029 Super rebuild

[Gabriel]

I picked up a used 029 Super. Starts on the 3rd pull when cold...1st when it's hot and idles fine but is an absolute dog. Makes about as much power as a walmart poulan.
The saw is in great shape overall...plastics are 98% or better. After a good airhose and mean green cleaning it looks good.....Cylinder is about toast. With the filter removed and the throttle open the pressure gauge peaks at 70psi....I'm surprised it runs as good as it does. SO! It needs to be rebuilt. I've only ever done one other Stihl, it got an Ebay china junk cylinder kit and it ran well, but it got sold asap...I don't trust them chinese parts.

Boring background covered...I'm inclined to buy Stihl factory parts but are there others? If I have to rebuild the whole thing anyway...is there a big bore kit for it that will hold up to every weekend firewood cuttin'?
I'm not new to a set of wrenches but I ain't no top shelf mechanic either. I'd like to get this one right...I REALLY need a better saw for cutting firewood but I cannot afford the price tag attached to a REAL saw. I'm running a Stihl 250 for trimming and smaller cuts and my big saw is an XP357 so this 029 could be a MASSIVE upgrade for me.

The Xp357 ain't a real great saw but it has not let me down yet. Some of the logs I cut though are as much as 4' in diameter and it takes a lot for that saw to get through them. .....I DO NOT fell btw, I only cut what local farmers give me that's already on the ground. I'd really like a better saw and think if I can rebuild this one and get it right I'd have just that...a MUCH better saw. It's already got a brand new bar and blade the previous owner put on. Bonus!

I'm wide open to thoughts and advice. I have NOT taken anything apart yet and will not until I have studied about it for a while. The guy I got it from said it ran AWESOME a few years ago but he hasn't run it in a while. I wonder if a ring stuck in the groove or something to lose that much compression? I don't mind spending a little money on it. Thanks everyone.

 

[pioneerguy600]

The 029 is a clamshell design saw and that design is well known for air leaks between the bottom pan and the upper crankcase, sometimes around the side bearing outer shells. A vac test is the best bet before removing a screw on them. Although I have seen several that were straight gassed and the owner thought it was ok to just keep running it as they thought there was initially little damage, but running it caused the piston to eat itself and leave lots of aluminum transfer on the cylinder walls. Best to determine what caused the cylinder damage right from the start, easier to fix first time round.

 

[ZeroJunk]

It is not logical to throw a lot of money at an 029, unless you just want to, which is fine.

There are all kinds of 49MM complete engines you can throw on there cheap in likely an hour or less, if you have an 8mm stud remover.

Like a a box of chocolate. But, the Chinese have been making them for years.

I have done a few that ran fine. Not something you would want to use to make a living, but it's not $1000 either.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Before you install a new top end on the 029, consider what I did to restore an MS290 that is about 16 years old. The owner claimed it was not running right and bogged in the cut.

(1) Removed the bar and redressed the grooves. I cleaned the oil inlet holes to allow for better flow and flipped the bar to even out wear. OK
(2) Sharpened all chain cutters on each of your three chains. One is almost brand new but still needed sharpening. OK
(3) Removed the air filter and carburetor housing. I cleaned that out, removed the carb and cleaned it. Replaced the strainer that was starting to gum up. OK
(4) Checked the carb settings that were not right. The low speed was set way too rich (far open) and the idle adjustment was set way too low (too far open). That was probably causing the engine to bog down and lack power at both the top end and at low speed. Not sure how it even started. OK
(5) I removed the pull cord housing and cleaned out all the grime that had accumulated around the coil and flywheel. Spark then checked fine. Checked the coil/flywheel gap setting. OK
(6) Bar oil screw was set wide open and that caused considerable dripping. I closed it off a quarter turn CCW and it still oils the bar fine with far less waste. OK
(7) Cleaned the Stihl storage case and added new towels for drainage underneath the saw. OK
(8) Started the saw and tested it under load. The engine idles and runs perfectly with good compression, acceleration, and power. Tachometer showed 12,400 RPM at the top end, which is excellent.

This saw ran perfectly after this service. The owner added $10 to my restoration bill. Cheers and good luck, Gabriel. Take your time like I did and do a good job.

 

[Gabriel]

Man I REALLY don't wanna go chinese but ZeroJunk is right...you can get a long block so cheap....I've always wanted to put a degree wheel on one and break out the pencil grinder.....I'm sorely tempted...at least if I get the porting job wrong I'm not out much.

