088 problems...scored piston...I think.

[MS-310]

I bought an 088 last week on e-bay (maybe im dumb) the guy said this....

Stihl 088 gas powered chainsaw with 25" bar and 2 new .404 chains and 1 used sharp .404 chain, new fuel filter ,Stihls proffesional grade saw with 200lbs compression, new piston ,new bearings new seals,new muffler wedges and spring,cylinder in great shape, chain brake and oiler work great. ....decompression valve for easier starting...the saw runs great and has tons of power...if you are reading this ad you already know what kind of saw the 088 is ....122 cc and 8.5 horsepower ....This saw is really clean and in good shape...small break in the plastic for engine shroud and small hole in recoil housing,neither effect this big dogs preformace....bar and chain will be removed and shipped separalately...if you want a bigger bar for this saw contact me with what you want and i will adjust the price..... I am a small engine technician and i repair Stihl brand equipment in my garage as a hobby...as with all my saws that i sell on ebay I tear the saw down,remove all parts ,clean all parts ,replace gaskets and seals,re-assemble the saw replacing any part that is worn and saw is ready to go,,,other than scratches, worn paint,and small breaks already described the saw is as good as the day that it left Stihls factory,mechanically its 100% I quarantee this,,if for any reason you are not satisified 100%,contact me within 5 days of receiving the saw,i will refund all your money except for shipping...i dont know how i can be any more fair than that...check my feedback...i dont sell junk...I will buy your old Stihl saws running or not....contact me and tell me what model you have.......shipping is expensive for this saw mainly because the powerhead alone weighs 23 pounds......shipping will be $65.00 u.s funds in Canada and 85.00 in the 48 states shipped by u.p.s ground.... International shipping will be higher Thank you and good luck Don


he is a very good guy to deal with but I really like the saw.... I need to know how to check it out...I will put some pics on here.

How do you know if its lean or got an air leak.... It has some scoring on the piston, runs good and so on. I have $715 in to it, should I just send it back or not...

 

[Lakeside53]

Depends what you mean by "some scoring". A few lines aren't a problem... What's the compression? How's the piston slap? Any cylinder scoring (much more of a problem)?

I any case, for the price of the freight both ways, you can buy a NEW OEM piston ($120) and have change for lunch and dinner.

 

[MS-310]

there is no cylinder scoring that I see....but I dont think it has very much run time on it. How much piston slap is ok, and how the heck you check it on an saw. My worrie is how the heck do you find an air leak if it has one. Man Im so glad you guys are out here...thanks alot

 

[computeruser]

Why do you think it has an air leak?

 

[MS-310]

What else would an little scorerd piston be scored from???? (not saying it has one, its just I dont know alot about the saw)...

 

[computeruser]

What else would an little scorerd piston be scored from???? (not saying it has one, its just I dont know alot about the saw)...

Improper tuning, inadequate or improper oil in the mix, debris inside the motor, etc.

Wanna get some pics up of the piston?

 

[Lakeside53]

It could just be carbon scratches from the exhaust.. Pics please...

Also, ask the seller - he says he's been all though it..

 

[MS-310]

I will have pics in about 5 hours ....thanks alot guys

 

[Jacob J.]

Check to see also if the rings are stuck, you can do this by rotating the piston down to where the rings are visible through the exhaust port and using a popsicle stick or a small flat screwdriver and see if you can move the rings back and forth. Do the "field" compression check by squirting some lube into the cylinder above the piston and try to hold the powerhead up with the starter grip (with the spark plug in).

Sometimes when these "garage" technicians go through something they don't quite get the carburetors done right, so on initial start-up the engine runs lean and the first thing that happens is "minor scoring". It takes a trained eye to tell when a diaphragm is bad or when an inlet needle lever is off.....

$65.00 domestic shipping and $85.00 shipping seems a little high to me- even the saw was coming from Canada into the U.S......or vice versa.

 

[flht01]

It could just be carbon scratches from the exhaust.. Pics please...

Also, ask the seller - he says he's been all though it..

