First Stihl chainsaw, a well used 026.

[Brian S]

Well I just got my first Stihl chainsaw, it is a dead 026. Paid $45.00 for which I knew I could make back in parts if it were truly dead and not reviveable.

Here is the good and the bad-

The good-
Looks like it was never used much, paint barely worn except for bottom of saw.
Nothing is broken.
Everything is there parts wise except the spark screen.
Saw still has some compression.
Has the fully adjustable carb.
Might have the adjustable oiler but I'm not sure about the screw head I'm looking at.

The bad-
Run on straight gas and the piston scored, but not that badly. It still turns over and makes decent compression. Piston is toast but the cylinder I have high hopes for.
One antivibe rubber is bad.
Ran for some time with a bad airfilter, no dirt to be found in the carb though and the bearings are tight and noise free. I believe it probably did not eat much junk except some fine sawdust.
Bar appears to be original and would still be OK but it was pinched and chipped near the pinch so will need a new one. I don't like LP chain anyway.
Saw was set up with 3/8 LP picco chain and will need a new sprocket for 3/8 standard chain.

Here are my questions to you guys-

#1 does anyone have an 026 shop manual they can share with me?

#2 does anyone have a lead on cheap OEM pistions and rings?

#3 can anyone date the saw by this serial# 222246635?

#4 should I rebuild this saw and keep it in my lineup where it would be somewhat redundant based on my other saws near its displacement 50ish CC's or should I part it out and sell it for profit? Or should I rebuild it first and then sell it for profit? If I rebuild it will I be so impressed I'll want to ditch all my other saws and keep this one?

I'll post pics when I get home, but I think you all know what an 026 looks like.

 

[ky-homelite]

Personally, I would repair the saw and keep it. I've not ran an 026, but from what I've read they are good saws. If I were home I could email you a pdf manual for the saw. Word on the board here is that Meteor pistons are pretty much they way to go for aftermarket. I'm not sure what brand Baileys sells, but I'm sure there aftermarket piston and rings would work in the saw too. I'm willing to bet once you have the Stihl running and running well you'd probably want to unload one of your other saws. If no one gets you a manual by the time I get home from work I'll try to hunt it up and get it to you.

 

[extraspecialman]

get that 026 runnin good,it will eat your other saws up,with the exception of the Mac 10-10,but the 026 is lots lighter.As far as cheap oem rebuild kits,go with the best.The cost of genuine Stihl parts will be higher,but when you consider the aggravation of a rebuild,the Stihl parts will save you money in the long run

 

[extraspecialman]

forgot to mention,although im fond of 3/8 chain,that 026 would be at its best with a 16 inch b/c .325 pitch.

 

[Brian S]

Manuals have been received,

Thanks KMB!

 

[Brian S]

forgot to mention,although im fond of 3/8 chain,that 026 would be at its best with a 16 inch b/c .325 pitch.

You're right on the .325, and upon closer investigation I found it to be equipped with Carlton K series .325 chain. The cutters looked really small and the chainbrake had a decal then mentioned the picco chain and I assumed thats what is was..... DUH... The bar is still trashed though so I'll probably order a 16" NK .325 bar and chain combo from Bailey's when I order the other parts I need.

 

[Evanrude]

Just order standard .325 chain and bar. You dont need the NK, that saw has plenty of power for it. If you're just going to run a 16" bar on it, you should be able to run 3/8. I'm going to grab the stuff to try 3/8 out on mine as I run a 16" bar and have no doubt it will run it.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Fix this saw up and try it......and I believe you will use more than your other saws. Do a minor amount of port and piston work, modify the muffler, and you will like it.

Watch on eBay......there are occasionally new Stihl pistons for sale at good prices....recently someone had a whole box of them for sale. If you could find out who won them....I bet they could sell you a piston.

 

[KMB]

Manuals have been received,

Thanks KMB!

You're welcome. And I'll add a 'yea' to the .325 chain, 16" bar on a muffler modded 026/260. You'll like it.

Kevin

 

[mattgatten]

I just got my first saw a few months ago and now I have 3 of them.

My primary (bucking logs for wood turning) is an 026 (non-pro). If you get it running, it's a screamer and will serve you well. I've had its 16 inch bar buried many times and it never lets me down. Just let it do the work. Got it off E-bay. There are so many OEM parts on there you wouldn't believe it. Just make sure the seller has sold a lot of chainsaws and has a good feedback rating. It's the first place I go to price saws or scope out parts.

Trust me, you'll love the 026 once you get it running. For safety, I stick with the ebay stores. Most of those guys specialize in their fields. If you can't find something, just drop them a message. A lot of the time, they can find it for you.

Oh yeah, many of the 024 parts are the same as the 026 to help you with finding parts.

Here you go. I filtered out a lot of the bogus listings for you.

026 / MS260 parts on Ebay

 

[Mad Professor]

Well I just got my first Stihl chainsaw, it is a dead 026. Paid $45.00 for which I knew I could make back in parts if it were truly dead and not reviveable.

