crankcase decision time

[Patrick62]

Ok, I want to replace the old and stripped out, somewhat messed up case of my 440.

I went to the store this morning and checked my price on one directly from Stihl. Expensive, but I'm sure it's a nice case.
The next choice is to get one of these from Ebay -> Crankcase for 440
Question!!! are the cases from Stihl made out of Magnesium?
Are the aftermarket cases made outta regular Aluminum??
Does that really make much difference?

The aftermarket case fits into my budget, sort of.
Yea, I know it's a pain in the butt to disassemble the whole thing. I can do it. Biggest problem is the warped bar mount. Put on a NEW bar and a NEW chain, and I can't tighten up the bar nuts correctly. It warps the bar enough that the chain will not move. A well worn bar and chain and the problem isn't apparent. Then there are several stripped out threads... Worst being the brake handle on the other side. locktite holds in a 1/4" bolt... makes getting the starter off a challenge.

Real Stihl? or Aftermarket at less than half price??

 

[BuckthornBonnie]

Used oem from a trusted seller is a good option for ya.

 

[cuinrearview]

Are the aftermarket cases made outta regular Aluminum??

Potato?

 

[BuckthornBonnie]

Lol.
I wouldn’t use a set of this current run of aftermarket cases for a work saw. There have been issues with castings, material quality, bearing pockets, locating pin tolerances, and more. On a hobby saw to try out and troubleshoot? Sure.. but be ready for problems.

For a saw that’s going to be run, they’re just not worth the hassle.

 

[Patrick62]

Well... fiddle sticks.
This little 440 is gonna be a hodge podge of parts... If I recall, we have a NWP crankshaft in there, Meteor piston. Genuine Stihl starter cover, and the fuel tank etc. I might as well stick a Proline crankcase in the middle of this. It looks decent. I am going to try it.
I will get you guys pics of what happens.... The Stihl crankcase would have to be back ordered, probably from Germany.

 

[LogSawyer74]

Used oem from eBay or classifieds would be the way I'd go...

 

[drf255]

If you go AM, you’ll need to check the impulse nipple length and match to OEM. The case pins tend to be loose on the AM cases and can pop out and ruin you saw.

When we did our AM buildoff’s, the impulse nipple on the AM’s were found to be around 1/8” longer than oem-this caused the tip of the impulse nipple to hit the side of the impulse line and intermittently lose impulse. It was a head scratcher for certain.

On the pins, I swaged mine a bit with a cold chisel. They went in tight and stayed there.

The 12mm cranks are getting rare.

I’d personally look in the TP for a used oem crankcase with the crankshaft.

 

[Mad Professor]

Are the aftermarket cases made outta regular Aluminum??

100% Chinesium, that was originally used for products at a beer brewery.