which can be foggy nowadays.
I got half the equation right though.
If part number 12 was missing, it might explain the oiling problems........ but not if you are running parts 20-22 in the first place.

 

[Crispexx]

Here is the blowup, it shows the 2 style pumps and their related parts.

View attachment 862139

Yea I have an 024 that has the non adjustable oiler like the one on the left, if you flip your saw upside down it’ll have a little notched type hole where you can put a screw driver to increase or decrease the amount of oil it puts out IF it has the adjustable oiler like the one on the right. If no hole, it’s not adjustable and should have the oiler on the left like my old 024.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Crispexx]

Thanks Crispexx! Sounds like good advice. I'll look into replacing all the rubber hoses and boots i reckon

Do you think it's a good/bad idea to buy one of these cheap sets from China with the filter and intake hose for oil and fuel? They're only about $10 delivered....
View attachment 862119

My worm drive gear doesn't have any arm sticking out from it like these:
View attachment 862118

It’s another one of those ‘get what you pay for’ type of things. I look on eBay for a lot of OEM replacement parts and there’s the Traidin Post forum on here where you can post for the parts your looking for as well. Just watch carefully on the ol eBay, lots and lots of knock offs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HarleyT]

Which I probably would have seen iffin I had bothered to open your PDF above. Still- I was working off of memory, which can be foggy nowadays.
I got half the equation right though.
If part number 12 was missing, it might explain the oiling problems........ but not if you are running parts 20-22 in the first place.

Yeah, find out that my computer had that neat "snipping tool" which allows to to take a snapshot of the screen is handy as hell, as most folks don't like downloading files in general.

 

[dwain]

Yep you fellas are right. My 026 has the oiler system on the left of that pic. I chatted to my local Stihl rep and they said it'll only cost ~AU$50 to replace the oil hoses (and not much more to do the gas hoses too), so I think I'll just let them do that bit Can't wait to use it in earnest.

Mine came with a 13" bar and chain. What size do people think is optimal? 16"

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

$50 is for the parts and LABOUR I hope?
All depends what you intend cutting with the wee beast as to bar size- personally I would be looking .325 0.063 and in the 16 to 18 inch range.
Currently have a 16"combo on my own 024 Super and it handles it just fine.

 

[dwain]

$50 is for the parts and LABOUR I hope?
All depends what you intend cutting with the wee beast as to bar size- personally I would be looking .325 0.063 and in the 16 to 18 inch range.
Currently have a 16"combo on my own 024 Super and it handles it just fine.

yeah that's for parts and labour

I've just picked up a MS 660, so I don't need the 026 to cut huge logs. 16" sounds like the go. Why 0.063 over 0.050 or 0.058 ? Does gauge make a lot of difference?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Because it fits Stihl bars for that saw. Plus I run all the same gauge through .325, 3/8 and 404 as some bars can run either .325 or 3/8- or 3/8 and 404 with a nose sprocket swap out. Just means if needed I can use different bars on different saws and I do not have to have several rolls of chain the same size but different gauges.
You live in the land of GB Titanium bars though and in my opinion they are pretty much as good as Stihl bars.

Not sure what it is like in Oz, but over here .050 is not that common, 0.058 is Husky sized and 0.063 is Stihl size. Walk into the Husqvarna agent and ask for a chain loop of .325 72DL and they will hand you a 0.058 one, ask the Stihl agent and he will hand you a 0.063 one..... if you do not specify the gauge.

 

[pioneerguy600]

The gauge thing is regional and not carved in stone. Stihl chain in .325 ga over here is commonly .050 ga ,the .063 is very difficult to get locally. Same goes for larger chains like 3/8 most common is .050 but the .404 is most common in .063. Just move over a few provinces and it changes again same as crossing the border to the States. Just use what is easiest to get in your area, it will all cut wood.

 

[HarleyT]

it changes again same as crossing the border to the States

Lot's of things change when you come here...........