Here is the good and the bad-

The good-
Looks like it was never used much, paint barely worn except for bottom of saw.
Nothing is broken.
Everything is there parts wise except the spark screen.
Saw still has some compression.
Has the fully adjustable carb.
Might have the adjustable oiler but I'm not sure about the screw head I'm looking at.

The bad-
Run on straight gas and the piston scored, but not that badly. It still turns over and makes decent compression. Piston is toast but the cylinder I have high hopes for.
One antivibe rubber is bad.
Ran for some time with a bad airfilter, no dirt to be found in the carb though and the bearings are tight and noise free. I believe it probably did not eat much junk except some fine sawdust.
Bar appears to be original and would still be OK but it was pinched and chipped near the pinch so will need a new one. I don't like LP chain anyway.
Saw was set up with 3/8 LP picco chain and will need a new sprocket for 3/8 standard chain.

Here are my questions to you guys-

#1 does anyone have an 026 shop manual they can share with me?

#2 does anyone have a lead on cheap OEM pistions and rings?

#3 can anyone date the saw by this serial# 222246635?

#4 should I rebuild this saw and keep it in my lineup where it would be somewhat redundant based on my other saws near its displacement 50ish CC's or should I part it out and sell it for profit? Or should I rebuild it first and then sell it for profit? If I rebuild it will I be so impressed I'll want to ditch all my other saws and keep this one?

I'll post pics when I get home, but I think you all know what an 026 looks like.

A member here, bcorradi, had OEM 026 piston assys. I've done business with him, he is a great guy and I can recommend him.

 

[2000ssm6]

A member here, bcorradi, had OEM 026 piston assys. I've done business with him, he is a great guy and I can recommend him.

Yup, bought a few myself. Brad is top notch.

 

[2000ssm6]

Well I just got my first Stihl chainsaw, it is a dead 026. Paid $45.00 for which I knew I could make back in parts if it were truly dead and not reviveable.

Here is the good and the bad-

The good-
Looks like it was never used much, paint barely worn except for bottom of saw.
Nothing is broken.
Everything is there parts wise except the spark screen.
Saw still has some compression.
Has the fully adjustable carb.
Might have the adjustable oiler but I'm not sure about the screw head I'm looking at.

The bad-
Run on straight gas and the piston scored, but not that badly. It still turns over and makes decent compression. Piston is toast but the cylinder I have high hopes for.
One antivibe rubber is bad.
Ran for some time with a bad airfilter, no dirt to be found in the carb though and the bearings are tight and noise free. I believe it probably did not eat much junk except some fine sawdust.
Bar appears to be original and would still be OK but it was pinched and chipped near the pinch so will need a new one. I don't like LP chain anyway.
Saw was set up with 3/8 LP picco chain and will need a new sprocket for 3/8 standard chain.

Here are my questions to you guys-

#1 does anyone have an 026 shop manual they can share with me?

#2 does anyone have a lead on cheap OEM pistions and rings?

#3 can anyone date the saw by this serial# 222246635?

#4 should I rebuild this saw and keep it in my lineup where it would be somewhat redundant based on my other saws near its displacement 50ish CC's or should I part it out and sell it for profit? Or should I rebuild it first and then sell it for profit? If I rebuild it will I be so impressed I'll want to ditch all my other saws and keep this one?

I'll post pics when I get home, but I think you all know what an 026 looks like.

I will be more than happy to give ya $45 for it, if you decide to part.

 

[volks-man]

+1 bcorradi

you will not be using the old cs-440 so much any more.
best of luck. hope the rebuild goes well!

 

[KMB]

A member here, bcorradi, had OEM 026 piston assys. I've done business with him, he is a great guy and I can recommend him.

+10, Brad is great to deal with.

Kevin

 

[excess650]

I bought a lightly used 026 several weeks back and finally got to run it this past weekend. I would suggest that you rebuild it to keep, and then decide what to do with the others. I have my share of small to medium saws, but will keep the 026 even if I do have a DCS401, 346XP, DCS540, and MS290.

 

[Brian S]

Photos

I know I said I wasn't going to do this---but...

 

[Griffbm3]

+10 on dealing with Brad from this site. He might still have some pistons. Good luck on the cylinder too. If you are keeping it cheap, and you know the reason for the seizure, this looks like a great <$100 project.

Clean up the saw, cylinder, one OEM piston delivered for like $30, and flip that dawg over and you should be good to go...

Jason

 

[2000ssm6]

That slug is shot, I think you will need more than a piston. That saw looks pretty old, riveted name tags were on the first ones I believe. There may be a year on the green tag attached to the chain brake, but it could have been replaced also. Tree spike is on upside down. Looks good for the $$$, complete anyway.

 

[Brian S]

Yes, I have it all apart now and the piston is a goner. The cylinder is fine. It has some streaks of aluminum transfer from the piston on the exhaust and the intake side to a lesser degree but no socring or gouges. The bearings all seem great and tight. The only thing that looks to be of concern is that due to lack of proper air filtration there is a lot of mix soaked sawdust down in the crankcase. Do I have to split the cases to clean it out or will it be acceptable to flush out the case with clean mix?

Opinions?