 

[cookies]

If compression is actually that low It needs attention, a decently healthy used saw should at a minimum see of 135-140psi cold to start, run and cut decently. The fact it starts and runs at 70psi makes me question your gauges accuracy. I would get a mightyvac compression tester and re run that test. If it is that low I would try hard to reuse that cylinder and put a new oem or meteor piston in it and replace the crank seals, fuel and impulse hoses.

 

[Gabriel]

That's what I intend to do IF the cylinder is not damaged. It's hard not to buy one of those chino-turds to experiment on while the saw is down though. I've studied 2 stroke theory for years but never actually ported one....anything I can afford to port is junk and anything worth porting I can't afford to just 'waste' should I do it wrong. $60 for a chinese long block though? I'm considering it while getting the original Stihl rebuilt with real Stihl parts.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Man I REALLY don't wanna go chinese but ZeroJunk is right...you can get a long block so cheap....I've always wanted to put a degree wheel on one and break out the pencil grinder.....I'm sorely tempted...at least if I get the porting job wrong I'm not out much.

The ones I did were several years ago and are still holding up to farm use.
I find it unlikely that the Chinese have gotten worse at it.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Just rebuilt a ms290 and a ms310. Now I have a ms310 and a ms390, the 290 had a Chinese kit on it that's didn't run worth a ****. The 310 was a stock but 10-15 yrs old and saw a lot of use. I only use/have used oem for the engine itself, all the rubbers and plastics might as well buy aftermarket instead of oem because of costs, IMO. Oem kit for the ms390 was $280 from my local stihl dealer BTW.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Just rebuilt a ms290 and a ms310. Now I have a ms310 and a ms390, the 290 had a Chinese kit on it that's didn't run worth a ****. The 310 was a stock but 10-15 yrs old and saw a lot of use. I only use/have used oem for the engine itself, all the rubbers and plastics might as well buy aftermarket instead of oem because of costs, IMO. Oem kit for the ms390 was $280 from my local stihl dealer BTW.

That's the thing. Why would you spend $280 on a MS390 ???

 

[Stihlproincky]

That's the thing. Why would you spend $280 on a MS390 ???

Well... it was worthwhile for me as a new ms391 cost $760. Not all of us have a lot of money to throw at new saws right now.

 

[thompsoncustom]

That's what I intend to do IF the cylinder is not damaged. It's hard not to buy one of those chino-turds to experiment on while the saw is down though. I've studied 2 stroke theory for years but never actually ported one....anything I can afford to port is junk and anything worth porting I can't afford to just 'waste' should I do it wrong. $60 for a chinese long block though? I'm considering it while getting the original Stihl rebuilt with real Stihl parts.

I say get a china cylinder kit and try porting it but get a 039 kit might as well make it a bigger bore. You can get a drop it motor for 50 bucks so not like your out to much if you screw it up.

 

[Gabriel]

Be redundant for the retarded kid here.....An 039 long block will fit where an 029 sits? Thanks fellas. I do appreciate it.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Be redundant for the retarded kid here.....An 039 long block will fit where an 029 sits? Thanks fellas. I do appreciate it.

Yep, it'll bolt right on. The 029, 039 used the same clamshell design.
Ive swapped a 290 to a 390 and really liked the boost in performance.
Have fun!

 

[ZeroJunk]

Yep, it'll bolt right on. The 029, 031, 039 used the same clamshell design.
Ive swapped a 290 to a 390 and really liked the boost in performance.
Have fun!

031 is a different saw. I know there is a MS310. Not sure if there was anything between a 029 and 039 vintage.

 

[Stihlproincky]

031 is a different saw. I know there is a MS310. Not sure if there was anything between a 029 and 039 vintage.

I stand corrected, I thought they'd be like the 290, 310, 390.

 

[stihltech]

Yes, there is a 310 variant.

I have had 2 039s in the shop with 46mm pistons. Be careful what you get.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Yes, there is a 310 variant.

I have had 2 039s in the shop with 46mm pistons. Be careful what you get.

Yeah, the 031 is really, really , variant.

 

[stihltech]

Maybe I should have said MS310. Many years after the 031. MS 290, 310, and 390.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Maybe I should have said MS310. Many years after the 031. MS 290, 310, and 390.

Yeah, they sort of pulled a MS310 out of the hat. I'm assuming it is a marketing scheme to get a few more dollars out of something that cost zero more to make.