Could you post a few pictures of carbon scoring next chance you get, inquiring minds want to know opcorn:

 

[Lakeside53]

It's when the carbon builds up excessively in the exhaust port right at the cylinder wall and scratches or abrades the pisiton. I'll try to remember time I stumble across one (won't be long.. )

 

[MS-310]

I couldnt get a good pic of the piston....dam I took about 25 pics....pain in the but. Do you guys think I should tare it down and check the bore and piston or should I just run it and keep looking after a few tanks...The guy that I bought it from said if it blows up he will return it or work a deal out with me. How do I know if its to lean? It smokes some when running. I will do an COMP test tonight, what should it be? The saw will hold its self up with the starter rope. If it does set up the worst I will have to do is an Piston and jug right?, OR is the saw just junk after that. I really wound care if my little saws blew up, its just im kinda liking the big old dog 088 and its kinda fun to play with.

thanks guys.

 

[Lakeside53]

The compression will be about 140-155.. BUT it's a BIT?H to check - I run out of puff pulling those SOBs over with NO decomp... and usually give up pulling about 140...

I wouldn't pull it down...

You can see much of what you need to see of the cylinder through the spark plug (above exhaust port) and though the exhaust (most of the top of the cylinder). Put a tiny light bulb on a pait of wires and drop it inside. If you are realy concerned, you can look at the lower portion of the exhaust side though the carb side, but by then you are pulling it down some what.

Lean? Listen to it... and be very careful tuning. The saw likely has a limiting coil, so you cannot tune it conventionally. You need a tach and the service manual. It probably has limiter caps. What's your serial number?

You don't want to know the price of a Jug and piston... so check the jug out.


But something is wrong here... your seller said:

Stihl 088 gas powered chainsaw with 25" bar and 2 new .404 chains and 1 used sharp .404 chain, new fuel filter ,Stihls proffesional grade saw with 200lbs compression, new piston ,new bearings new seals,new muffler wedges and spring,cylinder in great shape


200lb compression?? Sure... Only if it's been heavily modded. New piston??? but you see problems?? Makes me wonder about his other claims.. Ask him if he put in an NEW OEM piston.

 

[Jacob J.]

Yeah and it would need some break-in time on a new piston and rings in order for the compression to really come up- it takes longer to break in a new piston on a used cylinder.

 

[computeruser]

Since it doesn't sound like you have major scoring to worry about, I reckon you need to tach and tune the saw, run it a bit, and see how things are going at that point.

 

[Four Paws]

What else would an little scorerd piston be scored from???? (not saying it has one, its just I dont know alot about the saw)...

Running it with a DULL CHAIN - burning through the wood is a good way to score a piston/cylinder and burn up the saw.

 

[Lakeside53]

Running it with a DULL CHAIN - burning through the wood is a good way to score a piston/cylinder and burn up the saw.

Why do you think this is true? I hear this a lot on AS.. Sure it can load up a saw, but that in itself won't score a piston. Heck, I mill with my saws, and they get entire tanks at full hp... (slightly detuned).

 

[2000ssm6]

Pics of the whole saw please

 

[Four Paws]

Why do you think this is true? I hear this a lot on AS.. Sure it can load up a saw, but that in itself won't score a piston. Heck, I mill with my saws, and they get entire tanks at full hp... (slightly detuned).

Nothing wrong with running a saw under heavy load, with a properly tuned carburetor and a sharp chain. A good operator can listen to the saw and control things. There is a difference between loading a saw and bogging it. The problem is, running a saw with a dull chain (creating excessive load because most people force it - frustrated that the saw is cutting slow) and an improperly adjusted carburetor. I have bought saws in the past with scored pistons - no air leaks, carburetors were set correctly, chains were dull. I haven't been to any fancy small engine training, but from my observations, a saw set to run at optimum performance can/will fail from forcing a dull chain through the cut.

 

[Lakeside53]

Bogging it won't burn up a piston.... just the clutch. Bogging and runing with a dull chain is just a symptom of a bigger problem - most likely a badly adjusted carb, bad gas and a bad operater..